Main Engine 4-Stroke · Main Engines (4-Stroke)
The Wärtsilä 8LW38 is an eight‑cylinder, medium‑speed (600 rpm) four‑stroke trunk piston diesel engine delivering about 4 MW of power, designed for flexible fuel use (HFO/MDO) and proven reliability in marine propulsion.
Do you have the manufacturer datasheet for this model? Send it with the enquiry form — we check it and name the source.
| Lube oil analysis | every 500 running hours or per the class-approved condition monitoring programme |
|---|---|
| Fuel injector overhaul | typically every 4,000-8,000 running hours depending on fuel quality - confirm against the current W38 maintenance schedule |
| Turbocharger cleaning | compressor side per running hours or on pressure drop; turbine side water-washed per the maker's interval |
| Piston/liner inspection | commonly every 12,000-16,000 running hours for medium-speed HFO engines of this class - confirm against the maker's current TBO |
| Cooling water treatment check | weekly to monthly per the maker's water treatment programme |
Typical intervals for this design class, not the manufacturer’s figures for your model. The manufacturer’s manual is binding.
| Cylinder liner wear | commonly quoted around 0.03-0.08 mm per 1000 running hours for medium-speed trunk-piston engines on HFO - confirm against the engine's own manual and running-hour condemning limit |
|---|---|
| Piston ring end gap | typically around 0.15-0.25 mm per 100 mm bore diameter as a general guideline - confirm against the maker's limit for this bore |
| Main bearing clearance | typically in the order of 0.20-0.40 mm total diametral clearance for this bore class - confirm against the maker's limit |
| Crankshaft deflection | maker-specified maximum per crank throw - always use the engine's own deflection record sheet, no generic figure applies |
Ranges are typical for this design class. Always confirm against the manufacturer documentation for your serial number.
Falls under Continuous Machinery Survey (CMS) if enrolled; class wants crankshaft deflection records, bearing clearance records, turbocharger overhaul records and governor/overspeed trip test records maintained and available at each survey.
Estimated lifetime: Major overhaul (piston/liner/bearing renewal) typically falls in the 12,000-24,000 running hour range depending on fuel quality and load profile; the block and crankshaft are typically rated for well over 100,000 running hours with proper maintenance.
Free of charge — send us your request for Wärtsilä equipment. Our team checks it and replies by e-mail.
Other models of the same equipment type, Wärtsilä first.
Tell us what you need for this Wärtsilä 8LW38 — a part, a service call, a second opinion. Are you Wärtsilä? Claim this brand page.
Service engineer? Write the day report for this 8LW38 in OceanSphere Work — photos, hours and parts, as a PDF for the owner. Try it free for 14 days →
Yes. Specifications, documents and service notes for this model are readable without an account. An account adds saved searches and requests, nothing is taken away.
Yes. Tell us the manufacturer, the model and what you need — a person reads every request and replies by e-mail.
Send us the nameplate or the correct value. We check it against the manufacturer datasheet or class-society record and update the page.