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Engine pre-purchase inspectors


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Looking at buying a boat with a 30 year old raw water cooled Volvo 27hp engine. Want to get it checked first.
Should I just get Ovlov to give it a look-over, or are there better people to use?
Also is a compression test and oil analysis necessary, or would just a WOT test be sufficient?

Any recommendations?

 

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20 minutes ago, ex Elly said:

Looking at buying a boat with a 30 year old raw water cooled Volvo 27hp engine. Want to get it checked first.
Should I just get Ovlov to give it a look-over, or are there better people to use?
Also is a compression test and oil analysis necessary, or would just a WOT test be sufficient?

Any recommendations?

 

If it is a raw water cooled Volvo it is possibly getting closer to 40 yrs old.

Whether 30 or 40 yrs old it will be on it's last legs and an inspection will probably tell you the same. Ask when the exhaust injection elbow was last replaced (if ever).

If the engine starts ok and does not smoke alot, it will still have some life in it. Oil analysis needs to be carried out over a period of usage/oil changes to be an effective tool. Ask when the exhaust injection elbow was last replaced (if ever).

If it runs ok I would forgo spending money on an inspection and put that towards the new engine fund

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I would agree with marinheiro. I replaced a 35 yr old engine, that was working fine. It is all the ancillary bits that fail / fall apart. For this prospect engine of yours, if it starts and runs fine, well, it starts and runs fine. I would be most interested if you could get it up to full revs under load (i,e. motoring the boat). My old one would shake the boat to bits above mid revs.

You would probably get more info out of a thorough visual inspection of the ancillary bits, and if possible, an understanding of the maintenance history. And I don't mean oil changes by that, but engine mounts, drive damper plate, alternator, water pump, heat exchanger, exhaust elbow, fuel pump etc etc. Some of those older engines are substantially more solid than modern engines. You just need all the bits to keep them going.

PS, I actually got a good marine diesel mechanic to come and look at my engine before I replaced it. He didn't check compression or anything, just listened to it running. Listening for knocks, odd noises etc. There is not a lot of insight a professional can give you on a 30 yr old engine...

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Is it a 2003 model? (actually 28hp)  If so, parts are now getting hard to get, especially major engine parts. Can't even get a head gasket now. That was part of the decision on Island Time to upgrade to a new engine and sail drive.

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third vote on the parts issue,  i replaced my perfectly good 2003 with a new one simply because any spare part you need,  if you can find it generally comes out of europe and takes while to get here. On the plus side i got over 3k for it running in the boat,  would reach within 100rpm of WOT and didn't smoke but the bolt on bits ruined it

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4 hours ago, Island Time said:

I found they were listed, but not available...

And there seems to an increase on oversites for parts.Does not ship to NZ.

Looked at get some parts for O/B send to friend in Aussie then shipped across but $$ made it not worth it. 

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Listening to an engine is as accurate as pointing your finger into the air to predict the future weather. It tells you which way the wind is blowing and the rest is a guess. But testing an engine is not simple and thus not cheap. A compression test tells you not a lot more than the finger. You need to get a " Leakdown" test to give you the real info. Then a good look internally with a bore scope at the manifolds and exhaust etc. A test of the oil and a test of the coolant. It's not a simple job. Or you simply use your finger so to speak and do the listen test and get an educated guess as to how sweet the engine starts and runs.
With an old engine, both senarios will come with no gaurantee as to it's future. It could fail 10yrs from now or tomorrow.

 

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With an old Volvo such as that, check anodes in block and exhaust elbow for blockage, they ran pretty ruggedly even when new, also check revs at full throttle when warm (with a clean bottom no wind etc) that will indicate how it has been looked after .

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17 hours ago, Young Entertainer said:

 On the plus side i got over 3k for it running in the boat,  would reach within 100rpm of WOT and didn't smoke but the bolt on bits ruined it

That's the best strategy for sure, sell while it is still running and there is always someone prepared to pay a couple of grand. I did the same when I got rid of the VW Golf diesel (now that was an orphan!) out of my yacht a few years ago

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Just further to this, can anyone tell me much about the Volvo Penta M2020B? I can't find a lot of info on them. In the same boat (pun intended) as ex Elly, looking at an older boat with the 2020B fitted. Are these a better motor than the 2003 series and are parts still readily available?

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I got $3k for my 38 Hp Izuzu. There were two people keen on it. Running, in the boat, with clear maintenance history, original manuals, fair few spare parts, filters etc.

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2020B is newer and freshwater cooled,   had a 1020 with one in it and the parts were easier to find then my subsequent 2003.  But starting to get pretty pricey.  as an example heat exchanger ex europe was 5k if it needs fixing, but you can replace with aftermarket.  Exhaust elbow is another weak point,  cost was over $700 and volvo told me it should last 3-5 years!.  that same at one point there was a guy up north wrecking a few of them that was a good source for parts.  the 2020 series also have glow plugs that can be useful in the middle of winter

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Almost all of the 1020s had that Volvo and bit by bit they are being replaced (the2020) the MRXs have a number of spare engines to keep them going. Yes I believe they are better than the 2003 series but still not to be confused with the current D1 series (a totally reliable Japanese engine marinised in UK by Perkins and sold as Volvo) 

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My 2003T did over 12000 hrs over 30 years, not bad really. Their cooling system had some stupid ideas, like rectangular section O rings and no clamps for the piping 🙄.

My replacement is also a perkins - still got the perkins badge on the front - Volvo Penta D2 40..... 

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most 1020's had the 2003 or 2002 if they were factory finished then the 2002 was the most common (18hp) a lot of the home built ones (hull and decks from factory) had the bukh as it was a cheaper option.  The class rule state an engine weight of 150kg which was the 18hp volvo weight at the time.  The 18hp was a bit under powered and when repowers were done the 2020 (24hp)or the D1 30 (27hp) in later years weighed less and performed better.

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