Review of technical characteristics of the YaMZ-238 diesel engine

Engine diagram "YAMZ-238"

1-stopper; 2-cylinder block; 3-cylinder liner; 4-connecting rod; 5-oil pan; 6-oil pump; 7-front bearing cover; 8-gear oil pump drive; 9-intermediate gear of the oil pump; 10-crankshaft gear; 11-crankshaft; 12-crankshaft pulley; 13-bolt; 14-drive fuel pump drive gear; 15-camshaft gear; 16-camshaft; 17-fan drive housing; 18-fan; 19-gear fan drive; 20-driven fuel pump drive gear; 21 fuel pump drive shaft; 22-coupling; 23-fuel injection advance clutch; 24-fuel pump; 25-intake manifold; 26-cylinder cover; 27-exhaust manifold; 28-flywheel; 29-crankcase ventilation tube; 30-pulley compressor; 31-alternator pulley; 32-alternator drive belt; 33-power steering pump drive belt; 34-pulley power steering pump; 35-water pump drive belt; 36.42-tensioner pulley; 37 flywheel housing; 38-pointer; 39-water pump pulley; 40-pulley fan; 41-compressor drive belt;

How to install the piston of the first cylinder

The most important. It is necessary to set the piston of the first cylinder to TDC at the moment of fuel compression. That is, determine the position of the piston of the first cylinder at which it is necessary to begin adjusting the valves. It's very simple. The marks on the injection pump are aligned.

The crankshaft also has marks. And if you put them out. The piston of the first cylinder will be at TDC. But the crankshaft makes two revolutions and the fuel injection pump makes one revolution for a full cycle of engine operation. Therefore, in one of the positions of the crankshaft marks, the piston of the first cylinder may not rise at the moment of compression. Therefore, it is safe to navigate by the position of the fuel pump. Or on the valves, if the fuel pump is removed. At the moment of compression, when the piston approaches TDC. The exhaust valve of the first cylinder is closed and the intake valve is closed. With further rotation of the crankshaft, until the piston reaches TDC. The valves are closed and the rocker arms are motionless. In the second position of the crankshaft marks, one valve closes before TDC, and after the piston passes TDC, the second valve immediately opens. This position of the piston is not satisfactory. After the piston of the first cylinder is set, the valves of the first cylinder can be adjusted.

How to crank the crankshaft

Great precision is not required. And each time rotate the shaft until the mark on the pulley aligns with the “0” mark on the front cover. So from the first to the fifth 90 degrees, from the fifth to the fourth 90 degrees from the fourth to the second 90 degrees and so on until the eighth cylinder. The crankshaft must be turned clockwise when looking at the end of the engine from the front. The method is very simple but not convenient. When the engine is on the car, it is difficult to get to the pulley. Moreover, mark it. And then it’s even more difficult to combine these marks. Soviet designers were far from stupid people. All aspects were taken into account in the calculations. Therefore, the instruction manual suggests a simple method that does not require much knowledge and memorization.

"YAMZ-238" diesel technical characteristics

Buying a 238D engine

TD YaMZ offers to buy the YaMZ 238D engine below the factory price with delivery to the regions of the Russian Federation. The price of YaMZ 238D indicated on this page corresponds to the main price list for YaMZ engines presented in the section Prices for YaMZ engines. Engine delivery to the regions is carried out by a trusted transport company at the customer’s expense. At the same time, transportation of the YaMZ 238D engine by means of TD YaMZ to the transport company terminal is free of charge.

When sending an order for a YaMZ engine, be sure to specify the required equipment!

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Service

Servicing the YaMZ-236 diesel engine is quite simple if you know how and what to do. Let's consider the main operations that are included in the service:

1. Change of oil. Typically, for this engine it is recommended to use lubricant for diesel engines of the M10G2K type.
2. Replacement of filter elements. The engine has several filters that should be changed every 15,000 km. This is an oil filter, a coarse and fine fuel filter element, and repair kits for all filters.
3. Injection adjustment, in other words, by blowing through the injectors.
4. Replacement of valve cover and cylinder head gaskets. In some cases, the gasket material of the pallet is changed.
5. Tightening or replacing drive belts.

That, in principle, is all the maintenance operations that are carried out on the YaMZ-236. Everything else changes during routine and scheduled repairs.

Reasons for adjusting valves

When should valves be adjusted?
A knock in the gas distribution mechanism immediately comes to mind. It is clear that with such symptoms, first of all, the thermal gaps are checked and adjusted. It is also worth making adjustments if the first thousand kilometers have been passed after the repair or if the cylinder head has been pulled.

It is necessary to monitor the mileage of the car and the condition of the entire gas distribution mechanism. If necessary, adjust valve clearances after 10-20 thousand km and always remember that increased thermal clearances lead to increased fuel consumption.

The largest Russian manufacturer of diesel engines

In 1916, in the city of Yaroslavl, an enterprise for the production of passenger cars was created by engineer V. A. Lebedev. The further development of the plant is associated with the production of trucks, the production of which began in 1925. At that time, these were heavy-duty models with a lifting capacity of up to 7 tons.

Subsequently, the company began to manufacture dump trucks, buses and trolleybuses. In the early fifties, the plant mastered the serial production of diesel engines. The year 1958 should be considered an important stage of development. This year, the enterprise was repurposed to produce diesel power units and received the name “Yaroslavl Motor Plant”.

The established plant immediately began developing a new line of diesel engines for a wide variety of equipment. In 1961, serial production of diesel models YaMZ-236, YaMZ-238, YaMZ-240 began. The engines differed in power due to the use of a different number of cylinders (from 6 to 10), which made it possible to install the engines on a wide variety of equipment, but at the same time they had great unification, which simplified maintenance and possible repairs.

Owner reviews

The high performance characteristics of the engine make it in demand today among various manufacturers of heavy vehicles. Owners of vehicles with a YaMZ-238 diesel engine installed under the hood note the excellent maintainability of the installation, relatively inexpensive maintenance and availability of the engine. There are no difficulties in finding components; it is quite possible to get a power unit in proper condition. The average cost of an engine varies between 350 thousand rubles.

Cars with this power unit are distinguished by high power and reliability. You can read more about the informative reviews from the owners below.

1. Nikolai. Tambov. We can say that I spent my whole life behind the wheel of the KrAZ-255B. Under the hood is the notorious diesel engine from the Yaroslavl plant. In third gear, uphill about 15 degrees pulls at 30 km/h. The weight of the truck is 12 tons, plus 8 tons of cargo. As a result, the mass turns out to be quite heavy, but the diesel engine has enough torque. The engine recently underwent a major overhaul; the mileage at that time was 800 thousand km. It could have gone longer, but due to a stuck thermostat, there was a sharp increase in temperature in the system - the cylinder block could not stand it. We carried out repairs, and now the car is as vigorous as before. It took about 200 thousand rubles for everything. Repairs were cheaper than purchasing a new unit. Consumption per 100 kilometers is on average 40 liters of diesel fuel. The figure depends on the vehicle load and other factors.
2. Vyacheslav, Irkutsk. In the USSR they knew how to design high-quality power units, and cars in general were the same. Soviet-style YaMZ is an ideal motor. It has an immense resource, but also a huge expense. Although which diesel analogue consumes less? I think that another engine with the same performance characteristics and service life consumes exactly the same amount of fuel. The latest modifications of YaMZ have a number of chronic problems: gases entering the cooling system, constant burnout of the cylinder head gasket, the formation of defects on the injector cups, rubber bands under the liners are always breaking through. I did not observe this on the YaMZ-238. I worked for twenty years on a MAZ 54331 tractor, with this engine the car covered 880 thousand km. According to the plant, the actual resource of the 238th modification is 12,000 engine hours, and this is not a lot - 900 thousand kilometers. With proper maintenance, it will last a million kilometers. Consumption of 45-50 liters of diesel fuel per 100 kilometers.
3. Sergey, Yaroslavl. On our state farm we had several K-700 tractors with YaMZ-238. I can say with responsibility that this engine is a symbiosis of power, reliability and durability. In terms of consumption - it consumes an average of 15-20 diesel fuel per hectare of field with an installed 8-furrow plow. I believe that this is an example of the efficiency of a high-quality power unit. Now about the resource. “Yaroslavl Motor Plant” gives a guarantee for the installation of approximately 12,000 engine hours; such a resource can be developed for 10,000 hectares of heavy plowing. But this is the worst case scenario! “Kirovtsy” can go much further, I was personally convinced of this. The main thing is to monitor the condition of the tractors and eliminate even the slightest faults in a timely manner, since even the most harmless breakdown can result in serious repairs. It is important to change the engine oil on time, then the fluid coupling will not clog or fail before the due time. In general, I recommend this power unit to everyone for heavy agricultural work.
4. Maxim, Voronezh. In the 90s of the last century I had the opportunity to work on the brand new K-700A with YaMZ-238. I worked on a tractor for almost ten years, I went to the field every day, there were days off, but then other people worked on the tractor, in general, the diesel plowed day after day without a break. In the spring we went with a cultivator, in the fall with a plow, and in the summer with a trailed grader, whatever they did with this equipment, it didn’t matter. The engine never smoked, the cylinder head gasket never blew, during all this time I personally only changed the fan drive. In total, the tractor plowed for 9,000 operating hours, and would have continued to work, but at one point water began to flow into the sump, and the engine needed to be repaired. I was ready to fix this breakdown myself, but at production they decided to overhaul the engine. After the overhaul, it was no longer the same YaMZ-238 - it was “eating” oil, gaskets and liners were constantly burning out, and a complete hassle began with it. Before this, I didn’t have to add oil, and I used a maximum of 25 liters of diesel fuel, but after that the numbers increased significantly. The bottom line is this: an excellent motor, but after a major overhaul it may begin to behave completely differently.
5. Pavel, Vladivostok. At one time I worked behind the wheel of a KamAZ-5320. During its operation, the car with the YaMZ-238 diesel engine left exclusively positive emotions and memories. It is unpretentious, quite powerful - the weight of the truck is 7 tons, plus you load 10-15 tons on top and nothing, pulls uphill at 25-30 km/h without problems. Repair is very simple, you just need to always have a set of screwdrivers and sockets on hand. A good friend had the same truck, only it had a turbine. Repairing a YaMZ-238 with a turbine is not easy, and modifications with separate heads cause a lot of headaches. In total, the engine worked for 850 thousand kilometers, after which it was repaired. After the capital campaign, I did not notice any negative consequences of the event. I’ve already covered over 100 thousand kilometers, it doesn’t “eat” oil, on average it uses 38 liters of diesel fuel per hundred, but maybe more if the load is 12-15 tons.
6. Alexey, Surgut. For a long time I worked behind the wheel of a ZIL 131 car with a YaMZ-236 engine. The truck performed its duties perfectly, easily overcoming various obstacles with a total weight of 20-25 tons. After which I switched to KamAZ with a YaMZ-238 diesel engine. What can I say - it runs quieter and smoother, the speed doesn’t fluctuate, it pulls just fine. This is a really durable engine; I liked working on KamAZ more. Many believe that its power is not enough for such a car. However, this is not so, there was a KAMAZ gearbox and axles - the best combination. They loaded 30 tons. Consumption on such a car is 35 liters without load, in running order 50 liters. I will also say a few words about modifications with a turbine. They are not as reliable as they are said to be. At the same time, the turbine itself requires additional maintenance.
7. Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod. In my work experience there were different cars. I dealt with both the YaMZ-236 and the 238th modification. The first one I met was on MAZ 500 and 5337, the second one was MAZ 504 with a nine-meter OdAZ semi-trailer. I hasten to share my many years of experience and feelings. Firstly, YaMZ-238 is much quieter, and some of the malfunctions and problems inherent in the 236th version are completely eliminated. Secondly, the service life of a more advanced installation is 12,000 engine hours, or 850 thousand kilometers, which is significantly longer than the service life of a younger engine. Now for fuel consumption. On 238 it turns out 40 liters/100 km with a load of 15 tons, on 236 - 30 liters with a load of 7-8 tons. The difference is obvious. Both can be repaired easily and without any problems.

YaMZ-238 is a legendary invention of Soviet engineers. Over 50 years of practical use, the diesel unit has proven itself exceptionally well. Numerous reviews from owners confirm the excellent maintainability of the installation, its inexpensive and simple maintenance. The actual service life of the engine is 12,000 hours, and fuel consumption per hundred on average varies from 30 to 50 liters of diesel fuel. The excellent technical characteristics of the engine ensure the current popularity of the YaMZ-238 and demand among large automotive enterprises.

YaMZ products

Currently, the YaMZ enterprise (Avtodiesel) is part of the GAZ Group automobile concern and specializes in the production of the following products:

• medium and heavy diesel engines;
• gearboxes and clutches for assembly with manufactured diesel engines;
• diesel electric units;
• spare parts.

Manufactured diesel power units have a variety of technical parameters:

• power – 120.0-800.0 l. With.;
• volume – 4.45-26.0 l;
• execution options: L-shaped (in-line), V-shaped.

Such a variety of engines, modern design, and operational parameters have ensured that the Yaroslavl motor is widely used in various commercial equipment.