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Volvo Penta D1-30F


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5 hours ago, Olaf said:

@Cameron, so if you self-relocate the coolant tank or the MDI box - does it affect Volvo's 5-year warranty?

The expansion tank can be relocated, that will not effect the warranty.  The installation manual states that the coolant tank can be installed in a different location for all the D-Series and give specifications on how far away you can install it.

Infact, if you install a hot water system over a specific capacity then you need to add a aftermarket expansion tank to provide extra capacity.

There is no mention of the MDI box in the installation instructions.

Under NZ law they would need to show that relocating the MDI box was the cause of the fault.  I have a friend who has his MDI box mounted off the engine, and Ovlov have replaced it twice under warranty for him, most recently 2 months ago.  (Volvo are still having problems even with the latest model MDI boxes...)

Personally I would get it relocated as part of the installation and get them to sign off on it as part of the installation inspection/sign off.  That's what I did with my D1-30F.  The MDI box was side mounted, and a custom exhaust riser/mixer installed and they signed off on it with 5 year warranty.   I did not need to move the expansion tank.  Although it's on the project list as a low priority, it would be nice to have it a bit higher for piece of mind.

Of course I am acutely aware that if they can show that an engine break-down is due to my custom exhaust riser, I will kind of be on my own :-|

  

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11 hours ago, Island Time said:

the coolant tank is not and has not been an issue on any of the boat fitted with a D series that I've worked on.

The D1-13 and D1-20's with the side mounted expansion tanks have a design flaw with the tank configuration.  If the fly wheel is aft, (as most are), then when the boat is heeled to starboard, it's possible to create an air pocket in the heat exchanger resulting in overheating.  (and of course vice versa)

A lot of people have complained about overheating alarms sounding when in wavey/rough conditions.  The solution is to relocate the tank above the heat exchanger in all angles of sail.

With the D1-30 onwards the tank is mounted on the front and is slightly above the heat exchanger at most angles of sail unless you're motoring down a massive wave :-) so the problem is much less likely.

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Different dealers have a different perspective I guess. I was told (after my own MDI failed at 200hrs) by the local dealer that I could NOT mount the mdi anywhere else, or it would void warranty. I do agree CD, that there is no technical reason why it should void the warranty, and likely would not, if push came to shove...

I'd rather not get into a legal battle. Volvo have replaced my own MDI 2x now, less than 500 hrs old. I've also been involved in several customers needing replacements.

Expansion tank. Provided the expansion tank is full enough for the exit to remain immersed, there is no way for the expansion tank to allow air into the closed cooling system, even if the whole tank is below the top of the heat exchanger. It would be dumb though, as it would make it hard to bleed any air out when filling. I guess if it was rough enough (when the motor is first switched off and cooling (and therefore drawing from the expansion tank)) for the exit to be exposed to Air, it could draw that in instead of water/coolant, but the coolant level would have to be pretty low...

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The overheating is a common problem on the D1-13 and D1-20.  So common that my installer knew about it and went out of his way to investigate if the problem existed on the D1-30.  Solution is to lift the expansion tank - problem solved.

FWIW Starting the engine without firing the glow plugs first is a suspected way to burn out even the latest model MDI boxes.  I know two people who have suffered MDI burn out immediately after cranking the engine in cold Auckland weather, coincidental? Maybe, maybe not... turns out neither knew how to fire the glow plugs before starting and were just cranking the engine...

Touch wood I have not had a problem with our MDI box yet (@ 220hrs)... but I have an emergency start button wired into the harness just incase :-)

It also would take only a couple of minutes to put the MDI box back on the side of the engine if you suspected it had failed and were working with a dealer who doesn't know the law.

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CarpeDiem is on to it. Volvo dealers may say otherwise but for the D1-20 it is easy to get the overheat alarm to sound with the expansion tank in the standard position if motor sailing on port tack.

Island Time, I never tried overfilling the expansion tank, but certainly filled it to the max recommended level. Even so air managed to find its way in to trigger the overheat alarm on port tack.... moving the expansion tank higher (so it's always the highest point in the system) solved the issue. Look on google and you will find a lot of people overseas have experienced similar.

Also as CarpeDiem says, relocating the expansion tank doesn't necessarily void the warranty provided you follow the guideline in the manual it is accepted practice.

 

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