Bye-bye, Bleed Screw...bye-bye !

Applescruffs

Applescruffs

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Just getting over a bad case of diesel bug and was changing the filters on my veritable Volvo MD1.., (quite topical at the moment I understand!) . Whilst bleeding the small filter that's attached to the MD1 block proper....you're ahead of me on this one aren't you?..well.. into the bilge it went, bilge full of evil black oily water...(will investigate this at another time)... so I carefully started bailing out ...not using the bilge pump as I knew that the little fella would surley get sucked out and dissapear for good. Empty bilge ...but no screw! Possible it went elswhere in the 'engine room' but I had had enough of bending double and getting covered in oily bilge water...so have left it for another day

Question is this...is the bleed screw a 'special' screw..ie: with a pointy end or vent holes, or would any screw that fits be OK?
Preferably.. does anybody know where I might get a replacement? possibly a 'generic' part as fitted to ...say.. Land Rovers??
 
Bleed Screw

Hi, the screw is special but only in the way that it has a tapered slot cut in one side to allow the diesel / air to bleed without taking the screw all the way out. They are common on many filters but if you are stuck just use a standard bolt, but note that you will have a harder time getting all the air out but it will serve the purpose.
I take it that if the bolt went the copper washer did as well?........go to B+Q or the local DIY and pay a lot less.

happy bleeding.!
 
Thanks for that TNT that's saved me a lot of worry, I had thoughts of having to ditch the engine just for the sake of a 10p screw. Copper washer?...never even saw that go!!

....always seems to be that however simple a job, put it on a boat and the 'Doh!' factor is multiplied by at least 10.

Cheers!
 
dont go to b and q, they dont do proper washers only fake ones, a decent hardware store is worth its weight in gold, but very hard to find as the publice normally just want cheap tat nowadays, so the big diy stores are able to sell cheap tat at higher prices, doesnt mean you get a proper washer though !!!!!!!
 
Be careful using a bolt, usually bleed screws have a fine thread so you can loosen it and let small amount of air out, a bolt will let a lot of air out or in and could damage your thread. If you have another way to bleed then that hole can be blocked off.
 
A genuine bleed screw really isn't that expensive.

I broke one on a friends boat and I think it cost no more than 10 GBP to buy a new one. That was on a Yanmar 1gm10
 
Doing it on the cheap !!

Thanks for that Monkfish...but my engine is over 40 yeras old and spares etc are long out of production...it has been suggested that I take a 'normal' screw/bolt of the correct pitch and diameter and just touch the tip against a grindstone to give a taper and therefore giv a bit more 'bleedability'....sounds like a plan....unless someone knows different ??
 
Troubadour said:
I'm not familiar with this engine but is it on here
http://www.marinepartseurope.com/en/volvo-penta-explodedview-7742090-23-13778.aspx
or here
http://www.marinepartseurope.com/en/volvo-penta-explodedview-7742090-23-13779.aspx
If so it seems to be available
Click to expand...

TOP MAN !!

Love this site to bits....exactly what I need..

Many, many thanks for that Troubadour...I will rest easy tonight! Will order at least 2 asap.

Once again........well let's not get tooo carried away!

Cheers...
 
Applescruffs said:
TOP MAN !!

Love this site to bits....exactly what I need..

Many, many thanks for that Troubadour...I will rest easy tonight! Will order at least 2 asap.

Once again........well let's not get tooo carried away!

Cheers...
Click to expand...

Woah!!! looked at the site and for a 3 Euro part they are looking at 75 Euros to send!!!...OK 18 Euros for 'whenever' postage , but 75 Euros ???? seems a trifle excessive m'lud !
 
Get one of those car aerial type tools with a magnet on the end and search your bilges with that. Far easier than having to bale every drop of gunge out.
Any reasonable tool shop or market tool stall has them for a quid or two - indispensable on a boat. ;)
 
:o
It's a wonderful information source.
However I think with that site you are ordering from Sweden. Is it worth trying Keyparts now that the part is identified?
Good luck!
 
Applescruffs said:
Woah!!! looked at the site and for a 3 Euro part they are looking at 75 Euros to send!!!...OK 18 Euros for 'whenever' postage , but 75 Euros ???? seems a trifle excessive m'lud !
Click to expand...

I don't think that's really fair. 75 is FedEx express and covers up to 3kg.
18 is FedEx economy which will still be quick and traced and covers up to 10kg. How much do you expect to get an international courier service for?
I expect you could order it through your local VP dealer.
In fact looking at http://www.marinepartseurope.com/en/volvo-penta-240664-screw.aspx and seeing the wide range of engines it is used on it might even be stock. Try it!
 
Here's one I bought earlier!!

SAMYL said:
Get one of those car aerial type tools with a magnet on the end and search your bilges with that. Far easier than having to bale every drop of gunge out.
Any reasonable tool shop or market tool stall has them for a quid or two - indispensable on a boat. ;)
Click to expand...

You know the best bit......I've got one here at home in my garage !!!
At the moment the boat is absolutley FUll of tools......the ones I actually need?? ...Nah!.....it will never, ever happen...

Thanks for the post though.

Cheers!
 
Last edited:
Troubadour said:
I don't think that's really fair. 75 is FedEx express and covers up to 3kg.
18 is FedEx economy which will still be quick and traced and covers up to 10kg. How much do you expect to get an international courier service for?
I expect you could order it through your local VP dealer.
In fact looking at http://www.marinepartseurope.com/en/volvo-penta-240664-screw.aspx and seeing the wide range of engines it is used on it might even be stock. Try it!
Click to expand...


Fair comment as always , but this is a just small screw...I guess that desperate men will always pay desperate prices and suppliers know this.
I'm not disparaging your post in any way, it just gave me a start that's all. Will take a look at your other post....as you say this probably is a 'generic' part...it's just finding the right 'mate' for it....,many thanks for taking the time and trouble to research this for me...I wish 'real life' was like this!!.. we can but dream.......
 
It is just a bolt after all. How about taking the correct size bolt from a decent hardware supplier (i.e not a box store) and take your dremmel tool and sculpt a shallow line thru the thread about 1mm to 1.5 mm wide. Stop it 4 threads from the top. Then you will know that to bleed the engine you need to unscrew the bolt five threads. I need to do the same thing for the breather screw for my outboard.
 
A couple of tips to find the screw if its still there.

Use a digital camera and take photos under the engine from different angles. The camera can get to angles you can not get your head.

Try fishing with a magnet (I think the screw would be ferrous)

Get lots of illumination when looking a good torch helps.

One of the flexible pick up sticks helps, but you have to find it first.

My bet is that its still there. I have an aluminum boat so don’t like to leave dropped stuff in the bilge.
Despite a dry bilge and good access. It took me an hour to find a dropped ss bolt yesterday.
 
Small bolts work as bleed screws - not as well as bleed screws but they work. IME you dont have to get every last bit of air out of a fuel line - it just takes a bit more cranking.....

BUT you DO have to SEAL it PROPERLY with the copper washer.....guess how I know ??

Had to abort a N Sea crossing due to a poor seal with a broken washer - it's a long foul tide sail back from the Sunk :( :(
You can just about jury rig it well enough to go again but it will definateley fail just outside Zebrugge, in the evening, with a building sea, red port entry lights, tired children, stroppy wife (she was not SWMBO at the time)......
Its a long walk around Zebrugge on a Saturday morning for the only shop that sold the copper washer.
But the owner of said shop was kind enough to give me two washers foc :) :)
 
Problem Solved !

Thanks for all the replys guys...as usual a lot of thinking 'outside the box' and a lot of useful tips to take in.

Finaly sourced the screw at Volspec in Tollsbury...all of 10 miles away !!

Screw and washer, (Fibre, not copper....genuine part no etc so must be right ??) all for £ 1.85 inc Vat!!

I bought two !

Cheers.
 
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