MD6A -No Power - Lots of Smoke

A

albinvega3283

.
Oct 30, 2019
234
Hi, All

With all the MD6A experience out there, maybe somebody has seen and solved
this problem.

I have had VESPER, V1868, for six years. I've had the combi drive out and
apart several times, and must admit, I don't think I have the correlation just
right between (1) the prop, (2) the position of the gears in the gearbox and
(3) the engine speed cam, but they are close.

The engine starts OK, but while at the mooring, if I throw the lever to
reverse, the engine seems to fade away and stop. If I attempt to go forward, it
has a lot of power at first, then fails to maintain it, while smoking a fair
amount, and with black smoke.

I do have a fuel shutoff valve, and it is wide open.

I have opened the fuel fill cap while running the engine to vent the tank
and disprove problem with the vent.

Any ideas, guys (and gals)? Any and all will be appreciated. Thanks.

Ed Davis, Mystic, CT ..............aka saylered@...

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
 
S

stevebirch2002

.
Nov 8, 2001
1,818
Hi Ed

Try putting it just slightly in reverse because if it goes to far back it will
be in the feathering position and no MD6A will handle the power required to
turn the prop like that!

The correlation is achieved with the two marks aligning on the blade and the
boss, this is neutral. Boat needs to be out of the wtaer for this. Rough
way is
to put the lever in neutral and see if there is any wash forward or aft. Move
the lever until there is no wash front or back and this is neutral then adjust
the rev cam accordingly.

Kind Regards

Steve Birch
At 17:18 23/06/03 -0400, you wrote:
 
J

jimmyvusa

.
May 30, 2000
45
To Any Vega/Diesel Doctor........

My work and family obligations made for a very late launch. Our 1st sail was last weekend. When I started the MD7a she started as always on the very 1st crank. She was topped off with fresh fuel and over the winter there was a stabilizer in the fuel. The prop and Combi were freshly greased before launch. As soon as I put a load on the engine a fair amount of white smoke came out and there was sputtering. The power was not full like trhere was slippage. We went back to the mooring and in neutral noted no problem. Again we tried to put on a load in forward and again the smoke and sputtering then like magic this suddenly ceased and she smoothed right out. We motored out of our harbor about 2 miles to the Sound and sailed in very stiff breezes and white caps. (No wonder you more experienced sailors love winds over 20 mph. What a great boat under stiff winds!!)

Thankfully, after our sail the motor again ran well all the way home through our tricky shoal filled harbor just a little after dead low tide. I checked the oil and fluids all was Ok. However I noted some clear warm water with a few rusty particles under the engine pan. I soaked it up with a clean sponge and measured it at about 7 oz. My concern is I may have a pinhole manifold leak because the water was warm, clear and had some rust particulates. Possibly there is a hose crack/leak somewhere after a brutal winter last year.

Can anyone who knows the diesel offer any opinion/advice on what occurred here. Should I get a mechanic.

The "silver lining" is that my wife after 3 seasons with the Vega under our belts seems finally really hooked on sailing the boat. Last season there is no way we would have taken her out with whitecaps on the Sound.

Thanks for any comments/advice.............Jim 3228 Discovery


Stephen Birch steve@... wrote:Hi Ed

Try putting it just slightly in reverse because if it goes to far back it will
be in the feathering position and no MD6A will handle the power required to
turn the prop like that!

The correlation is achieved with the two marks aligning on the blade and the
boss, this is neutral. Boat needs to be out of the wtaer for this. Rough
way is
to put the lever in neutral and see if there is any wash forward or aft. Move
the lever until there is no wash front or back and this is neutral then adjust
the rev cam accordingly.

Kind Regards

Steve Birch
At 17:18 23/06/03 -0400, you wrote:
 
S

stevebirch2002

.
Nov 8, 2001
1,818
Hi Jim

Check all hoses etc. Usual place for a leak is buy the salt-water cooling
pump.
It has two seals inside and when one perishes it drips out of a hole in the
bottom of the pump shaft housing.

Regards

Steve Birch

At 08:12 29/07/03 -0700, you wrote:
 
J

jimmyvusa

.
May 30, 2000
45
Steve:

Thanks very much. Will follow your advice this weekend. Jim

Stephen Birch steve@... wrote:
Hi Jim

Check all hoses etc. Usual place for a leak is buy the salt-water cooling
pump.
It has two seals inside and when one perishes it drips out of a hole in the
bottom of the pump shaft housing.

Regards

Steve Birch

At 08:12 29/07/03 -0700, you wrote:
 
V

vega3226

.
Oct 23, 2002
2
Hello Jim,
When you put the fuel stabilizer in did you run the engine long enough
afterwards to get it all the way through the injectors? This takes a few
minutes. Just a quick guess but it sounds like an injector got stuck. They
tend to get gummed up over the winter. If this is the case no need to panic
and call the Volvo man.
Regards, Scott Sanderson #3226
 
J

jimmyvusa

.
May 30, 2000
45
Hi Scott:

Thanks. Matter of fact I didn't run the engine at all before we put her to bed. The fuel stablizer was the last thing I did before I put the cover on her. Will make sure I don't overlook that exercise again. We made a lot of white smoke for a few minutes.

It appears we are related boat wise since we are your near cousin 3228. Assume you also have the MD7a? What part of the world do you call home?

Thanks again...........Jim
nathan sanderson scott_tpresort@... wrote:
Hello Jim,
When you put the fuel stabilizer in did you run the engine long enough
afterwards to get it all the way through the injectors? This takes a few
minutes. Just a quick guess but it sounds like an injector got stuck. They
tend to get gummed up over the winter. If this is the case no need to panic
and call the Volvo man.
Regards, Scott Sanderson #3226
 
V

vega3226

.
Oct 23, 2002
2
Hi Jim,
" Natalie" #3226 is on the hard at my home in New Hampshire USA. She has
not been in the water for several years. She was purchased new by my late
father Nate Sanderson. She used to be berthed in Portsmouth,N.H or
Salem,Mass. Yes she has a MD7A...which we never had a bit of trouble with.
The combi drive was never quite so trouble free however. The reason that she
came inland to my home was to redo the combi and to build a trailer for her.
The combi and the trailer got done, but other issues have kept us out of the
water. I am guessing that the sound your sailing in is L.I. sound? We used
to take" Natalie" there often as my wifes family is from Long island.
 
J

jimmyvusa

.
May 30, 2000
45
Hi Scott:

We are LI Sound--North Fork.

My daughter went to school in NH, Know your area well from the Merrimac near Newburyport, MA (love the Plum Island Refuge) all the way up along the coast to Portsmouth. When the kids graduated from college a few years back (they were both there at the same time -- never felt so impoverished before or since) our Vega was a graduation reward to Dad (from Dad, of course). Occasionally the kids join us, and it all seems to come together full circle.

Sounds like Natalie is quite a boat . She sounds like a late edition Vega in mint condition. Hope you get back her back into the water and you get into sailing again soon. Stay well.............Jim

nathan sanderson scott_tpresort@... wrote:
Hi Jim,
" Natalie" #3226 is on the hard at my home in New Hampshire USA. She has
not been in the water for several years. She was purchased new by my late
father Nate Sanderson. She used to be berthed in Portsmouth,N.H or
Salem,Mass. Yes she has a MD7A...which we never had a bit of trouble with.
The combi drive was never quite so trouble free however. The reason that she
came inland to my home was to redo the combi and to build a trailer for her.
The combi and the trailer got done, but other issues have kept us out of the
water. I am guessing that the sound your sailing in is L.I. sound? We used
to take" Natalie" there often as my wifes family is from Long island.
 
E

elrond8177

.
Dec 16, 2002
37
It seems like black smoke to a Volvo Penta is like a
fever to us mortal engines. It can be caused by so
many different things that it's the first symptom and
not necessarily the last. In the spring ours started
to smoke and there was quite a bit of soot floating in
the water behind the exhaust. I checked out many of
the items suggested here whether I thought them to be
likely or not. Then one day having cleared the 'no
wake' channel after about 20 minutes of not much more
than an idle I gave it more throttle and it died
immediately. Then I remembered we were on a 'sail'
boat so we ignored the problem for the rest of the day
and even managed to sail back through the channel and
into the marina. (I start getting scared when I think
I really know what I'm doing! LOL)
The next day we had the same problem at the 'exact'
same place. During the next week I flushed out all the
fuel in the lines replaced the fuel filter and
disassembled & cleaned the water separator/filter. We
haven't had another problem with it since.
It's sometimes difficult to remember to do seasonal
maintenance here in Texas since we don't have much of
a winter at all. The only reason we can't sail in
January is the unusually low tides and north winds
that sometimes 'blow' the water out of Clear Lake and
Galveston Bay. Next year I'll remember!

John & Carol Devany
Southern Comfort Too
V3129
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Top Bottom