volvo ips problems

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nova

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Have been advised to try this forum instead of Practical Boat forum to see if there are any volvo engineers out there who can help. We have a new boat with volvo D6 ips engines which have cut down to limp home twice - first at 48 hours and again at 59 hours.Volvo twice attended, downloaded software and say problem is 'from an external source' and must be the Raymarine autopilot at fault. Raymarine say this is impossible and have now disconnected to prove a point but can't see how this will prove anything. There is no guarantee how long we would have to use the boat before it goes wrong again and there has been no explanation from anyone as to what the cause might be. We are unwilling to use the boat while this fault has not been explained. Any advice please?
 
run 10 hours without the Autopilot. If the fault happens again, Volvo will be unable to lay the fault at the feet of the AP. If it doesn't occur, then it may well still be a Volvo problem or a Raymarine problem.
 
I thought these days VP could 'plug in' a fault code reader, which would interogate the ECU and identify the fault for sure?
VolvoPaul will know most likely. Good luck, you shouldn't need it these days though. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
Why not send Volvo Penta a link to this thread by email, 180 keen boaters have already read this and I certainly will not entertain buying an IPS drive or D4, D6 engined boat until Volvo Penta regain their reputation of reliable engines.
They have never been innovation leaders before but I have been prepared to put up with ageing technology due to reliability records but now that has gone what have Volvo Penta got left ......residual values ? for how long if they fail to produce reliable engines ?

( http://www.ybw.com/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/1611200/an/0/page/0#1611200 )
 
Problem is that software for logging errors may not be logging correctly. This happened to my bmw: I got a dozen error messages about level control system failure (suspension level, that is). At the garage the response was 'yep, there was an error message about the side window but we reseted it and it's ok now'.

Ie. real reason may or may not be logged.
 
one engine (same one again or different one) or both engines shut down..? What were the diagnostic reports (ie fault codes)?
 
I Have to say I switched over from Merc to Volvo last year, I am not at all confident in the Volvo stuff. It all seems far more finacy (sp?) and I have to say more uncessarilly complicated.

I agree that I wouldn't go out and buy an other new Volvo engined boat espcially with IPS unless Volvo demonstrate they are looking after their customers. All of the technology innovation is irrelevant if there is no decent after sales support.
 
Wouldn't you think that Volvo Penta would want to rush an expert there so they could learn from the cock up ?

Who cares if it is a Navigator software issue, what ever it is surly they don't want a recurrence /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Perhaps they don't care as we are about to witness another 'Penta side step'

Are well try IPS II , that will be fine............. until a few of those go wrong but hey we can soon get some IPS III stickers made to rectify that problem.
 
If there still in warranty then you either contact the boat manufacturer, " Hope its not a sealine" or your nearest volvo dealer though to be fair some dealers are more clued up than others as it depends on the staff they employ, more than a standards issue.

A boat im in contact with has just been re engined with d6 310 and has all this raymarine interlinked pilot, radar etc.

Its probably all to do with the way its been wired as cross faults can occur due to battery voltage differences, resistance etc.
I would get the whole lot checked out even if you have to pay a third party as theres nothing worse than a faulty boat when your out in bad weather.

A friend has 2 d6 370 and they have shut down twice on him for no reason but were just simply reset and back to normal.
 
I can only speak from 20 years in the motor trade (up until last year)

However, boats / cars ... its all the same. Electronics in a hostile environment

If an owner put a mobile phone in a car, but wired to the incorrect supply wires or routed the aerial in the wrong place, then this interfered with an ECU.... is that the manufacturers fault... No!

It would be an unforeseen issue.

If a computer has an on board diagnostic and its not been programmed to look for that particular scenario, then it will NOT know what is wrong

Diagnostic can only detect faults they have been programmed to look for.

Unfortunately, we have not developed artificial intelligence that can analyse and work out how to fix any fault. That's still down to a human being.

Having said all of that, Volvo should take each case seriously. If they don't know what the fault was, they should record it and sent the data to HQ. Then if it keeps happening they will have a better chance of sorting out a solution and informing the customer of what needs to be done.

Disconnecting the AP = Seriously good idea. But it may take a while to establish it is was the culprit
 
They say they can't read out any faults once the ignition has been turned off - apparently the faults are not stored!
 
Both engines shut down and fault codes could not be read because Volvo did not attend until two days later and could not read out faults once ignition had been switched off!
 
Exactamundo Daka.... I am now on EVC rev A but now EVC is rev C and some after market bolt ons already won't work with EVC rev A so I can see EVC rev G coming on soon followbed by EVF and EVZ........

What I really would want to see is Volvo jump in and sort this one and Oh how about a 3 year warranty on the IPS drives.....
 
I had a Vauxhall Astra that used to go into limp mode, and similarly, the dealer could not read the code unless we actually took it in with the orange light still glowing.

I kind of assumed that 10 years later, and with a product costing several tens of thousands more, that space for a little bit of CMOS memory and a lithium battery might have been found.

Apparently not!

dv.
 
All faults are stored in the ecu its probably that they dont either,

1.. know how to use the vodia tool that you need to read codes and all data.

2 they havent got one!
 
BOTH engines shut down!. People tell me they would never go to sea in a single engined boat. Boat engines need to be simple and reliable. Engine management systems / common rail diesels have no place in a boat. You a buy a twin engined boat for safety reasons. I would throw it back at the people you got it from and tell them it's not fit for purpose.
 
Had a weird problem myself with the D12. On starting up warning light came on for low oil level. Diagnostic flashing thingy said the same thing. Checked the oil level, maybe a bit low but was over minimum on dipstick. Rang motor tech for advice who said get VP engineer to have a look before running engine.

Pointed out I was on a buoy at Sark and wind was picking up! Slowly made way to Alderney where I put plenty of oil in. Light still flashing on dash, diagnostics etc still saying low oil. Motortech tell me to limp across the channel on one engine. After reading the manual again, confirming oil level is ok (about ten times just in case!) I decide it's probably a faulty sensor.

Back at Port Solent Motortech take a look and ring me to say there isn’t actually a sensor on the engine, nor should there be. Despite having a low level light on the dash, diagnostics codes and a section in the manual that says check the oil level with this diagnostic code etc there is no sensor on the engine! Bizarrely I had to use the boat for a month with this flashing warning until VP upgraded the software.
 
Hi Dave d12 do funny things, especially in a commercial vessel, had this once same oil level problem, turned out that on the wiring loom there was a plug that was blank to the sump level sensor, the bilge water level was that high it was shorting across the plug telling edc there was a problem, would try and check all loom for water and damp etc, might save you a few quid.
 
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