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This year I had to
fit a new engine in Volante after less than 800 hours running
on my previous engine. This article may be of particular interest to
members who own Victoria 800’s by alerting them to potential problems
with their installation and highlighting issues associated with
fitting a replacement engine. Limited space and access means that any
serious engine work on this type of yacht is bound to be a challenge.
Like all Victoria
800’s Volante was fitted from new with a Volvo Penta 2010
engine. Soon after taking delivery of Volante in June 1996,
Victoria Yachts arranged for Volspec, my local Volvo agent, to fit a
high rise exhaust outlet. The reason given at the time being that
this was to avoid problems which another owner had experienced. Until
2007, the engine ran perfectly although I had noticed over time some
reluctance to start particularly at the beginning of the season (boat
and engine laid up ashore each winter).
In the spring of
2007, when we tried to commission the engine it would only fire on one
cylinder and my mechanic who regularly services the engine suspected
exhaust valve problems. This was confirmed when he took off the
cylinder head to reveal corroded exhaust valve seats and the rear
cylinder exhaust valve. He believed this corrosion had been caused by
water ingress over a long period. One could not ignore the facts but I
was never the less very surprised as I had always made a point of
turning off the water inlet just before the engine was stopped. This
being due to experienced with a previous yacht where water could be
forced past the impeller of the raw water pump when sailing and
heeling well over. After the valve seats were re-cut and new valves
fitted, the engine ran better (quicker starting and smoother running
when cold) than it had done for several years. As a result when the
engine was winterised last autumn I was sure my engine problems had
been solved.
However when the
mechanic tried to commission the engine in the spring of 2008, the
engine refused to start. This time the problem was identified as
being due to corrosion in the high rise exhaust which had become
porous allowing a very small amount of water with antifreeze (from the
winter lay-up) to enter the cylinder from the exhaust. Whilst the
mechanic assured me that this could be solved easily by fitting a new
high rise exhaust outlet etc., I decided to opt for a new engine.
Having researched
the market I decided to buy a Volvo D1-13, introduced in 2006 as a
replacement for the 2010. My main reasons for choosing the D1-13
being that the exhaust outlet on the engine was on the same side as
the 2010 and given that it is based on the 2010, I concluded fitting
would be both quick and simple. Basically I expected a simple unbolt
bolt in job. Wrong!
When the 2010 was
removed the mechanic pointed out that the water ingress problem I had
experienced was probably due to two problems with the way original
exhaust had been fitted. Firstly when the exhaust hose left the water
lock instead of continuing upwards, the exhaust hose went down and
forward within the port locker before rising in a big loop prior to
exiting the boat. This additional loop in the exhaust system created a
reservoir for exhaust water in addition to the water lock. The second
problem being that the exhaust outlet was on the port side of the boat
which is the same side as the exhaust outlet on the engine. The
mechanic assured me (he has over 30 years experience with marine
engines) that the exhaust outlet on the boat should always be on the
opposite side to the exhaust outlet on the engine. This ensures that
when the exhaust outlet is below the sea water level the engine is
much higher and when the boat is heeled the other way, the outlet from
the boat is well clear of the water level whilst the engine is lower.
Crossing the exhaust over to the opposite side of the yacht clearly
reduces the risk of water entering the exhaust system when sailing.
When the mechanic
started to install the D1-13 a number of problems progressively came
to light. Whilst one should always expect some difficulties in these
situations, some of those encountered were rather bewildering as to
why.
Firstly the D1-13
comes with a different gearbox, which is shorter than the gearbox on
the 2010. No serious problem as the shaft length could be adjusted.
We then
encountered a minor irritation when trying to fit the flexible engine
mounts onto the engine beds, particularly as we could not see a
rational reason for it. Whilst the bolts holding the two front
flexible engine mounts fitted the original bolt positions and spacing
the two rear mounts require about 10mm wider spacing between the
securing bolts! An immediate solution was put on hold.
The third and
potentially the most serious problem was caused by the rear engine
brackets on the D1-13 being extended back from the engine bell housing
by approximately 45 mm i.e. the spacing between the front and rear
engine mounts was more than those on the 2010. An obvious solution
would be to extend the engine beds further aft but due to the hull
shape this was impossible. This serious obstacle was overcome by
locally manufacturing two rear engine mounts out of 10mm mild steel
angle iron which took a full day to complete.
The final problem
which had to be overcome was due to the D1-13 sitting lower on the
engine mounts than the 2010. Therefore to line up the engine to the
prop shaft required the engine bed to be raised by approximately
15mm. This was achieved by placing 15mm thick by 75mm wide aluminium
strip on top of the existing engine beds. These strips were first
bolted to the existing engine beds before drilling and tapping both
the aluminium and the original steel beds for the bolts holding the
flexible engine mounts. This also overcame the problem caused by the
10mm additional spacing between the bolts securing the rear flexible
engine mounts. As a result the D1-13 is securely bolted to both the
aluminium strips and the original steel beds glassed into the hull.
One minor issue
for anyone replacing a Volvo engine concerns the engine control
panel. The 2010 range of engines come with a tachometer and start/
stop controls mounted in a black plastic panel often fitted into the
GRP of the boat. With the D1 range the tachometer and the start/stop
panel come separately and need to be mounted on something. In my case
the tachometer and start/stop control panel were mounted on a piece of
teak which I happened to have.
Whilst some people
might question whether the expense of fitting a new engine was
justified, so far I have no doubts; the performance of the D1-13
exceeding my expectations. The D1-13 engine combined with a new 14 x
10 right hand propeller (2010 required a left handed propeller)
provides more thrust and power than the 2110 together with a very low
noise level.
All this would not
have been achieved without Stewart, my long suffering mechanic, who
deserves my thanks for a job well done in the very confined space
available Thanks also go to Volspec of Tollesbury my Volvo agent. |
