Volvo Penta D4 Safety Lanyard

[gobofraggle]

Hi guys,

Hoping for some assistance, I managed to get behind the wheel of a twin D4 300 setup and noticed something strange with the function of the kill cord.

Ok a little bit of back story first, I know the boat and its had a kill cord issue for as long as I remember (its a 3 yo boat).

If anyone out there has issues with a kill cord on an EVC engine heres how i got it going after searching the google for a couple of days. On the loom there is the break out cable for the kill cord which initially would do nothing whether shorted out or disconnected. Short the 2 connections then run an auto configure on the helm station, press and hold take control for 5 secs, then when the screen says autoconfigure 1.0 press the same button again for 5 seconds. all the helm station lights will flash and the the system will reboot.. wait til it finishes then if you have the 2.5" screens select which is port and which is stbd.

Connect the kill cord and test, the switch could be mis-wired as n/o when it should be n/c (this is where i had the initial problem if its connected n/o the autoconfig will disregard the kill cord and it will do nothing)

Still with me... good this is where strange, well i think strange, I've never seen this behaviour before happens. Cruising along relatively slow considering the 600hp behind me, i pull the cord the engines stop the display show safety lanyard dis engaged with the little warning triangle that Volvo love so much next to the letters SLY and i think happy days i've fixed a long standing issue thats been niggling at me for ages!

Then i press the start button for the engines and without the lanyard being connected and the engines fire up, the warning triangle still happily glaring at me as that thing does regularly, and i look at my hand which is firmly clutching the kill cord, then i look back to the console showing the engines happily purring away. At this point I think 'AAAHH it must be a limp home mode, driver and kill cord in the water, passengers can fire up and pootle back to pick the poor damp sailor up.' Nope wrong no kill cord i can gun the engine and get it back up to 40knots with no safeties attached.


Long post, love a good story... so my question is is this normal behaviour for a D4/D6 etc, do any of you fine people have any experience with this problem, as i was always under the impression if you have no kill cord you better get the oars out!

 

[KINGFISHER 9]

I've got 2 x D4s ... no sign of any killcord and I've never seen one on an enclosed 42 foot boat. Most open weekender type boats under maybe 30ft would have one I should think + ribs and speedboats.

 

[GrahamHR]

I've got 2 x D4s ... no sign of any killcord and I've never seen one on an enclosed 42 foot boat. Most open weekender type boats under maybe 30ft would have one I should think + ribs and speedboats.

My UK supplied D4 300 equipped boat (ca 30' American Sportscruiser) has no kill cord. Yet UK supplied petrol engined versions of the same boat do ! It makes no sense whatsoever safety wise as the D4 engined version is faster than most of the petrol engined ones. Diesel kill cord switches are more expensive than those for petrol engines , they are not a simple make/ break switch. it may well have been cost savings that drove the OEM/ importer decision. I do have a kill cord / switch awaiting fitting.

 

[gobofraggle]

I've got 2 x D4s ... no sign of any killcord and I've never seen one on an enclosed 42 foot boat. Most open weekender type boats under maybe 30ft would have one I should think + ribs and speedboats.

If you manage to fall in from the helm of your enclosed cruiser make sure you get it on camera... stuff like that can make you a fortune on the web these days! But you are right, the boat in question is a 35ft open sport boat.

My UK supplied D4 300 equipped boat (ca 30' American Sportscruiser) has no kill cord. Yet UK supplied petrol engined versions of the same boat do ! It makes no sense whatsoever safety wise as the D4 engined version is faster than most of the petrol engined ones. Diesel kill cord switches are more expensive than those for petrol engines , they are not a simple make/ break switch. it may well have been cost savings that drove the OEM/ importer decision. I do have a kill cord / switch awaiting fitting.

Its built in to the EVC system, in the harness theres a cable that runs from the E-key panel to the port and stbd connections on the helm control, plug X4 and in that cable there are a couple of crimped connections that connects to a simple make/break switch. the electronics do the rest... To my knowledge anyway.

You're right it makes no sense, in this boat if i'm flat stick its pulling over 45knots, not really something you want to watch turn torpedo or sail over the horizon when you fall overboard.

 

[ICTM]

Twin D4 300’s. No kill cord and I don’t recall ever seeing a boat with this engine type fitted with such a thing.

 

[GrahamHR]

The kill cord/ switch kit I have is an official VP one ( I'll get/ post the part number tomorrow, I don't fancy going to the garage now it's pouring down !). I do remember It actually has 4 terminals on the switch; presumably a pair are +12V and a feed to the engine shut off solenoid. The other 2 maybe to disconnect the electronics running the engine?

 

[gobofraggle]

The kill cord/ switch kit I have is an official VP one ( I'll get/ post the part number tomorrow, I don't fancy going to the garage now it's pouring down !). I do remember It actually has 4 terminals on the switch; presumably a pair are +12V and a feed to the engine shut off solenoid. The other 2 maybe to disconnect the electronics running the engine?

I assume I have the same switch installed PN3817092 the 4 terminals are made up of 2 for a normally open contact, 2 for a normally closed contact

 

[prv]

presumably a pair are +12V and a feed to the engine shut off solenoid. The other 2 maybe to disconnect the electronics running the engine?

On an engine like this I’m sure the kill-cord circuit won’t be directly driving things like solenoids. It will be an input to the ECU telling it to perform an immediate stop.

Pete

 

[GrahamHR]

On an engine like this I’m sure the kill-cord circuit won’t be directly driving things like solenoids. It will be an input to the ECU telling it to perform an immediate stop.

Pete

I'd like to think so. However, to do that, it'd surely just require a simple make/ break kill switch like on petrols. That'd give a message to the ECU; open circuit = stop engine. They've used a more complex ( more expensive) "diesel" kill switch for some reason.

I never understood why there is a spring loaded "stop" position on the ignition switch. The engine carries on running in the "0" position. All the diesel engines in cars I have ever driven stop when the ignition is switched to "0". Is it just a historical marine diesel thing ?

 

[gobofraggle]

I'd like to think so. However, to do that, it'd surely just require a simple make/ break kill switch like on petrols. That'd give a message to the ECU; open circuit = stop engine. They've used a more complex ( more expensive) "diesel" kill switch for some reason.

If you look at this wiring diagram of the setup of the boat, specifically the typical installation main station, this is exactly how the boat is wired. It has a simple kill switch attached to the safety lanyard. No need for a complicated kill switch, although Volvo obviously know how to charge as the lanyard switch on its own is over £100.

Still, doesn't explain the ability to restart the engine with the kill cord disconnected.

 

[prv]

Still, doesn't explain the ability to restart the engine with the kill cord disconnected.

Mm. It's a programming decision by Volvo rather than any mechanical / electrical property of the engine, and it does seem like a questionable one. I presume they thought it would be helpful to give you the option of using or not using the lanyard - if you start up with one in place, it will work, but if you start up without a lanyard then it will accept your decision to run without. Most people think that, on a boat where kill-cords are appropriate, not using them should be discouraged rather than facilitated...

I do wonder if there's another mode in the programming where it behaves more like a traditional dumb-electrical kill-cord? Activated either by a slightly different series of arcane button presses, or by a checkbox in a Volvo technician's laptop. Might be worth a support query?

Pete

 

[gobofraggle]

Mm. It's a programming decision by Volvo rather than any mechanical / electrical property of the engine, and it does seem like a questionable one. I presume they thought it would be helpful to give you the option of using or not using the lanyard - if you start up with one in place, it will work, but if you start up without a lanyard then it will accept your decision to run without. Most people think that, on a boat where kill-cords are appropriate, not using them should be discouraged rather than facilitated...

I do wonder if there's another mode in the programming where it behaves more like a traditional dumb-electrical kill-cord? Activated either by a slightly different series of arcane button presses, or by a checkbox in a Volvo technician's laptop. Might be worth a support query?

Pete

Ive access to a Vodia laptop but nothing really about the kill cord, it states it in the manual as a being able to log the state of the switch but to be fair i havent plugged in since i got the kill switch in its current half working condition... maybe ive just added to tomorrows job list.

I'll shoot Volvo an email and see if they are in the mood to share information!

 

[GrahamHR]

The VP kit I have is on the boat, so I cannot confirm part numbers at the moment.

As supplied by a UK boat importer with VP approved parts for the D4 EVC-3, the shift lever used was woefully inadequate, to the point of being dangerous. NO detent button or other safeguard at all to prevent gear/ maximum throttle opening being accidentally selected if the lever was leaned against. To be fair, they changed the shift lever during their attempts to sort out the gear shifting issues, a hassle I would have preferred to avoid.

 

[gobofraggle]

The VP kit I have is on the boat, so I cannot confirm part numbers at the moment.

As supplied by a UK boat importer with VP approved parts for the D4 EVC-3, the shift lever used was woefully inadequate, to the point of being dangerous. NO detent button or other safeguard at all to prevent gear/ maximum throttle opening being accidentally selected if the lever was leaned against. To be fair, they changed the shift lever during their attempts to sort out the gear shifting issues, a hassle I would have preferred to avoid.

I had similar issues with the indent wearing and causing the same symptoms as you describe... and that was with only 500 hours on the boat. If you didnt already know, and if you have the type with the trim assist/cruise control/ single level etc buttons on the sticks or whether you have the ones with the 2 balls as grips.

Anyway the one with the buttons has adjustable friction locks and, at least some, adjustment on the click indent... the other type might well have similar, and of course you may already know this!

 

[julians]

A bit of thread drift, but i agree that the vp throttle lever is dangerous imo. Its far too easy to knock it into gear even if you have the friction wound up high.

Id much prefer it with a mechanical lock that has to be explicitly unlocked before it will move into gear, similar to the old mercruiser/many types of outboard throttle.

 

[Andyroonot]

There are two variations of the kill cord:
For side mount EVC levers, which tend to be on single engine ski boat sized boats, the kill cord is a unique VP device which plugs into a hole on the lever.

For top mount controls, the system uses either an Analogue Key Interface (AKI) on EVC-D, or an e-Key (EVC-E onwards) to connect to the Helm Control Unit, which is usually built into the base of these generations of throttle levers. On these systems, the two terminals mentioned previously are either coming from the AKI loom or the e-Key loom, and do indeed work on a normally open circuit. Any kill switch (ie not just Volvo Penta) will work on this setup as long as it is n/o with the cord attached, n/c with it detached.

Quite why full power can be achieved after removal is a bit of a strange one I agree, as although to be able to start the engines again is sensible, it would make sense to restrict the speed perhaps.

There is no adjustment or switching off/on of the kill cord ‘parameter’ within Vodia, although as suggested, logging its status is a function within the Vodia log test. Nor is there a software alteration that can be activated to change how it functions or whether it is on or off, at least certainly not at a Dealer user level.

 

[GrahamHR]

A bit of thread drift, but i agree that the vp throttle lever is dangerous imo. Its far too easy to knock it into gear even if you have the friction wound up high.

Id much prefer it with a mechanical lock that has to be explicitly unlocked before it will move into gear, similar to the old mercruiser/many types of outboard throttle.

Prior to the 2009 built D4 engined boat, I had a 1999 boat, followed by a 2004 , both V8 petrol engined All 3 from the same boat manufacturer/ importer. Both V8 petrols though had a proper throttle lever with a mechanical lock to prevent accidental selection of gear. I was astounded, disappointed when the 2009 boat had this horrible ( retrograde, cheaper) type of throttle lever. Petrol engined boats of the same era maintained the use of proper mechanical detents apparently, What on earth where VP thinking ?

 

[Andyroonot]

It’s possible to retrofit mechanical control levers to EVC engines... You need mechanical to electronic adaptors prior to connecting to the engine, but it’s possible.

Choose a set of controls with a mechanical lock, get a couple of short control cables for gear & throttle for both engines, the electrical bits from VP and you're sorted.

A bit rare but it is possible

 

[GrahamHR]

Yes, I'd heard of this possibility.

VP did offer an EVC compatible "plug and play" electronic shifter wirh a mechanical interlock, but for some reason the boat manufacturer chose to fit the inferior one ( cost vs risk of liability I suppose).

The more "fit for purpose" one is what the boat importer or Volvo retrofitted to my boat ( no idea who actually paid for it !). It works fine. ( unfortunately I had already bought one which I was going to retrofit as I disliked the original shifter so much, I should try to sell it really.).