Volvo MD2030 Engine Failure - Lack of Support

[firehoser75]

Approximately 2 weeks ago, my 2004 Volvo MD2030D engine (I have had since new) suffered a complete failure and requires either a replacement or a rebuild. The engine has about 750 hours on it. It has been maintained to a very high standard (oil and filter changed at least as often as the owner's manual states) and all parts used have been OEM. The oil level is checked religiously prior to each use and the engine has never been operated with a low oil level. As a matter of fact, the engine did not have any oil leaks, nor did it show any evidence of using oil, and prior to the failure, it ran quite smoothly. I have never experienced anything getting wrapped around the prop, etc.

The engine has been examined by the mechanic working on it, as well as an independent technical expert hired by my insurance carrier to determine the cause of failure. They agree on the cause. I have sent their information (as well as Volvo's theory of what happened) to another mechanic, complete with photos, and he states: "I'd have to agree with the insurance summary".

The report I received from the independent technical expert is as follows:
"Bottom end of failed connecting rod and bearing shows evidence of mechanical deformation and grinding due to pounding of the connecting rod on the crankshaft during operation. The bearing land on the connecting rod is not blued from extreme heat, which would have occurred had the bearing been starved of oil. The connecting rod did heat up as a consequence of pounding and failure of the hydrodynamic oil film, which resulted in lubricating oil 'cooking' onto the external surfaces causing the discoloration. The other rods and bearings show no evidence of oil starvation. The mechanic who disassembled the engine reported that he inspected the main bearings and found them to be undamaged.

The bearing cap shows evidence that the nut on the left was loose and came adrift prior to the failure as lubricating oil has cooked onto the surface where the nut would contact the bearing cap. The nut on the right side remained securely in place as the contact surface is clean. When the nut loosened, the normal bearing shape and clearance was disrupted causing failure of the oil film resulting in metal to metal contact. Once again, no bluing of the clean surface is evident.

The crankpin for #1 cylinder shows evidence of galling whereby metal to metal contact between the bearing and pin occurred as a result of the hydrodynamic oil film failing due to the bearing cap loosening. The crankshaft shows no bluing.

In my opinion, the engine failure is consistent with loosening of the connecting rod nut as demonstrated above."

Both the mechanic and the insurance technical expert agree that the cause of failure is that one of the nuts on the connecting rod for cylinder #1 came off which resulted in the engine failure. They both feel that this is the result of faulty workmanship or improper torquing of the nut during engine assembly.

I submitted all of this information to the Technical Support Manager for Volvo Penta Canada. He has come to a completely different conclusion. He states that:
"Both the crankshaft and connecting rod are blue/black. The
only reason for this to occur is that the rod was either overloaded or
starved for oil and the rod bearing failed. If the rod nuts had just
come loose there would no signs of the blue/black colour.

The rod bearing failure would have been caused by a loss of oil or a
possible overloading. The top of the bearing becomes hammered from the
overloading and this leads to an eventual failure like this. If you
exam the other rod bearings you should see signs of this occurring in
the upper shells. If it was caused by being starved for oil the other
shells would show signs of wiping of the soft bearing material.

I am sorry to say that for these reasons we will not be offering any
kind of compensation for the repairs."

The other rod bearings and connecting rods (except cylinder #1), as a matter of fact all other bearings, are in great condition, and Volvo has been told this to no avail.
I tried to post 3 photos to go along with this information, I hope they work because they clearly show the story.

Anyway, I am meeting a professional engineer who deals with engine failure analysis tomorrow, and if he agrees with the mechanics and the independent technical expert, I am considering small claims court.

Sorry for the long post, but I felt this was important information for everyone to be aware of, especially if you are in the market for a new boat or a repower. My advise is: AVOID VOLVO PENTA PRODUCTS, because in my experience, they do not build a quality product, nor do they stand behind it.
However, for economic reasons, I am forced to rebuild this engine, although if I could afford it, I would repower with a Yanmar!

 

[Rick I]

Volvo is bad on support

Had a similar experience with a brand new 2003. Burned a lot of oil from day one. Volvo said run it for a season. Next season same problem, Volvo said it was out of warranty!! After much discussion back and forth to Sweden they finally did rebuild the engine. Engine never did run that well so I finally replaced it with a Yanmar. Keep at them, take them to small claims court. I think Volvo has more unhappy customers than any other marine engine.

 

[Ross]

Re: Volvo is bad on support

I guess that I am more concerned with the time and heartburn in a problen like this.
Already you have spent time and probably some money getting this defined.
I would take the engine to a rebuilder and get it back into service. You are only redoing the crank and the rods not the pistons and cylinders or the head. If you wish to pursue it in court you need only the documents and testimony and the bills. Volvo may settle just to avoid the time and expense of appearing in court. If they fail to appear then you receive a default judgement and send the sheriff out to collect the money.

 

[sailor5017]

Volvo engine failure

Looking at your pictures and reading about your post, certainly would make me very cautious about purchasing a vessel with a Volvo deisel. It seems so obvious that the one rod cap nut was not torqued down correctly. Why would one rod bearing be starved of oil and not the others? Sounds lame to me!
I think the worst part of your situation is the lack of customer support from Volvo and even Bavaria. I know Bavaria is passing the problem off because they probably think that Volvo is reponsible but you'd think they would support their customers a little better. I bet they promised you the moon when you were putting your cash on the table.

 

[Ross]

Re: Volvo engine failure

I have a neighbor who is a certified race car mechanic. He built an engine for his own car and threw a rod on his first race. He told me that he had torqued the nuts and measured the bolts(steel stretches) and put the keeper in place but still it failed. Sometimes you can do everything right and it still isn't enough.

 

[firehoser75]

Clarification Please Ross

Ross,
I am a little bit unclear on your point of view on this issue. While I understand what you are saying about sometimes "things just happen", are you then saying that I (the owner) should just eat this $6 - 7,000 bill for what is obviously a "very premature major failure" or is it Volvo's responsibility as the manufacturer? I am not trying to criticize you, just understand where your thoughts are on this.

The engineer did his first look at the engine yesterday. He took several parts including the failed con rod and piston for metallugical testing including the use of an electron microscope. He gave me an early indication of his opinion, but I will wait until I receive his full report before updating.

I have to say I agree with Mikey16636 about being cautious about buying a boat with a Volvo engine in it. After reading about many other customers who have experienced both major and ongoing minor problems and having experienced it first hand myself, I am only rebuilding this engine because financially it is the only sensible option.

For further background on my problems with Volvo, I will give a brief history. First, my engine has gone through 4 sets of glow plugs. The first set burned out at 50 hours. They show no external damage, and I follow the owoner's manual to the letter. The same Volvo manager told me that they don't have a problem with glow plugs, my problem is "user error". What a cop out! This problem is still ongoing, but I will hopefully fix it during the bebuild process by replaicng the entire glow plug system. This summer, I suffered a break down in the middle of Desolation Sound when the fresh water cooling pump pulley housing "just split in half"(see picture). This failure cost me about $1,000 including towing and the fact I had to have the part machined because Volvo Canada didn't have any parts in Canada. My biggest problem with all of this has been Volvo Canada's attitude and in my opinion, total lack of concern for their customers!!!

My purpose here is just to make sure that consumers have information on which to base their purchasing decisions, whatever that decision will be. At least it will be an informed decision. We as consumers do have choices!

Thanks to everyone so far for taking the time to read this and to respond,
Tom

 

[sailor5017]

throwing a rod

Hi Ross
I think there is a big diffrence between a race car engine that probably turns over 4 or 5 thosand rpm and puts out lots of horsepower on an over stressed engine and a small deisel that loafs along at 2800 rpm ..
u r comparing apples to oranges on that one..

 

[Ross]

Re: Clarification Please Ross

Firehoser75 and Mikey, I am not saying that stuff happens and we should just gulp it down. Maryland law and Canadian law are both based on old English law. A preponderance of evidence is what will carry the case. Do all that you are doing, collect all of the responses from Volvo, Have the engine rebuilt and file a suit in court for your losses. Volvo won't be able to stand against you if they have not physically examined the failed parts.(save everything). As I said earlier you may find that they will settle or they may simply choose not to appear and you will be granted a default judgement. Just as there are many models of Yanmar there are also many models of Volvo. At one time they were very good but today they have gone to a completely different engine than I have.
Mine has no glow plugs, only one cylinder and weighs over 300 pounds. I have had it for ten years and it starts when I push the button.

 

[r.w.landau]

I would have to ask more of the questions Mikey was talking about,

How was the motor run? These engines are lower rpm and if run hard, will fail.
Firehoser, you have said maintenence was done, what were your operating parameters?
just trying to get all the info,
r.w.landau

 

[firehoser75]

Re: More Questions

R.W. Landau,
Thanks for asking the questions. I have so far not addressed that area. Prior to starting the engine I ALWAYS check the oil. I may have forgotten once, but that would be about it. It comes from my training, we always check the oil on the trucks at the start of every shift (that is twice per day).
When not used for any extended period of time, I would start and run this engine under load (tied to the dock) at about 2000 RPM for 25-30 minutes.
When using the engine (to power the boat), I would start the engine and get under way as soon as possible, usually within 2-3 minutes. I would usually be up to cruising RPM (2600 to 2800 RPM) within another few minutes (just getting out of the marina or anchorage). I rarely cruise for any appreciable period below 2500 RPM, On shutdown, I would only idle the engine for about 2-3 minutes for cool down, and less if coming into the marina at very low RPM for a reasonable time before that. When under way, I vary the RPM by 100 RPM or so every 10-15 minutes, and also try to run it at wide open throttle for 5-8 minutes once a trip if that trip entails a period of motoring exceeding 2 hours. I am not perfect, but I have managed to operate this way for the most part. I have never run the engine at WOT (3200 RPM) for more than 10 minutes! As far as battery charging, I have tried to avoid using the engine for that as much as possible and now use a generator for that. In the past, I have (rarely) run the engine at anchor for charging for 1-2 hours (in neutral) at about 1800RPM.

Ross,
Thanks for your clarification. By the way, I have always valued your comments on other threads.
Thanks again to everyone who reads this and especially to anyone who responds, I do appreciate it,
Tom

 

[Ross]

Re: More Questions

Firehoser75, Lately I have been working at a farm and have the opportunity to observe the manner in which the tractors are used. They are all diesel. When they are started they are put in gear and taken down the road to work the warm up happens on the way to the fields. I have not seen anyone check the oil before starting, any more than I check the oil in my car. Only when I refuel. I have looked at the engine hour meters on three of these tractors and the average is about 4000 hours. Some of the tractors date from the early '70's. Your engine failed either because of a material or a workmanship defect. Diesel engines don't need or get pampering.

 

[r.w.landau]

Firehoser, Motors are made for purposes.

I have to say that if max rpm (don't know what it is) is 3000 and you do it for 10 minutes, how often do you do that and how many times have you given her that extra nudge?
I am not saying you were hard on the motor, only you know that...
I guess what I am saying is that most motors run forever when operated well within it limits. If you run a motor at it's limits it will preform as expected, it will fail if pushed.
Only you know how you have run your motor. I hope you verify if it was well with in the specs. If it was not, I would ask for some mercy from Volvo and see what happens.
This would put them on the help side and not the liable side of your situation...
Just my opinion...
r.w.landau

 

[firehoser75]

Re: Firehoser, Motors are made for purposes.

I have only run the engine at the higher RPM's about 10 to 15 times, because i read recently (last 6 months) on a forum that diesels don't like to be babied and that running them this way was actually good for them (higher revs for 5 to 10 minutes; don't let them idle for too long, etc.) The engine never overheated at all nor smoked.

 

[Ross]

I have only run the engine at the higher RPM's about 10 to 15 times, because i read recently (last 6 months) on a forum that diesels don't like to be babied and that running them this way was actually good for them (higher revs for 5 to 10 minutes; don't let them idle for too long, etc.) The engine never overheated at all nor smoked.

I went to the Boatdiesel forum today and looked for threads refering to burned rod or crank bearings on the Volvo 2010, 2020 and 2030 engines there were no complaints within the last two years and very few concerns otherwise.
It seems that Volvo purchased the rights the build Perkins engines below 60Hp about 1993 and stopped production of the 2001, 2002, and 2003 series engines when they started to build the new series. Remember when VW first came out with the diesel for one of their cars and had catastrophic rear main bearing seal failures that distroyed many engines before someone was able to demonstrate the cause.
U
You may have an engine with a bad bolt(not properly heat treated) that stretched and gave the appearance of low torque.

 

[firehoser75]

Ross,
That is one of things that the PEng that is investigating this failure is looking at. He is taking the bolt in question and will determine whether or not it was even of the specified strength, etc.
I have not heard of any failures such as mine in this series of engines, and that gives me a better feeling going forward with the rebuild. I hope that the engine will give me good service for a long time after undergoing such an extensive rebuild.
Thanks for checking into this for me,
Tom

 

[firehoser75]

Preliminary Finding of Professional Engineer

I just received an e-mail from the PEng investigating my engine failure. He stated: " I have found conclusive evidence that the one nut was not sufficiently torqued."

He is still conducting additional testing and I am expecting his complete report before the end of next week. I will provide a more detailed update at that time.

Regards,
Tom

 

[sailor5017]

Re: Preliminary Finding of Professional Engineer

Keep us informed , Tom, maybe volvo will sit up and take notice of your forensic engineer findings. The reason they gave you for the engine failure sounds far fetched to me.

 

[fredr]

Some thoughts & things you may want to check.
1. If the mains as well as all the other rod bearings are in good condition there is, with out doubt, a problem with #1 cyl. I believe that is the bearing that failed, correct?
BTW The main bearings recieve oil before the rod bearings do.
If your engine is tilted quite a bit, so that #1 is higher than the last, back cylinder, then it less likely, but not to be ruled out, that the damage was from the cylinder getting water, coolant, on top of the piston. This is common and evidence of water in the cyl is pitting on the piston top and cyl head surface of the effected cyl.
The top rod bearing damage would be from the piston trying to compress a liquid, coolant, as the crank applies force to the top bearing during compression, as it can not compress a liquid.
The top bearing also gets destroyed from over loading, such as
A NOZZLE THAT IS PUTTING EXCESS FUEL IN THE CYL?! Excess force of combustion is applied to the top rod bearing as the piston pushes the bearing against the crank pin.
Did you hear an excessive engine knock at cold start up?
Any white smoke from water in a cyl. Or back smoke from a bad nozzle?
A question I did not see answered was, what was the oil level in the engine. It is a pressure lube system, and I assume the oil pick up is towards the rear of the engine.
The bearing I see , if it was a top shell, (top in the rod, not in the cap), was eventually hammered creating too much clearance, which causes the crank pin to really hammer the bearing, hense the bearing material coming out the side of the rod.
If there is black, cooked oil on the bearing, clearly there was oil present. A lack of oil would be demonstrated by shiny smeared bearing suface on the shell its self as well as on the crank journal.
If the rod cap was loose for an extended time, there would be dull gray on the surfaces of the rod cap and rod where they mate. This is called fretting. Forget about RPM, I believe it is irrellivant. Diesel engines have governors, if the governor did not fail, the max RPM was not surpassed.
With the amount of hours on the engine, I think that the failure would have occurred sooner if the nut was not torqued correctly. I believe the loose nut may be a result not a cause.
Had the nut been the cause, and occurred 1st, the other rod bolt would have been bent from the force of the piston / rod as they changed direction from power to exhaust stroke. The nut came loose becase the bearing clearance was increased and hammering bgan.
Hold the rod / piston with the front of the piston facing you, as the piston would face the front of the engine. Is it the rod nut on the right that came loose?
This is the thrust side of the piston. The side that gets the most force when combustion begins. It is interesting about the glow plugs. Did the tips of the glow plugs swell up from being over heated?
Did all the glow plugs fail?
They usually will not tolerate more that about 8 seconds of being on before they begin to get damaged.
Any connection between the bad cyl and the glow plug that failed?
So, look for;
fretting between the rod cap and rod. Cap loose for a time.
Pitting on the cyl head and piston top. Coolant in the cyl.
Excessive soot in the bad cyl combustion chamber. indicating a bad nozzle. Have the nozzle pressure tested.
Rod bearings back (oil present)
Rod bearings shiny & smeared. No oil.

 

[firehoser75]

Report from PEng and Question for you

I now have the complete report from the Professional Engineer (metallurgical) who examined my engine failure to determine cause.
Basically he examined the entire lower end of the engine and took several photos. He found no evidence of oil starvation or other problems. All bearings, except the one that was damaged, were in good condition. He took two piston assemblies to his "shop" for closer study. Using a high powered microscope, he discovered that the one nut that had "come undone" had not been torqued properly to manufacturer's specifications. Apparently, when a nut is torqued, it does microscopic "damage" to the mating surface (in this case, the con rod cap). This "damage" was evident (and consistent) on 3 of the 4 nuts and mating surfaces that he examined. Where the nut that failed was concerned, the "damage" was significantly less. To examine this, he first had to remove the "baked on oil" that was on the mating surface where the nut would have been (if it had not backed off prior to the heat being developed) He estimates that the applied torque to the failed nut was approximately half of the manufacturer's specified torque that was applied to the other nuts examined. He explained that manufacturer's specs for torque are calculated to include a "safety factor" to exceed the various expected loads. In this case, he feels that the torque applied to the failed connection was just adequate (or slightly beyond) to hold, and hence it took this relatively long time for the connection to fail (because of little or no "safety factor").

His conclusions are as follows (and I quote):
"1) Failure of the subject Volvo MD2030D engine occurred when one of the connecting rod to rod cap nuts backed off.
2) Backing off of the nut allowed the connecting rod and rod cap to slap the crankshaft journal, thus causing significant heat and bearing shell damage and the "rattling sound" that was heard prior to engine shutdown.
3) Backing off of the connecting rod nut occurred due to insufficient torque of the nut.
4) With consideration to the reported information, which did not include service history involving the connecting rods, the insufficient torque occurred during original assembly of the engine."

Obviously this failure is due to a manufacturing defect.
My question is: should I try to contact Volvo Canada again (third time) to give them this new information and another chance to "make good", or should I just file for court?

Thanks for taking the time to read all of this and for your advise,
Tom

fredr:
The oil level is always kept at or very near the "full mark". The oil and filter had been changed the week before failure. The oil level was always the same from time to time, no leaks, no sign of water in oil, etc. There is no sign of an injector problem or water in the cylinder. By the way, I am rebuilding the injectors anyway, since they are out and have to be reinstalled (as well as some "other" maintenance that makes sense to do with the engine out of the boat).
The rod bearing shows signs of cooked on oil (black), and so do the (upper) mating surfaces of the rod and rod cap and there is no sign of pitting on the piston top.
The glow plugs show no external damage at all, but all 3 have failed each time (reading very high resistance on the multimeter as compared to 0 ohms for the new ones).
I am now very confident with the findings. The mechanic, the independent expert working on behalf of the insurance company, and the professional engineer all agree as to the cause of failure and sequence of events.

 

[Ross]

I would send them a copy of the report and tell them that I will pursue legal recourse unless they offer to make good on the loss.