We are looking @ a 1980 sailboat with a Volvo engine. I have heard that they are not reliable and expensive to repair. I would appreciate any comments?
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Yes, expensive
We bought a 1978 sailboat with a Volvo diesel engine. First time out we blew the head gaskets. Four weeks and $2,000 later she was back in business. The parts had to be airfreighted from Sweden. One year later we spun a rod. After the first experience, we opted to repower. We now have a new Yanmar, runs like a top. If we had not expected to keep our boat for more then five years more, repowering would not have been an option either (i.e. we would have sold the boat). The repowering job cost more than the whole boat did.
We bought a 1978 sailboat with a Volvo diesel engine. First time out we blew the head gaskets. Four weeks and $2,000 later she was back in business. The parts had to be airfreighted from Sweden. One year later we spun a rod. After the first experience, we opted to repower. We now have a new Yanmar, runs like a top. If we had not expected to keep our boat for more then five years more, repowering would not have been an option either (i.e. we would have sold the boat). The repowering job cost more than the whole boat did.
I have a simple question for everybody.
If you find a boat that really pleases you and you find that it needs an expensive repair. Can you sell the boat for a reasonable price and buy another pleasing boat with an engine of known quality for less money than you would spend for a new engine or a repaired engine in the current boat?
If you find a boat that really pleases you and you find that it needs an expensive repair. Can you sell the boat for a reasonable price and buy another pleasing boat with an engine of known quality for less money than you would spend for a new engine or a repaired engine in the current boat?
Sonofasailor, In response to your statement
"the parts had to be air freight from Sweden" My interpretation is that this failure was so unusual that they don't stock the parts locally. Call a Yanmar dealer and ask how many spare head gaskets he has in stock? and how long will it take to get one?
"the parts had to be air freight from Sweden" My interpretation is that this failure was so unusual that they don't stock the parts locally. Call a Yanmar dealer and ask how many spare head gaskets he has in stock? and how long will it take to get one?
!980 Pearson
We have a MD11C Volvo that has always worked but tends to run a little hot. The PO repowered shortly before we bought the boat. The original engine was replaced with a used MD11C from a saildrive. The boat with the saildrive had sank up in MN. Except for changing oil and filters I've done nothing to this engine for almost 4 years. It is a little hard to start when cold (below or near freezing). I plan to have the injectors tested and valves adjusted ASAP. But it is hard to find honest competent affordable mechanics to work on sailboats. If I was buying a new diesel I wouldn't buy a Volvo. But if you are looking at an old boat that you plan to keep and the purchase price reflects the old engine that is great. Just plan to repower. That way you will have a new engine of known quality. If I ever buy another older boat I will look for one without an engine or an engine that needs replacing. But at 27 years old the engine in the boat that you are considering will reflect care and maintneance more than quality new. With our present boat we plan to use it until it fails and then repower with a new engine. The Volvo MD11C is rather unique in that it can be rebuilt within the boat. The cylinders are removable and replaceable. So theoretically it could be taken apart and reassembled without having to pull it out of the boat. Many engines have the cylinders as part of the block and can't easily be removed or replaced.
We have a MD11C Volvo that has always worked but tends to run a little hot. The PO repowered shortly before we bought the boat. The original engine was replaced with a used MD11C from a saildrive. The boat with the saildrive had sank up in MN. Except for changing oil and filters I've done nothing to this engine for almost 4 years. It is a little hard to start when cold (below or near freezing). I plan to have the injectors tested and valves adjusted ASAP. But it is hard to find honest competent affordable mechanics to work on sailboats. If I was buying a new diesel I wouldn't buy a Volvo. But if you are looking at an old boat that you plan to keep and the purchase price reflects the old engine that is great. Just plan to repower. That way you will have a new engine of known quality. If I ever buy another older boat I will look for one without an engine or an engine that needs replacing. But at 27 years old the engine in the boat that you are considering will reflect care and maintneance more than quality new. With our present boat we plan to use it until it fails and then repower with a new engine. The Volvo MD11C is rather unique in that it can be rebuilt within the boat. The cylinders are removable and replaceable. So theoretically it could be taken apart and reassembled without having to pull it out of the boat. Many engines have the cylinders as part of the block and can't easily be removed or replaced.
I have a Volvo MD22L in my 1997 h40.5
It starts and runs very well. However, I do have a long story about this engine. The short version is that we bought the boat new and during the first year I thought that the engine smoked excessively and was putting a little sheen on the water from the exhaust. I also have a Westerbeke genset that runs from the same fuel and doesn't smoke at all. Anyway, I complained to my Hunter dealer and he went to bat for me with Volvo. After testing of injectors and numerous calls and meetings, Volvo agreed to replace the entire engine. They also replaced about 8-10 other engines of the same year and type at the same time in boats around the country. The 'new' engine smokes about the same as the original. But no sheen on the water. I have come to believe that the burn characteristics are just 'normal' for that engine. However the engine starts instantly and runs without any issues at all. I do believe that the parts are expensive, but I think all marine engine parts are very pricey. Volvo may be 20% more, but it is had to do a direct comparison at a given point in time. Would I buy another Volvo? Well, it probably wouldn't be my first choice, but Volvo did stand behind their product and made a good-faith effort to resolve my complaint. On the other hand, if I was looking at a boat that was otherwise a good match for me, I wouldn't pass it up just because it had a Volvo. Also I have known other Volvo owners that had the 3-cyl models that ran flawlessly and did not smoke at all. So I think it would be wrong to make a blanket statement regarding quality for their entire product line.
It starts and runs very well. However, I do have a long story about this engine. The short version is that we bought the boat new and during the first year I thought that the engine smoked excessively and was putting a little sheen on the water from the exhaust. I also have a Westerbeke genset that runs from the same fuel and doesn't smoke at all. Anyway, I complained to my Hunter dealer and he went to bat for me with Volvo. After testing of injectors and numerous calls and meetings, Volvo agreed to replace the entire engine. They also replaced about 8-10 other engines of the same year and type at the same time in boats around the country. The 'new' engine smokes about the same as the original. But no sheen on the water. I have come to believe that the burn characteristics are just 'normal' for that engine. However the engine starts instantly and runs without any issues at all. I do believe that the parts are expensive, but I think all marine engine parts are very pricey. Volvo may be 20% more, but it is had to do a direct comparison at a given point in time. Would I buy another Volvo? Well, it probably wouldn't be my first choice, but Volvo did stand behind their product and made a good-faith effort to resolve my complaint. On the other hand, if I was looking at a boat that was otherwise a good match for me, I wouldn't pass it up just because it had a Volvo. Also I have known other Volvo owners that had the 3-cyl models that ran flawlessly and did not smoke at all. So I think it would be wrong to make a blanket statement regarding quality for their entire product line.
Volvo engines
I have no personal experience with the Volvo engines. I think that any of these small diesels will give good reliable service if taken care of. However, the Volvo dealership network is somewhat limited, and parts therefore hard to come by. Also I do believe the parts are quite a bit more expensive. If you should be lucky enough to have a Volvo dealer near you, it would certainly be a plus. I would certainly check out the dealer network, and parts availability.
I have no personal experience with the Volvo engines. I think that any of these small diesels will give good reliable service if taken care of. However, the Volvo dealership network is somewhat limited, and parts therefore hard to come by. Also I do believe the parts are quite a bit more expensive. If you should be lucky enough to have a Volvo dealer near you, it would certainly be a plus. I would certainly check out the dealer network, and parts availability.
I had a 18hp Volvo
I owed a 1988 boat for 10 years. (94-2004) I doubt I put on more than 150 hrs a year. In that time I had no mechanical issues. I change filters and oil yearly. I tried once at full throttle and it over heat in about 5 min. My only negative comment is that it was hard to start, when it was cold. Many times (just about every cold start) I stopped cranking because I was concerned about over heating starter. It was OK when warm even 10hrs. after last start. At that time we had 3 boats with the same motor in our club. They all started hard but none of us had a problem. We all added a couple extra batteries.
I owed a 1988 boat for 10 years. (94-2004) I doubt I put on more than 150 hrs a year. In that time I had no mechanical issues. I change filters and oil yearly. I tried once at full throttle and it over heat in about 5 min. My only negative comment is that it was hard to start, when it was cold. Many times (just about every cold start) I stopped cranking because I was concerned about over heating starter. It was OK when warm even 10hrs. after last start. At that time we had 3 boats with the same motor in our club. They all started hard but none of us had a problem. We all added a couple extra batteries.
md22
I too have an MD22 series 50 horse in my 1997 hunter 430. it has less than 300 hours on it but it runs great. always starts quickly. smokes until warmed up. burns about three quarters of a gallon at 2300 rpms. I have only done annual maintenance, but it is simple and do it myself. I replaced a couple of hoses this year that looked like they were starting to crack. they were expensive but not unduly so for a marine engine. parts are expensive but just not enough so more than I have seen for other marine engines that I dont worry about it.
I too have an MD22 series 50 horse in my 1997 hunter 430. it has less than 300 hours on it but it runs great. always starts quickly. smokes until warmed up. burns about three quarters of a gallon at 2300 rpms. I have only done annual maintenance, but it is simple and do it myself. I replaced a couple of hoses this year that looked like they were starting to crack. they were expensive but not unduly so for a marine engine. parts are expensive but just not enough so more than I have seen for other marine engines that I dont worry about it.
Volvo engines
We have a Volvo in our H40.5 and are very satisfied with it. It starts great and runs smooth at all speeds. It does smoke a little when cold, but that is pretty normal for the MD22 we have. I did a lot of research on Volvo engines prior to us getting our 40.5 since our previous H34 had a Yanmar. I found a great deal of information through the various European boat groups. Volvo has a strong performance record. Parts are readily available through a couple on-line sources. I find the Volvo parts and service manuals much more informative than what we had for our Yanmar. If you like everything else with the boat, I would not let the Volvo be a knock-out factor. Best of luck with your boat shopping.
We have a Volvo in our H40.5 and are very satisfied with it. It starts great and runs smooth at all speeds. It does smoke a little when cold, but that is pretty normal for the MD22 we have. I did a lot of research on Volvo engines prior to us getting our 40.5 since our previous H34 had a Yanmar. I found a great deal of information through the various European boat groups. Volvo has a strong performance record. Parts are readily available through a couple on-line sources. I find the Volvo parts and service manuals much more informative than what we had for our Yanmar. If you like everything else with the boat, I would not let the Volvo be a knock-out factor. Best of luck with your boat shopping.
Brian, What are the on-line Volvo parts sources?
I may need some hoses myself this year and the local V-P dealer nearest me never has anything I need in stock.
I may need some hoses myself this year and the local V-P dealer nearest me never has anything I need in stock.
parts
I recently needed hoses. the first dealer I tried couldn't find them. the second let me look at the models on the computer, they were labeled a little different than my engine but everything else matched and I was able to pretty clearly determine what I needed. they were ordered and fit perfectly. I also found this site on line. www.marinepartsexpress.com.
I recently needed hoses. the first dealer I tried couldn't find them. the second let me look at the models on the computer, they were labeled a little different than my engine but everything else matched and I was able to pretty clearly determine what I needed. they were ordered and fit perfectly. I also found this site on line. www.marinepartsexpress.com.
On line sourse
I've had good luck getting parts from Marine Parts Express. They seem to have a good supply of parts.
I've had good luck getting parts from Marine Parts Express. They seem to have a good supply of parts.
Volvo parts source
Sorry for the delayed response. It finally got warm enough to start getting the boat ready for the water. I have not needed a lot of repair parts, but I have found basic items at the following sites: http://www.marinepartsexpress.com/index.html http://www.marinedieseldirect.com/volvo/shopping/ http://www.stemtostern.com/Volvo-Penta-Parts.asp I also found the following site as a source for operating manuals and parts list. http://www.marineengine.com/manuals/volvo/volvo_penta_auxiliary_diesels.html
Sorry for the delayed response. It finally got warm enough to start getting the boat ready for the water. I have not needed a lot of repair parts, but I have found basic items at the following sites: http://www.marinepartsexpress.com/index.html http://www.marinedieseldirect.com/volvo/shopping/ http://www.stemtostern.com/Volvo-Penta-Parts.asp I also found the following site as a source for operating manuals and parts list. http://www.marineengine.com/manuals/volvo/volvo_penta_auxiliary_diesels.html
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