How far does a VP Warranty go ?

[rbcoomer]

Sorry to read of your troubles Andy. This may be too obvious and something you've already checked, but is there any chance that the inlet is partially blocked - either by foreign body or growth? An assembly fault seems unlikely to me as you used up to this point - presumably without issue? Growth rates can be quite high in sheltered harbours like Torquay and it has been a very mild winter! Raw water must be flowing at lower revs or you'd get an alarm then too after a few minutes, so restricted flow to heat exchanger/turbos would be my first thought. Could it be debris ingested into the raw water path? What sort of gauze/mesh covers the inlet? More heat at higher revs would, I assume, be compensated by a higher water throughput - but any restriction would likely manifest as inadequate cooling and temperature rise? Ingestion of air when planing as per Volvo Paul's cracked water inlet also seems likely as that would have the same effect. Either way, hope you get it fixed quickly.

 

[Andy Bav]

Sorry to read of your troubles Andy. This may be too obvious and something you've already checked, but is there any chance that the inlet is partially blocked - either by foreign body or growth? An assembly fault seems unlikely to me as you used up to this point - presumably without issue? Growth rates can be quite high in sheltered harbours like Torquay and it has been a very mild winter! Raw water must be flowing at lower revs or you'd get an alarm then too after a few minutes, so restricted flow to heat exchanger/turbos would be my first thought. Could it be debris ingested into the raw water path? What sort of gauze/mesh covers the inlet? More heat at higher revs would, I assume, be compensated by a higher water throughput - but any restriction would likely manifest as inadequate cooling and temperature rise? Ingestion of air when planing as per Volvo Paul's cracked water inlet also seems likely as that would have the same effect. Either way, hope you get it fixed quickly.

Thanks for your thoughts, Clogged inlet was one thought I had, but if that was the case, I would have assumed both engines could potentially behave similarly?

Temperature rise was almist instantaneous with increased revs above 2000 - ok at 1800 (ish), so I would have thought that even with a modicum of raw water flow, the rise would have ben slower ?

Have run engines up every couple of weeks in marina when we couldnt get out to keep raw water paths clear, and on throtle only can, and do, push them up to 1500 revs, and visually water flow in each strainer looked identical.

May need a lift to Elberry Cove on Saturday week !

 

[rbcoomer]

Thanks for your thoughts, Clogged inlet was one thought I had, but if that was the case, I would have assumed both engines could potentially behave similarly?

Temperature rise was almist instantaneous with increased revs above 2000 - ok at 1800 (ish), so I would have thought that even with a modicum of raw water flow, the rise would have ben slower ?

Have run engines up every couple of weeks in marina when we couldnt get out to keep raw water paths clear, and on throtle only can, and do, push them up to 1500 revs, and visually water flow in each strainer looked identical.

May need a lift to Elberry Cove on Saturday week !

Doesn't each drive have it's own inlet or is it via a common pickup? I've seen air hoses collapse on automotive engines when hitting certain revs so it could be a similar scenario where something reaches a tipping point and water flow simply isn't enough to expel heat. I don't think I'd spend much time if the agent is going to look at it, but furry drives would set alarm bells ringing! I've seen some down in the harbour that resemble the bottom of my garden at the end of a warm, wet summer... Lift to Elberry no problem if needed :encouragement:

Edit: looking at specs and old thread, I'm assuming you have D4's+DPH? If so each setup will have its own raw water pickup - chances of both getting obstructed would be very slim I'd have thought? One would unlucky enough!

 

[P4Paul]

So they get a good test run while still at the factory ? All installations should be approved by VP regardless of who installs it, OEM installers are as such dealers or the installation is overseen by the supporting dealer to that builder

Can't answer about the good test run while in the factory but can confirm it is a VP dealer who carries out the installs and rectifies any functional issues

 

[volvopaul]

Can't answer about the good test run while in the factory but can confirm it is a VP dealer who carries out the installs and rectifies any functional issues

Or has he just borrowed my overalls???

 

[beejay190]

Sorry to read of your troubles. Were you not able to trim the leg up when you were back in the marina and look at the water inlet?

I remember when the engine of my first boat overheated in Poole Harbour when I got lost and went a bit shallow. I phoned a friend and his advice was to
trim the leg up and down a few times to try and shake off the blockage . It worked.

 

[Andy Bav]

Sorry to read of your troubles. Were you not able to trim the leg up when you were back in the marina and look at the water inlet?

I remember when the engine of my first boat overheated in Poole Harbour when I got lost and went a bit shallow. I phoned a friend and his advice was to
trim the leg up and down a few times to try and shake off the blockage . It worked.

Thanks - possibly not far from the solution as the local VP agent has visited today has done his checks etc and was only able to replicate the alarm on his first trip out after those checks, but it took nearly 2 minutes before the alarm sounded. He slowed the engine down and took the revs up again and blatted her between Torquay and Brixham twice and the temperature gauges didnt budge.

There is some speculation that the intake pipe may have had a slight blockage - as you intimated - and a combination of my efforts over the weekend and theirs today seems to have dislodged it (if that was the case) and we could be back to normal... for now. She is due her first service in June, so I'll be using her rather gingerly between then and now, but hopefully that is it.

 

[rbcoomer]

Fingers crossed then Andy - hopefully a simple restriction! :encouragement:

I would hope that anything that has passed through the inlet mesh should equally pass through the rest of the system and thus you should be ok - otherwise a questionable design...