Volvo tmd31a

[Wally]

We are looking at a boat with a Volvo TMD31A. It has 8500 hrs. We are a little concerned at the number of hours. Would appreciate any comments about longevity of this engine or costs of rebuild.

Thanks
Wally

 

[sunchaser]

There is quite a bit of information on boatdiesel.com on Volvo's 31 series engines. Is this a stern drive application?

 

[healhustler]

Good engine, capable of 15,000 hours with average care, but parts are expensive. Single 90, 100, and 110 HP versions are ideal for under 40 ft. full displacement applications. Do an engine survey complete with oil samples and compression test. Ask about the last time the exchanger was serviced.

 

[ancora]

Be advised Volvo does not support engines that are out of production. If you are in need of a replacement part you could be SOL.

 

[jarod]

I had one in my boat and eventually it was finished around 4,000 hrs. We had water in the oil and were not sure of the cause. It was a great engine while it ran, but after considering the difficulty finding parts and the obscene prices Volvo charged if they were available we decided to replace it with the Yanmar 4jh4ae 54hp engine and have been happy ever since. I would personally advise someone to steer clear of that engine.

 

[gwkiwi]

8500 hours is high.

As a farmer who owned alot of John Deere tractors that could go 15000 hours I never saw one that ran well at even close to that mileage. One of our tractors had 9500 hours and I traded it on another newer model because of pending problems.

Point is that just because an engine is meant to go so many miles I wouldnt buy a boat with 8500 hrs unless it was discounted substantially to allow for repower. Also how many hours are on all the other runnning gear.

Too many other options out there in this buyers market.