Old engine gone.....what next!

[James W]

Lifted the old MD1B out today, now have a big decision.

I have until 5pm tomorrow (I need the boot of the car after that) to either take it to a diesel engineers to get them to give it the once over with the potential of a refurb and re-install or I just sell off the parts and buy a new Beta 14hp.

A big and potentially costly decision, any thoughts?

View attachment 42854View attachment 42855

 

[VicS]

Lifted the old MD1B out today, now have a big decision.

I have until 5pm tomorrow (I need the boot of the car after that) to either take it to a diesel engineers to get them to give it the once over with the potential of a refurb and re-install or I just sell off the parts and buy a new Beta 14hp.

A big and potentially costly decision, any thoughts?

Now is the time to fit the new Beta. While the space is vacant and you've spent no money on the MD1B

 

[MM5AHO]

Nice clean engine bay for an old Volvo coming out of there.

 

[30boat]

Nice clean engine bay for an old Volvo coming out of there.

I was thinking just that.
That spot is begging for a new problem free Beta,dont you think?

 

[James W]

Nice clean engine bay for an old Volvo coming out of there.

I think that might be because the boat was commissioned in 1978, but has been out of the water for 20 years.......over half of its life!

 

[James W]

I was thinking just that.
That spot is begging for a new problem free Beta,dont you think?

A problem free, freshwater cooled Beta sounds like some kind of dream. But an expensive one!

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

One way or the other, it is a costly decision. My normal advice would have been to repair the existing engine, however, what is the damage? is it any good or it really had it?. How long do you intent to keep the boat?. In my opinion, if the cost to repair the engine exceeds £1,500, I would be considering a replacement. However, a new engine will probably need a new shaft, propellor, installation, engine bearers etc which is likely to push the cost to £5~£6k

 

[James W]

One way or the other, it is a costly decision. My normal advice would have been to repair the existing engine, however, what is the damage? is it any good or it really had it?. How long do you intent to keep the boat?. In my opinion, if the cost to repair the engine exceeds £1,500, I would be considering a replacement. However, a new engine will probably need a new shaft, propellor, installation, engine bearers etc which is likely to push the cost to £5~£6k

The engine has never run under my ownership, so the question of whether or not it's had it is hard to answer. The main worry is that having never used it, I have no idea of what has gone wrong, or what issues it may or may not have.

 

[Bilgediver]

The engine has never run under my ownership, so the question of whether or not it's had it is hard to answer. The main worry is that having never used it, I have no idea of what has gone wrong, or what issues it may or may not have.

Don't forget that the old Volvo could haves value as spares depending on condition. May be not a lot wrong with it!

 

[Searush]

The cost of Volvo parts (even pattern ones) are high, add a dozen hours of labour or so & you are looking at 1-2k and you will still have an old engine with low efficiency & possibly still poor reliability. I rebuilt my MD2B about 3 times "because I couldn't afford a replacement", before I bit the bullet.

I wish I'd just done it in the first place. The new one is lighter, quieter, smoother, utterly reliable & even uses less fuel. I even get bystanders saying "that engine sounds really sweet" whereas before my teeth & the cutlery rattled so hard I couldn't hear comments form people not on the boat & shouting!

 

[30boat]

The cost of Volvo parts (even pattern ones) are high, add a dozen hours of labour or so & you are looking at 1-2k and you will still have an old engine with low efficiency & possibly still poor reliability. I rebuilt my MD2B about 3 times "because I couldn't afford a replacement", before I bit the bullet.

I wish I'd just done it in the first place. The new one is lighter, quieter, smoother, utterly reliable & even uses less fuel. I even get bystanders saying "that engine sounds really sweet" whereas before my teeth & the cutlery rattled so hard I couldn't hear comments form people not on the boat & shouting!

That's what I did with my old Bukh.Only I had it rebuilt (I could have done it myself but had no time) and then started thinking straigth and got a Beta. Never regretted it.

 

[James W]

The cost of Volvo parts (even pattern ones) are high, add a dozen hours of labour or so & you are looking at 1-2k and you will still have an old engine with low efficiency & possibly still poor reliability. I rebuilt my MD2B about 3 times "because I couldn't afford a replacement", before I bit the bullet.

I wish I'd just done it in the first place. The new one is lighter, quieter, smoother, utterly reliable & even uses less fuel. I even get bystanders saying "that engine sounds really sweet" whereas before my teeth & the cutlery rattled so hard I couldn't hear comments form people not on the boat & shouting!

You're dead right and I think that's sealed it for me. I'm re-fitting the rest of the boat to as good a standard as I can and so it seems daft to cut corners on the engine. I'll be keeping this one for a good while and so i'll make sure that it's as cost effective as it can be.

Best start saving then! :encouragement:

 

[jwilson]

If you're planning on keeping the boat, fit a new Beta or Nanni or Yanmar or whatever else you like, though the Kubota-based ones have some advantages in parts availability and cost. I've owned a boat with an MD1, and it's only advantage is that you can hand start it easily.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Also if you plan keeping the boat for a time, what will the availability of old Volvo spares be ten or twenty years down the line?

 

[cliff]

That spot is begging for a new problem free Beta, don't you think?

Aye but they,new problem free Betas, are rarer than rocking horse shit

 

[30boat]

Aye but they,new problem free Betas, are rarer than rocking horse shit

I wouldn't know.I only have an old,poblem free Beta

 

[silver-fox]

I am clearly in a minority. My thoughts, for what they are worth, are as follows: -

1. I think you are trying to make a decision with too little information and as a result may be buying your way out of a problem that may not exist.

2. At 20 years old, with half its life out of the water it is extremely unlikely the engine is anywhere near worn out. Corrosion or mis-treatment are more likely sources of problems. (Most sailing boat marine diesels die of boredom or neglect!)

3. I have seen a good few people replace perfectly good engines because either they, or their mechanics, don't have the skill to fix a few niggly problems which are causing unreliability. In frustration they replace the lot which cures the problems and they are happy but poorer as a result. (But this is using a financial sledge hammer to crack a walnut).

4 If you don't have the skills, or access to the skills, to quickly assess the state of your current engine and obtain a realistic estimate on what it is going to cost to give you a good reliable, trouble free engine, then this is the course you may want to follow

5. In your situation, I would first assess whether it was worth trying to save the engine and spend the money saved elsewhere - maybe on a new suit of sails!

6. Old engines are heavier, more noisy and inefficient, but they tend to be more basic and far simpler to diagnose and fix. That said, on a sailing boat they are meant to be auxiliary engines and I try where possible to just use it for parking in a marina or when I absolutely have to because I am stuck for time. Consequentially the disadvantages matter little to me.

7. Finally if £5-7k is loose change to you disregard all my comments

 

[James W]

I am clearly in a minority. My thoughts, for what they are worth, are as follows: -

1. I think you are trying to make a decision with too little information and as a result may be buying your way out of a problem that may not exist.

2. At 20 years old, with half its life out of the water it is extremely unlikely the engine is anywhere near worn out. Corrosion or mis-treatment are more likely sources of problems. (Most sailing boat marine diesels die of boredom or neglect!)

3. I have seen a good few people replace perfectly good engines because either they, or their mechanics, don't have the skill to fix a few niggly problems which are causing unreliability. In frustration they replace the lot which cures the problems and they are happy but poorer as a result. (But this is using a financial sledge hammer to crack a walnut).

4 If you don't have the skills, or access to the skills, to quickly assess the state of your current engine and obtain a realistic estimate on what it is going to cost to give you a good reliable, trouble free engine, then this is the course you may want to follow

5. In your situation, I would first assess whether it was worth trying to save the engine and spend the money saved elsewhere - maybe on a new suit of sails!

6. Old engines are heavier, more noisy and inefficient, but they tend to be more basic and far simpler to diagnose and fix. That said, on a sailing boat they are meant to be auxiliary engines and I try where possible to just use it for parking in a marina or when I absolutely have to because I am stuck for time. Consequentially the disadvantages matter little to me.

7. Finally if £5-7k is loose change to you disregard all my comments

I can only wish £5-7K was loose change to me!

My main issue is that I have a young family and a non sailing wife. Time is at a premium and as much as I love tinkering with engines, I prefer sailing and the parts for the MD1B are becoming stupidly expensive (I even recently resorted to looking at parts from Australia as they were cheaper).

If I have the family onboard I need a reliable engine and if I don't have them with me, it wouldn't go down well if I couldn't consistently get home (sailing on tidal waters here) because the engine let me down. It's a big investment but one which might even encourage the tribe onboard with a nice quiet, reliable and powerful engine.

The MD1B and all the spares will be on ebay soon and......the Nanni 14hp has the most competitive price thus far! It's a scary prospect but i'm quite excited about it all now! :encouragement:

 

[30boat]

I can only wish £5-7K was loose change to me!

My main issue is that I have a young family and a non sailing wife. Time is at a premium and as much as I love tinkering with engines, I prefer sailing and the parts for the MD1B are becoming stupidly expensive (I even recently resorted to looking at parts from Australia as they were cheaper).

If I have the family onboard I need a reliable engine and if I don't have them with me, it wouldn't go down well if I couldn't consistently get home (sailing on tidal waters here) because the engine let me down. It's a big investment but one which might even encourage the tribe onboard with a nice quiet, reliable and powerful engine.

The MD1B and all the spares will be on ebay soon and......the Nanni 14hp has the most competitive price thus far! It's a scary prospect but i'm quite excited about it all now! :encouragement:

You won't go wrong with the Nanni.It's a big investment but you'll have piece of mind.I actually like old engines but not on a boat.It may be that your old one still has a lot of life in it but reliable as it may be you'll never know for sure.With your family on board it's much wiser IMO to go for the new engine.

 

[KellysEye]

Volvo's MD range was built to last, 50,000 hours plus compared to modern engine at 8,000, so it would be worth rebuilding. The new owner of our boat replaced an MD17C with a Beta and it needed a new prop shaft and propeller, not cheap, check if that is the case before making a decision.