I'm looking for a little guidance in regards to diesel engine maintenance. My new boat has a 12 or 13 hp Volvo diesel. Past maintenance history appears to be quite sketchy, and I've never owned a boat with a diesel engine before. I'm currently having some work done; the engine mounts were loose and the engine needs to be realligned. Thought I'd go ahead and have a routine maintenance check done at the same time. Does anyone maintain their diesel? What type of maintenance do you perform and how often. What would you have done if you purchased a used boat and didn't know how the engine had been maintained? Thanks in advance for any info.
I hope everyone has a happy and safe Thanksgiving Holiday. I'll probably be up on my boat on Sunday, weather permitting.
Mike
"Valhalla" (#359)
M.Little@telops.gte.com
Diesel Maintenance
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Jon Larson
Re: Diesel Maintenance
Mike,
Good luck with the boat. I assume your engine is an MD7B or similar to the one in my CD30.
Volvo is pretty good about printing and keeping in print manuals on their engines, I'd go to your nearest Volvo factory parts place and get the manual if you can.
Oil changes are quite frequent on a diesel, I change my oil before I run through a tank of fuel! I think it should be done about every 50 hours of usage or so along with a new oil filter, my manuals are up on the boat so am shooting from memory. I think that at about each 200 hours the valves should be adjusted, if you don't know whether this has been done or not, then when you have your engine work done, I'd suggest just going ahead and having that done. I'd also pro forma change the fuel filters, you may learn a lot about the condition of the fuel in your tank. My boat had been stored for several years prior to my shipping her out to the west coast and the oil had grown algae, the first filter was almost clogged, the engine filter was really clean. But, change them both. I put an algacide in my fuel now, pro forma. I'm sure your mechanic can point you at some. If you've got a LOT of algae in your fuel, then I'd have the fuel and tank scrubbed..I did that and don't regret the peace of mind that comes each time I turn the key.
Don't forget your V drive if you've got one. That takes a heavier oil than the engine and at the bottom of the drive are a couple of magnetic bolts, I'd change the oil, remove the magnetic bolts and remove the wear particles on the bolts, it may surprise you just how much metal is there!
For some reason my engine runs through a water pump impellor in two or three years. Either carry a spare with you, or go and change it, if you don't know how long the one in there has been there. My engine is raw water cooled, so only have the one pump. You should probably take the cover off the pump and check it anyhow, you'll find out if you have the right kind of right angle screw driver on board rather quickly, so you then will have one to make an emergency change if you have to, as I did have to at the last Cape Dory Rendezvous out here.
Aside from all that, there doesn't seem to be much more to do. These seem to be tough little engines, do your normal stuff to them and hopefully they will just keep runnnig for a LONG time.
Mike, let me know if you need more specific information and next time I'm up on mine, I'm happy to look it up.
The best of Thanksgivings to you and yours.
Jon Larson
Cape Dory 30 PERI
San Francisco Bay
jon9@ix.netcom.com
Good luck with the boat. I assume your engine is an MD7B or similar to the one in my CD30.
Volvo is pretty good about printing and keeping in print manuals on their engines, I'd go to your nearest Volvo factory parts place and get the manual if you can.
Oil changes are quite frequent on a diesel, I change my oil before I run through a tank of fuel! I think it should be done about every 50 hours of usage or so along with a new oil filter, my manuals are up on the boat so am shooting from memory. I think that at about each 200 hours the valves should be adjusted, if you don't know whether this has been done or not, then when you have your engine work done, I'd suggest just going ahead and having that done. I'd also pro forma change the fuel filters, you may learn a lot about the condition of the fuel in your tank. My boat had been stored for several years prior to my shipping her out to the west coast and the oil had grown algae, the first filter was almost clogged, the engine filter was really clean. But, change them both. I put an algacide in my fuel now, pro forma. I'm sure your mechanic can point you at some. If you've got a LOT of algae in your fuel, then I'd have the fuel and tank scrubbed..I did that and don't regret the peace of mind that comes each time I turn the key.
Don't forget your V drive if you've got one. That takes a heavier oil than the engine and at the bottom of the drive are a couple of magnetic bolts, I'd change the oil, remove the magnetic bolts and remove the wear particles on the bolts, it may surprise you just how much metal is there!
For some reason my engine runs through a water pump impellor in two or three years. Either carry a spare with you, or go and change it, if you don't know how long the one in there has been there. My engine is raw water cooled, so only have the one pump. You should probably take the cover off the pump and check it anyhow, you'll find out if you have the right kind of right angle screw driver on board rather quickly, so you then will have one to make an emergency change if you have to, as I did have to at the last Cape Dory Rendezvous out here.
Aside from all that, there doesn't seem to be much more to do. These seem to be tough little engines, do your normal stuff to them and hopefully they will just keep runnnig for a LONG time.
Mike, let me know if you need more specific information and next time I'm up on mine, I'm happy to look it up.
The best of Thanksgivings to you and yours.
Jon Larson
Cape Dory 30 PERI
San Francisco Bay
Mike Little wrote: I'm looking for a little guidance in regards to diesel engine maintenance. My new boat has a 12 or 13 hp Volvo diesel. Past maintenance history appears to be quite sketchy, and I've never owned a boat with a diesel engine before. I'm currently having some work done; the engine mounts were loose and the engine needs to be realligned. Thought I'd go ahead and have a routine maintenance check done at the same time. Does anyone maintain their diesel? What type of maintenance do you perform and how often. What would you have done if you purchased a used boat and didn't know how the engine had been maintained? Thanks in advance for any info.
I hope everyone has a happy and safe Thanksgiving Holiday. I'll probably be up on my boat on Sunday, weather permitting.
Mike
"Valhalla" (#359)
jon9@ix.netcom.com