KAMD43P - time for a rebuild?

[Wiggo]

1500 hours or so on a pair of 43Ps. Port engine has always been a little lazy and temperamental, but the starboard lump just started burning vast quantities of engine oil (approx 10 litres and hour) and losing power.

So what may have gone AWOL on the starboard lump, and is it time for engines out and a rebuild? Is it quicker to try to source a pair of replacements, or may I be buying a couple of pigs in a poke?

 

[KevB]

but the starboard lump just started burning vast quantities of engine oil (approx 10 litres and hour) and losing power.

Turbo bearing/seal?

I'm up to around 1150 faultless hours on 43p's and hope 1500 doesn't mean a rebuild. I know I shouldn't have said that.....

 

[dragoon]

Turbo bearing/seal?

Check it's not the turbo seal before running it - with that sort of loss you could have the engine running on it's own lubricatin oil, which could lead to runaway.

 

[volvopaul]

I

1500 hours or so on a pair of 43Ps. Port engine has always been a little lazy and temperamental, but the starboard lump just started burning vast quantities of engine oil (approx 10 litres and hour) and losing power.

So what may have gone AWOL on the starboard lump, and is it time for engines out and a rebuild? Is it quicker to try to source a pair of replacements, or may I be buying a couple of pigs in a poke?

I doubt it would burn that amount unless the smoke was horrendous or its breathing like mad.

I'd say it's elsewhere maybe the oil cooler leaking into sea water system.
Want me to take a look graham?

 

[Wiggo]

Probably worth it, Paul, if you are around. She did a week's charter a few months back and the skipper said she was low on oil on the stbd engine before the charter, so I dropped off 10 litres. Took her out yesterday for a run and the oil was low again, but I figured we'd be OK. Got about halfway to the Hamble and lost power along with an oil pressure warning, so shut down stbd and checked from downstairs to find oil pressure just about 10 psi or less at tickover, so limped to the Hamble on one engine. Once there, couldn't see any oil on the dipstick, and the 10 litres I'd dropped off had all been used, but managed to find 4 litres, which got about 1/4 of the way up the dipstick. On the way home, we got halfway back and the same problem; no pressure and no oil on the dipstick, and a smell of burnt oil drifting in from the exhaust. No real time to investigate any further...

 

[volvopaul]

I

Probably worth it, Paul, if you are around. She did a week's charter a few months back and the skipper said she was low on oil on the stbd engine before the charter, so I dropped off 10 litres. Took her out yesterday for a run and the oil was low again, but I figured we'd be OK. Got about halfway to the Hamble and lost power along with an oil pressure warning, so shut down stbd and checked from downstairs to find oil pressure just about 10 psi or less at tickover, so limped to the Hamble on one engine. Once there, couldn't see any oil on the dipstick, and the 10 litres I'd dropped off had all been used, but managed to find 4 litres, which got about 1/4 of the way up the dipstick. On the way home, we got halfway back and the same problem; no pressure and no oil on the dipstick, and a smell of burnt oil drifting in from the exhaust. No real time to investigate any further...

Ok I will take a look and get back to you ASAP,

 

[Wiggo]

Thanks, Paul, she's in Ocean Quay these days. Do you still have my number?

 

[volvopaul]

Thanks, Paul, she's in Ocean Quay these days. Do you still have my number?

Just checked no I don't have your number so send a PM with it, cheers

 

[Greg2]

1500 hours shouldn't be anywhere near a re-build or replacement so hopefully nothing too serious

 

[[2068]]

1500 hours shouldn't be anywhere near a re-build or replacement so hopefully nothing too serious

No such thing as a cheap fix when it comes to boats, but hopefully it's a turbo oil seal rather than disintegrating piston rings.

 

[Greg2]

No such thing as a cheap fix when it comes to boats, but hopefully it's a turbo oil seal rather than disintegrating piston rings.

I quite agree, but I would seriously disappointed to think that a re-build is required after so few hours

 

[Latestarter1]

Boredom due to lack of mobility is getting me drawn into VP threads, but I would be obliged if some of the experienced Volvo guys could help me here.

I never hear of anybody performing a blow-by test on a VP engine to asses the state of engine power cylinder health why not?

Surely burning 10 litres/hr due to failed turbo the air inlet trunking will be absolutely rank with oil?

I used to have Australian field technician working for me, fastest man on the spanners I ever knew, however his engine reports used to drive me mad. If I requested an engine blow by test report would sometimes come back filled in 'blow-by rat shit failed the low earth orbit test'.

In order to try and provide a meaningful explanation to the customer I took him to task over his reports. The technician's explanation was straightforward in a very black and white way. He would unscrew the lube oil filler cap and leave it loose then start the engine, in his words if the oil filler cap 'went into low earth orbit then blow by was rat shit'. The guy thought it grossly unfair to do the window dressing by charging customer extra labour hours to fit manometer and take blow by numbers when the state of engine health was obviously poor.

To this day I occasionally use the 'low earth orbit test'.

 

[Wiggo]

Well, it looks like it is rebuild time after all. Seems like severe blow-by on two cylinders has been pushing oil out of the crank seals and through the vent to the inlet manifold. SO what wasn't getting burned was being dumped into the bellhousing and thence to the bilge.

This is gonna be expensive...

 

[CX54WEK]

Ouch!

 

[volvopaul]

Boredom due to lack of mobility is getting me drawn into VP threads, but I would be obliged if some of the experienced Volvo guys could help me here.

I never hear of anybody performing a blow-by test on a VP engine to asses the state of engine power cylinder health why not?



Surely burning 10 litres/hr due to failed turbo the air inlet trunking will be absolutely rank with oil?

I used to have Australian field technician working for me, fastest man on the spanners I ever knew, however his engine reports used to drive me mad. If I requested an engine blow by test report would sometimes come back filled in 'blow-by rat shit failed the low earth orbit test'.

In order to try and provide a meaningful explanation to the customer I took him to task over his reports. The technician's explanation was straightforward in a very black and white way. He would unscrew the lube oil filler cap and leave it loose then start the engine, in his words if the oil filler cap 'went into low earth orbit then blow by was rat shit'. The guy thought it grossly unfair to do the window dressing by charging customer extra labour hours to fit manometer and take blow by numbers when the state of engine health was obviously poor.

To this day I occasionally use the 'low earth orbit test'.

I've been to assess the engine , yes it the cap did the low orbit test.

 

[A_8]

Any thoughts on why this happened?

 

[Wiggo]

Any thoughts on why this happened?

Someone doesn't want me to go boating this season...

Actually, no idea, and we won't have until the engine is stripped down, really.