Volvo Penta D6 low oil pressure alarm

Peterlewis321

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Hi everyone,
I’ve just returned from a great trip to Formentera (what a place!!). However, I experienced a low oil pressure alarm on one engine at the end of a 3 hour 3000rpm cruise back to the mainland…..it happened as I knocked the throttles back and on investigation I found no issues with the oil pressure at all i.e it climbed as I teased the power back up, and no visible oil leaks anywhere……so my question to you all is whether a (relatively) sudden decrease in throttle in a situation like this could trigger such an alarm inadvertently as the oil pressure also drops as the revs drop? And maybe in this instance I was perhaps just a bit ‘heavy handed’ with the levers and should have eased the power back a little more slowly?
Appreciate any advice or sharing of similar experiences?
Thanks
 

volvopaul

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Hi everyone,
I’ve just returned from a great trip to Formentera (what a place!!). However, I experienced a low oil pressure alarm on one engine at the end of a 3 hour 3000rpm cruise back to the mainland…..it happened as I knocked the throttles back and on investigation I found no issues with the oil pressure at all i.e it climbed as I teased the power back up, and no visible oil leaks anywhere……so my question to you all is whether a (relatively) sudden decrease in throttle in a situation like this could trigger such an alarm inadvertently as the oil pressure also drops as the revs drop? And maybe in this instance I was perhaps just a bit ‘heavy handed’ with the levers and should have eased the power back a little more slowly?
Appreciate any advice or sharing of similar experiences?
Thanks
It’s a typical D4/6 issue after a long run when the oil is very hot , the alarm sounds at 1 bar pressure which about the pressure you have at idle speed after a continuous high speed run , it’s nothing to worry about .
 

Peterlewis321

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It’s a typical D4/6 issue after a long run when the oil is very hot , the alarm sounds at 1 bar pressure which about the pressure you have at idle speed after a continuous high speed run , it’s nothing to worry about .
Thanks a lot @volvopaul I had a feeling it was no issue (seem to recall reading it somewhere before) but you have put my mind completely at rest now!
 

Seastoke

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It’s a typical D4/6 issue after a long run when the oil is very hot , the alarm sounds at 1 bar pressure which about the pressure you have at idle speed after a continuous high speed run , it’s nothing to worry about .
What a guy.
 

madabouttheboat

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I understand that there is a software update available on the D4/D6 range to reduce the threshold for a low oil pressure alarm as it was initially set high enough to alert for the reason VP mentioned. Updates should be done as part of your routine servicing, if carried out by a VP dealer.
 
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