Cylinder Heads

The cylinder head seals the engine’s combustion chambers and houses the valves, valve guides, and—in indirect injection diesels—the pre-chambers. Overheating is the greatest enemy: a blocked cooling water intake or a worn impeller can cause the head to crack or warp. Recessed valve seats, leaking valve guides, and corrosion caused by raw cooling water are also common issues in older marine diesels. Typical symptoms include loss of compression, white exhaust smoke, oil in the cooling water, or a head gasket that repeatedly fails.

Overhauling is an option, but for small marine diesels it is often more expensive than replacement. That is why at Parts4Boats you will find complete new cylinder heads—bare or fully assembled with valves and valve springs, and optionally as a set with head gasket and glow plugs—suitable for brands such as Beta Marine (Beta 10 up to Beta 60), Nanni (N2.10 up to N4.80), Vetus M-series (M3.10, M4.14, M4.15, M4.17), Solé Diesel Mini (Mini 23 up to Mini 55), Universal, and Craftsman Marine. These engines are built on Kubota and Mitsubishi blocks, meaning a single cylinder head is often suitable for multiple brands; each product page specifies the compatible engine codes.

Always install a new head gasket and new cylinder head bolts upon replacement, and adhere to the specified tightening torque and tightening sequence. The matching gasket sets and head bolts can also be found in our product range.