Volvo diesel

[motion30]

I am looking at a boat with twin volvo diesel with appox 130 horse.

What is the reliability and service of these engines?

Any information on these systems would be appreciated.

*

 

[sunchaser]

Get exact vintage, hours, model and serial numbers and post the same question on boat diesel.com.

 

[rwidman]

Yes, the model of the engines is pretty important if you want actual experience. I could tell you about mine but since it has higher horespower, it's not the same model.

 

[ancora]

I have VOLVO engines in my trawler and they run great. That's the good part. The bad part is the price of VOLVO parts, usually three times that of CAT or Cummins.

 

[motion30]

1983 165HP 6 CYLINDERS


-- Edited by motion30 on Thursday 1st of December 2011 02:38:08 PM

 

[Codger2]

ancora wrote:
*The bad part is the price of VOLVO parts, usually three times that of CAT or Cummins.

****** I have a close friend who has found that to be true.

 

[Conrad]

What folks are looking for is a model designation. For example, my Volvo is a TAMD40A.

Meaning: Turbo Aftercooled Marine Diesel. Not sure if there is significance to the 40A other than being a differentiator.

The engine you are looking at may possibly be a non-aftercooled, and non-turbo version of mine.

My engine is in a boat built in 1981 so I assume that the engine is similar vintage, but that is not always a correct assumption.

 

[motion30]

I believe these motors are non turbo but not sure what model** They are blueish green and have a tach drive cable off the front of the crank


-- Edited by motion30 on Thursday 1st of December 2011 02:15:15 PM

 

[C lectric]

http://www.volvopenta.com/volvopenta/na/en-us/marine_leisure_engines/out_of_production_engines/Pages/out_of_production_engines.aspx

*

http://www.volvopenta.com/volvopenta/na/en-us/marine_leisure_engines/out_of_production_engines/Pages/out_of_production_engines.aspx

*

Maybe this is the engine?** TAMD40B*** ????

Turbo & Aftercooled.

But you really, really*need the model # or you are flying blind about any information and may get erroneous info.***

Volvo made a lot of engines over the years, some very good, some not so good.*** Usually the base engines were good but the other stuff could create real headaches, more so now with near 30 yr old engines.

A friend recently lost a summer [4 months] because the oil cooler died on one of his 80's engines.** Parts not available in Europe or Americas.** A good mechanic with some contacts managed to get enough used pieces that they were able to cobble one together and service the other , but Volvo was no help at all.* If the things had been available, if I remember correctly, the coolers were on the order of $3,000 each or more but none at all were available.** The cooler was combined with the filter housing for a nice compact install but when you have trouble you are in trouble.

*

He has had other trouble too* with the Volvo gears although as he says those are easily pulled and rebuilt so overall he is relatively happy but that oil cooler thing threw him.

But which his engines and gears are i don't know.

*

*

*

 

[Conrad]

C lectric wrote:
*

Maybe this is the engine?** TAMD40B*** ????

Turbo & Aftercooled.

But you really, really*need the model # or you are flying blind about any information and may get erroneous info.***

Volvo made a lot of engines over the years, some very good, some not so good.*** Usually the base engines were good but the other stuff could create real headaches, more so now with near 30 yr old engines.

A friend recently lost a summer [4 months] because the oil cooler died on one of his 80's engines.** Parts not available in Europe or Americas.** A good mechanic with some contacts managed to get enough used pieces that they were able to cobble one together and service the other , but Volvo was no help at all.* If the things had been available, if I remember correctly, the coolers were on the order of $3,000 each or more but none at all were available.** The cooler was combined with the filter housing for a nice compact install but when you have trouble you are in trouble.

*

He has had other trouble too* with the Volvo gears although as he says those are easily pulled and rebuilt so overall he is relatively happy but that oil cooler thing threw him.

But which his engines and gears are i don't know.

*

*

*

*Our 6 cylinder TAMD40A, which is similar (I think) to the TAMD40B is aftercooled and turbo'd for 165 HP so *I suspect that this similar vintage 115 HP Volvo would not have the aftercooler for sure and probably not the turbo.

We spent one summer (2010) with seawater continually seeping into the bilge, with no apparent cause. Finally a wiser than most mechanic was able to reach down under the starboard side of the engine and discover a leaking oil cooler. (It was impossible to see from any angle.) Fortunately the cooler was rebuildable but otherwise we too would have had significant downtime. The good news is that at least it was only the water side leaking not the oil side.

We haven't had any other trouble with the Volvo other than with ancillary stuff like raw water suction hoses and the alternator which aren't necessarily Volvo issues and certainly don't require Volvo priced parts for repair.

 

[C lectric]

I see where I went wrong. Intitially asked about 130hp and then mentioned 165hp and I keyed on the 165 and missed/ignored the 130. Sorry.
However, the link may help you sort out which engine you are considering.

My friends unit puked the oil out all over the bilge, he wasn't so lucky. We had discussed buying an aftermarket cooler and mounting it off engine but his mechanic saved the day.

I will be in the same position one day I'm sure although different engine make and older, just lucky so far.

Just be sure you know which engines you are looking at.

Have fun

 

[Conrad]

Well C lectric, you got me thinking so I went online and did a bit of research, and what little I could find on the TAMD40A & B models has me totally flumoxed. First let me say that the local (Campbell River) Volvo guy said my TAMD40A was 165 HP and so I went with that.

The research I just did suggests that the TAMD40B is 165 HP while the TAMD40A ranges from 110 - 148 HP.*

So everything I said on this thread is now suspect. Except for the repairs that is.

One thing I will say though is that the TAMD40A is a very smooth running engine, whatever its HP is.

 

[koliver]

At 130 hp those are not TMD40s with a turbo. Could be non turbo.
TMD40a with turbo puts out 145 to 165, depending on other things.
The myth about Volvos being costly in repairs is due to a few anecdotal accounts. Some parts are scarce, due to Volvo dealers not willing to keep a large selection of parts that are rarely needed.* Anecdotal reports are of those times that a part is needed, and there are none around.
I had TMD40s in my boat. 1980. in 2000, with 4500 hrs on the engines, there hadn't yet been any serious problem. The few parts that I'd had to get were easily available.
Due to getting an extremely good deal on TAMD41s, I sold those 40s and repowered. The purchaser of my old engines was happy to give me my asking price, despite the hours, and put them to work in his commercial fishboat.
In the time I owned those 40s, I spent more $ maintaining my Espar heater.


-- Edited by koliver on Saturday 3rd of December 2011 10:37:57 PM

 

[koliver]

C Lectric

The oil cooler is part of the transmission. On my Volvo engines, the tranny is a Borg Warner. The cooler looks generic.

 

[VNCruzer]

At 130 hp those are not TMD40s with a turbo. Could be non turbo.
TMD40a with turbo puts out 145 to 165, depending on other things.
The myth about Volvos being costly in repairs is due to a few anecdotal accounts. Some parts are scarce, due to Volvo dealers not willing to keep a large selection of parts that are rarely needed.* Anecdotal reports are of those times that a part is needed, and there are none around.
I had TMD40s in my boat. 1980. in 2000, with 4500 hrs on the engines, there hadn't yet been any serious problem. The few parts that I'd had to get were easily available.
Due to getting an extremely good deal on TAMD41s, I sold those 40s and repowered. The purchaser of my old engines was happy to give me my asking price, despite the hours, and put them to work in his commercial fishboat.
In the time I owned those 40s, I spent more $ maintaining my Espar heater.


-- Edited by koliver on Saturday 3rd of December 2011 10:37:57 PM

Is it just Volvo that does not have accurate spec available on old engines...? I am looking at info the original boat builder put out (Uniflite) that they installed Volvo TMD40A and show @130 BHP, then another document says 124hp @3000rpm, then there is a performance report by motorboating in 1980 that says 124hp that gives topend speed of 15kts at 3500rpm...

Just trying to understand differences... they are turbo charged..

Any help appreciated...

BB

 

[obthomas]

My first volvo TMD40A was 135 HP in a 38 ft trawler I owned years ago. I now own a trawler with TAMD40B's at 165 HP each. The few technical differences are the TAMD40B's are after-cooled, the injector pumps and turbo are different although not by looking at them. The single biggest problem I have ever had with volvo is that after many years some of the parts, especially the seawater parts are almost impossible to find new and very expensive. Used parts abound. My volvos will last me the rest of my life.