Volvo Penta ECU’s
- Thread starter nicho
- Start date
Mr Googler
Well-Known Member
bluetooth
Well-Known Member
Mr Googler
Well-Known Member
aerobat
Well-Known Member
I think they are plenty of boats out there with ECU controlled volvo,s and i never heared every other of them is doomed due to a failing ECU .
So how often does such an ECU fails ?
So how often does such an ECU fails ?
Sticky Fingers
Well-Known Member
It’s rare but has happened, and when there’s no stock available then the boat is unusable and economically unrepairable. If you happen to be affected then it’s a big deal.
westernman
Well-Known Member
But the price is still outrageous.
aerobat
Well-Known Member
The price is outrageous and availability may be problematic , i agree , but since its a very rare event i try to not think about it. The are a lot of things in a boat which may develop in a financial nightmare if the odds are against you .
On the other hand the ECU is there for a reason , making the engine a better performer .
On the other hand the ECU is there for a reason , making the engine a better performer .
Last edited:
Grubble
Well-Known Member
The alternative is to pull your VP engines and drives out, sell them for scrap and replace with outboards, or better still shafts. At the same time convert the canvas tent top into a proper flybridge and install beige crushed velvet seat covers and move to the Medway.
volvopaul
Well-Known Member
And then you place the order and they tell you there is no stock , the dealer does not know if there is stock at Volvo until the order is placed . The 73P is the real strange one which I still believe there will not be no stock . Times many I'm told this about many parts I order , it's a crazy parts system in my opinion bordering on third world at times .
PowerYachtBlog
Well-Known Member
AFAIK Volvo dealers are not allowed to stock ECU, since the EC1 is kept in there hands and programmed for the needed engine on order.
This ECU is used on; kad44, kad300, tamd73, tamd74, and tamd 75.
When a dealer has it in stock it is for a cancelled order, with the Volvo dealer then advising it has it in stock, so if someone needs it urgently this will be sent to the required dealer,
I had a friend who a problem with the ECU 2 years ago, in winter, he put a humidifier in the engine room and put it on each time he want aboard, and the problems all vanished the last season.
Targa 43 with Tamd73s.
Mr Googler
Well-Known Member
You’d have thought they are all the same hardware then get programmed as they get ordered for the relevant engine
Maybe no one can find a windows 95 machine to do the programming
simonfraser
Well-Known Member
Is 4.5k sufficient to downgrade a KAD44 so no ECU is needed ?
aerobat
Well-Known Member
The EDC shift and throttle is so sweet that i will never look back , the same is true for electronic syncing of both engines.
To eliminate the ECU i guess you would on top to downgrade to mechanical shift / throttle controls and cables need the mechanical injection pump and a non electronic charger control . Problem would be the '43 pump will not deliver enough fuel at WOT for the '44 .
is there any sense to even think about it ?
volvopaul
Well-Known Member
The 44/300 wouldn't run as nice with a mechanical pump , it has been done by attaching the rotor head off the electronic pump to a kad 43 pump but you loose so much refinement from this .
Probably ok if you're racing and not bothered about the smoke factor .
petem
Well-Known Member
It's not unheard of but I wouldn't say it's a common issue. In many cases the ECU can be re-programmed if it's a firmware issue and circuit board components can be replaced if it's a hardware issue. @Norsk of this parish is your man (he now has a testbed that he can use to test API's). In come cases, the ECU is fine and the problem lies with the connector or the loom.
If the ECU can't be repaired then there are some used ECU's available. Failing that, as above, VP say they have 500 ECU's in stock which I imagine will last some time. If they're retailing them at £4k then that's got to be a health mark up and profits in the low £millions for commissioning and selling a batch.
If all else fails, then the KAD series engines can modified to use a mechanical fuel pump ( I wrote about this here KAD44 conversion to mechanical). Note that the KAD43 fuel pump is allegedly able to supply sufficient fuel and the engines aren't smoky. As @volvopaul says above, some refinement will be lost and of course the throttles would be mechanical (unless an electronic throttle kit is added).
It's also important to note that these first gen ECU engines sold in their tens of thousands. So there's safety in numbers and there will always be a market for third party solutions.
