More Volvo Penta 2002 problems - reluctant to return to tick over.

[RobW]

Hi all,
Just wondering if anyone has experienced the following problem with the Volvo Penta 2002 which we have been experiencing for a while now and never manager to get to the bottom of.....

When reducing revs, i.e. by moving the regulator lever back to neutral, the revs intermittently stick, remaining slightly too high at about 1000RPM.
By "blipping" the regulator lever, briefly rapidly increase and decrease revs), she will usually settle down to the proper lower Rev limit around 800 RPM.

Observations
The problem occurs whether the engine is under load or not - i.e. the problem occurs whether the engine is in gear, returning to neutral, and acts just the same if the engine was in neutral/higher revs, returning to tick over neutral.

When the engine is cold / recently started, the problem is intermittent.
When the engine is up to full working temperature - the problem is much more predictable happening almost every time.
The problem does NOT relate to the remote regulator control lever or morse cables as I can reproduce the fault and clear it in exactly the same way playing with the regulator (cable attachment point) on the side of the engine. The morse cable IS reliably pushing the lever back to the stop.

The problem also does NOT relate to the fuel lift pump which has recently been replaced.

The only thing I can think of is the governor mechanism, but taking that apart is getting a little beyond my knowledge and DIY comfort zone!
Is this likely to be the cause or is there anything else I should look at first? What else could be sticking?

Just for info - apart from this issue, the engine seems reliable, starts easily, relatively smoke free, routinely serviced. The engine runs fine all day long, she just don't want to fully slow down! The extra complexity of the workaround is not what you need after a long day out and returning to a pontoon / close manoeuvring!

Any thoughts, advice or observations much appreciated!

Robert

 

[pvb]

The only thing I can think of is the governor mechanism, but taking that apart is getting a little beyond my knowledge and DIY comfort zone!

Do not attempt to mess with that on a DIY basis! It's full of springs, and smoke and mirrors. If that's the problem, it's time to ask a VP engineer to visit.

 

[Sandy]

Any thoughts, advice or observations much appreciated!

Find yourself a good mechanic, they are a bit like gold dust.

Do you have a workshop manual, easily found on the internet, there are a number of springs in there that could have moved.

I have a VP 2002 and they are brilliant simple bits of kit. So far I've found every spare part I've needed so I am expecting the engine to last longer than I will.

 

[RobW]

Unfortunately reliable VP engineers are hard to come by in our area (East Central Scotland)), or I would go down that route.

The springs behind the throttle control cover will be next up for investigation I guess, but I am a little concerned about tacking this.

Would this be the next thing to check, or could it be something completely different like the fuel injection pumps, which could be removed for professional servicing? Might these give the symptom described?

With thanks

Robert

 

[Yorkshire Exile]

Mine doesn't tick over, more of a thump and rattle. Hope you sort it out!

 

[billcole]

There's a large-ish bar that is part of the governor/injector control mechanism, which runs fore and aft along just inside the port side of the engine. It used to stick on my old VP 2002. you can feel the end of it behind a removable hex inspection cover on the back of the engine, port side about halfway up. Mine would stick right back after closing the throttle and cause the engine to cut out instead of to idle. maybe your is sticking slightly forward.

 

[pvb]

The springs behind the throttle control cover will be next up for investigation I guess, but I am a little concerned about tacking this.

The regulation system is impenetrably complicated, and you won't know whether what you're seeing is normal or not. There's a good chance that you could make it worse by looking. In addition, some of the parts are no longer produced. Why not phone your nearest VP dealer and ask them whether they could recommend someone more local to you who understands the system?

 

[Marceh]

My engine 2002b start a full speed and can' stop !!!!

 

[RobW]

I just came across this old post of mine, and thought I would provide a quick update and conclusion to the story. Perhaps help others problem solve a similar issue. To cut a long story short, the problem was at the opposite end of the control cable to the engine! Perhaps a good lesson in not making assumptions.
I had noticed previously that there was quite a bit of wear on the cable retaining bracket on the back of the Morse / Teleflex single control lever, but had assumed that it was insufficient to cause the symptoms I described in my original post, as I could not reliably reproduce the fault by bracing the cable in place. I did however remain suspicious of it and kept coming back to it, until eventually took the decision to replace the lever mechanism. Turned out to be well worth spend (£130), it completely cured the sticking revs issue!
There must have just been enough movement in the lever end of the cable caused by the wear to create "slop" in the line. (From the enlarged photo of the back of the lever below, the wear looks quite bad - about 4mm of metal missing. It was not quite so obvious inside a dark cockpit locker!).
After replacmement the revs could be governed very accurately and predictably. (Very glad I did not go down the route of pulling the governor / injector control mechanism apart!!! )
Thanks all for your comments. During COVID we moved up to a bigger boat with a different brand of 30yr old engine (Thoryncroft T80) so busy now learning my way around its idiosyncrasies! All good fun.

 

[Bilgediver]

I had noticed previously that there was quite a bit of wear on the cable retaining bracket on the back of the Morse / Teleflex single control lever, but had assumed that it was insufficient to cause the symptoms I described in my original post, as I could not reliably reproduce the fault by bracing the cable in place. I did however remain suspicious of it and kept coming back to it, until eventually took the decision to replace the lever mechanism. Turned out to be well worth spend (£130), it completely cured the sticking revs issue!

Oh dear....... You did say that the system was pushing the speed control all the way to the stop .

Quote: The morse cable IS reliably pushing the lever back to the stop.

No wonder we were fooled

 

[Andrew Thorpe]

My engine 2002b start a full speed and can' stop !!!!

I'm suddenly experiencing the same problem. How did you fix it?

 

[Sandy]

I'm suddenly experiencing the same problem. How did you fix it?

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Marceh last logged into the forum on 11 Dec 2021, looks like a one post wonder.