Only problemI had was due to an incorrectly installed oil seal otherwise great reliable engine that will look after you if you keep the maintenance up to it. Parts(genuine) are expensive but seem to add to the longevity. Mine is 12 years old, 1100 hours and goes really well. I love having all the major access points at the front of the engine. Two annoying things though 1. The plumbing pipes are sealed with easily diturbed o-rings and secondly, if removing injectors after a period of time, you may dislodge the injector sleeves that will require the head to be removed for reinstallation. But a very sweet motor.
The 2000 series 2&3 cylinder require hard running,they will glaze the bores other wise. They suffer from poor starting from cold in poor conditions. www.cutlermarine.com has developed a glow plug start system which has been proven to be spot on.
Worth checking whether it suffers from the same problem as the 2002 with regard to engine/gearbox coupling which can result in catastrophic failure without warning and necessitate replacement of gears or (sometimes cheaper) the entire gearbox.
We had our gearbox taken apart because of an oil leak and the mechanic said it had previously been put together incorrectly, but after checking with Volvo it's apparently all back together ok now with seals replaced. Still have the leak though, apparently from the bell housing, hubby seems to think it might now be engine oil rather than gearbox. Which seal was the root of your problems Andrew?
