Volvo MD11c Not run in a few years, How to see if it runs

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thesaintlyone

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So with the Westerly Longbow Project comes a Volvo MD11c thats not been run in a few years. What is the best way to attempt to start it and decide if its a keeper. And how easy is it to remove if it needs working on.

My overall options
1) Start the Volvo if possible and decide if its worth keeping.
2) Using the "Sailing Uma" guys as a blueprint convert to an electric motor and solar power well aware of the inconvenience of not been able to motor for hours on end but hell its a sail boat.
 
Forget the boat if the engine does not run. it has been out of production for 40 years or more and spares are difficult to get and expensive.

First see if it turns over with the decrompressers up. If it does, check it has fuel getting to the injectors, and has oil, then start it. Difficult to say if it is a keeper, but even if it runs you have to accept it probably has a limited life before it becomes uneconomic to keep running.
 
thesaintlyone said:
Getting the boat at a price that makes a new deiesel including fitting still very viable if i did decide to go down that route
Click to expand...

So, how much are you being paid to take it away? Seriously as if you use new parts you are into a £5k+ bill (ignore those who say it can be done for less) and a lot of hard graft. Less of course if you are lucky enough to find a reasonably modern used engine like a 2020/2030 with the right gearbox and prop.
 
I think if you are talking about removing it to do work on then that is the wrong decision. Pretty much any work that is economic on the MDIIC can be done without removing it and anything more serious you are better replacing the whole engine.

I would just change the oil then see if it will start.
 
Decision meant to say! As I said will look at the electric route if the engine is kaput I know its controversial but it suits me and my future plans.
Tranona if I told you that I would be chasing away other buyers its a good solid 31ft Westerly longbow keeping quiet till I sign on the dotted line
 
Oh apparently I deleted the other post so I again thanks for the advice and links to the other thread the compression test suggested will give me a good idea on what my final decision will be. The boat is a definite yes just a quedtion of powering but its a sailboat so how much do I need to power it.....????
 
thesaintlyone said:
Decision meant to say! As I said will look at the electric route if the engine is kaput I know its controversial but it suits me and my future plans.
Tranona if I told you that I would be chasing away other buyers its a good solid 31ft Westerly longbow keeping quiet till I sign on the dotted line
Click to expand...

Before you do anything about trying to use electrical power suggests you read the various threads on the subject here. It will save you a lot of grief and wasted effort and money trying to do something that will inevitably end up unsatisfactory.
 
Ive read all the threads and considered all the options and to be honest the only downside I can envisage would be resale in later years.
But its not in my plans to sell this one quickly anyways

Not sure if you have watched the Uma guys on youtube very fascinating. (any episode with electrobeat in the title focuses on electric conversion) for your convenience ?

Electric power really has only one downside which is the inability to get you home under power when you have limited sailing opportunities. Enough power can be generated for simple marina manouvers etc
I ain't buying a sailboat to motor everywhere so!!!

Regards ?
 
On another note can anyone be clearer on the Hand cranking compression test mentioned in the other thread.

It suggests that in gear when hand cranking it should be resistant for up to 20seconds which means its good.
But if its only 5 seconds there is a leak and if no resistance there is a major problem

If someone could elaborate on this it would be much appreciated

Regards ?
 
KellysEye said:
>Forget the boat if the engine does not run. it has been out of production for 40 years or more and spares are difficult to get and expensive.

Volvo MD series parts are available and not expensive here: http://www.keypart.com/volvo-penta
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I refurbished one in situ two years ago. Cost about £1,500 but no major parts gone (we didn't dip into the engine block itself). The parts don't seem to be much more expensive than any other Volvo Penta. The injector pump for example is a standard Bosch, new exhaust elbow, injectors serviced, head gasket etc. Bought a second hand one that had ran away and blown itself up a bit and keep that for spares. The biggest problem was poor water circulation - that turned out to be black crap built up in the gearbox (put a bit of rigging wire in a drill and GENTLY run it backwards through the entry ports in the cooling circuit around the gearbox - clears the gunk).

The biggest risk is doing all of this and something more fundamental is wrong for which you can't get parts.
 
KellysEye said:
Volvo MD series parts are available and not expensive here: http://www.keypart.com/volvo-penta
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I think you will find that certain key parts are no longer available - e.g. Oil Pumps - at least that was the case for my old MB2B. So you always run the risk that the engine may fail and become beyond economic repair at any moment. I would question the wisdom of paying a £1000 bill to fix an engine of that age.
 
thesaintlyone said:
Ive read all the threads and considered all the options and to be honest the only downside I can envisage would be resale in later years.
But its not in my plans to sell this one quickly anyways

Not sure if you have watched the Uma guys on youtube very fascinating. (any episode with electrobeat in the title focuses on electric conversion) for your convenience ��

Electric power really has only one downside which is the inability to get you home under power when you have limited sailing opportunities. Enough power can be generated for simple marina manouvers etc
I ain't buying a sailboat to motor everywhere so!!!

Regards ��
Click to expand...

Yes, have watched it. suspect they are going to discover the hard way (as others have in the past) how limiting their lack of reliable, durable auxiliary power is.

The bit about removing the fuel tank and replacing with a battery bank tells all. Just calculate the energy you can store in that space in batteries rather than diesel, then calculate the amount of energy you can generate with solar power on a small area like a sailboat, then you see the limitations. Never mind all the complicated and vulnerable electrics you need to control the minimal power you have. Makes keeping an MD11 running suddenly look rationally easy!

Nicely made videos though!
 
Electric Conversion is really about personal usage. For the vast majority of cruisers who use their diesel lumps to motor to their favorite spots in limited time slots or when the wind is not favourable or practical then having a diesel is definitely the ideal.

But if your aim is to use it solely for marina/Mooring work then Electric is more than adequate.

Im certainly not gonna convert juat because I can but I'd rather not spend 6-7k on a new engine when there is an alternative one that is gaining popularity
 
thesaintlyone said:
Electric Conversion is really about personal usage. For the vast majority of cruisers who use their diesel lumps to motor to their favorite spots in limited time slots or when the wind is not favourable or practical then having a diesel is definitely the ideal.

But if your aim is to use it solely for marina/Mooring work then Electric is more than adequate.

Im certainly not gonna convert juat because I can but I'd rather not spend 6-7k on a new engine when there is an alternative one that is gaining popularity
Click to expand...

Where is there any evidence that it is "gaining in popularity"? Electric propulsion for boats has been around longer than diesel, but because of the fundamental problems of generating and storing energy has never made any progress outside of the very limited applications for which these problems are less critical. The example you use does nothing to address these problems, but only shows how you can use an industrial motor to turn a propeller in a boat - nothing new.

If you really only want to move the boat in a marina without a diesel engine just lash a dinghy alongside with an outboard. This avoids all that complicated electrical gubbins and huge battery bank cluttering up the inside of the boat.

The real answer to your problem is to buy a boat with a modern, reliable diesel engine that will probably outlast you and spend your time, effort and money on using it.
 
thesaintlyone said:
2) Using the "Sailing Uma" guys as a blueprint convert to an electric motor and solar power well aware of the inconvenience of not been able to motor for hours on end but hell its a sail boat.
Click to expand...

Electric is definitely worth trying, if you can life with the restricted "fuel" capacity. Anybody who claims that it's a dead duck hasn't understood twenty plus years of developments in motors (Lynch motors are small and powerful, electronics (solid state control of DC motors is cheap, compact, reliable and efficient) or batteries (Li-ion is pricey, but coming down fast).

I know someone who has converted a Victoria 800 to electric. It hasn't been a cheap option, but apart from making long passages of 4+ hours under power he can do everything in his boat that I can in mine, silently and at a fraction of the running cost.
 
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