Volvo penta electronically controlled engines over 15 years old ECU’s not supported making boats worthless

oldgit said:
He engaged a number of local engineers and companies to investigate the problem, most recommended by the local Fairline dealer on the island at the time . (Peters ) ?
Assume that who ever plugged the VODIA was an genuine VP dealer.
The only way the boat could get back home was to turn everything off and on again to restart engines.
This apparently erases all the fault codes ? so nothing useful displayed when the code reader was plugged in.
Do know the first action was to change all filters etc and check nothing blocking fuel pick ups, checks for air leaks etc, lift pump was then changed.
Tanks were inspected and cleaned out , not sure if inspection hatches already there or if holes had to be cut.
Electronic contacts of all sorts cleaned and wring checked for faults/abrasion.
Various attempts were made to change relays and hardwire connectors and plugs to see if that solved the problem with no luck.
Eventually it was decided the a ECU was at fault but new one was not an option.
The problem was possibly sorted after he contacted Coastal Rides and they suggested he bring it back to UK for them to look at.
After their attentions it was refitted.
All seemed to be be OK but he had lost all faith in the boat and had no intention of it failing on him again.
It worked OK on the sea trial with the broker and new owner.


Might have helped if fault codes were retained in a log ?
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There are loads of 75's out there with this problem and I think they have all had it from new, my s/board engine does it 2 or 3 times a year. Volvo know of the problem but can not get to the bottom of it.
There is a phantom in Poole that I moored next too about a year ago, Volvo had been working on it for years and had taken the whole boat apart and could not solve the problem. He had just got a letter from Volvo with there latest suggestion. We spent some time comparing notes.
You do not have to stop and restart the engine I used to do this but all you do is re engage drive by holding the centre button down.
The code you get is for the throttle controls, cant remember the technical term. Everyone I have spoken to gets the same code from memory 6 plus 2 but dont hold me to that memory is getting old.
Really interesting that maybe the ECU is at fault, problem even if you could get one is it's a lot of money to find you have not solved the problem and you wont find out until you are half way across the channel !
It is normally perfectly manageable but did have the problem when mooring at ocean village last year, boat did not go where it was meant too and it's that 2 second gap before realising the problem and sorting it, plays havoc with the brain.
I believe Paul knows all about this, interested to know if you think it could be the ECU Paul?

Neil
 
I to have had this problem of the engine going in to neutral and the fault light showing throttle potentiometer fault. (75EDC) Replacing the potentiometer made no difference.
Restarting the engine didn't help. A clean up of all the contacts in the plugs cured the problem for a while but the problem then returned. It happens periodically with no rhyme or reason to why. Switching off the power and disconnecting the plug to the ECU (red lock on plug)always resets it for a while. Running out of ideas of what to try next. Hopefully this is a different problem to the ECU but now after reading all the other posts I am uneasy about the future for the boats resale value.
 
Newbroom said:
I to have had this problem of the engine going in to neutral and the fault light showing throttle potentiometer fault. (75EDC) Replacing the potentiometer made no difference.
Restarting the engine didn't help. A clean up of all the contacts in the plugs cured the problem for a while but the problem then returned. It happens periodically with no rhyme or reason to why. Switching off the power and disconnecting the plug to the ECU (red lock on plug)always resets it for a while. Running out of ideas of what to try next. Hopefully this is a different problem to the ECU but now after reading all the other posts I am uneasy about the future for the boats resale value.
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Hi, yes that is exactly the fault. Problem is you never know if you have fixed it. It can be fine for virtually a whole season then it happens again.
We have been looking and trying things for 8 years !!!!
I think my next move is to switch the ECU's if that is possible, then see what happens, if problem switches engines hey ho it's a result.
Neil
 
simonfraser said:
if the faults are intermittant is a connector not more likely than the ECU itself ?
i just dealt with these beauties, 20 yrs old
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Volvo have replaced connectors and we have hard wired some, no change. Switched control units, no change. Last try was foam in somewhere to stop vibration, no change. Problem is the upto 6 months waiting for it to happen again. You think yes it's worked then next trip you are back to square one.
 
Is this the point where I opine that my venerable old KAD 42's should suddenly be in high demand and I should ask extra for my boat if and when it comes to market? Reading all the threads of late I'm feeling better and better about my old iron by the day ?
 
BruceK said:
Is this the point where I opine that my venerable old KAD 42's should suddenly be in high demand and I should ask extra for my boat if and when it comes to market? Reading all the threads of late I'm feeling better and better about my old iron by the day ?
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Is it only ECUs ?
Volvo Penta s old modal parts supply .I would wait before lighting the cigar :) .

Outdrives ! Unlikely to find a clone gear drives easily , fit sure .........that last 5 mins ?
 
? I havent run out of parts yet. Not even on outdrives. I should know, every part is a maintenance item according to you. Why the hell would they stop making them?
 
BruceK said:
? I havent run out of parts yet. Not even on outdrives. I should know, every part is a maintenance item according to you. Why the hell would they stop making them?
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At least with those outdrives every nut and bolt and all the other bits likely to dissolve on contact with water are available from either VP from an army of after market suppliers or secondhand and at least most folks could have go at fixing them.

Hey, why stick a lot more expensive complicated and fragile electronics on an outdrive and call it ........................I dunno..........what about ......... IPS. :)
Make big fuss about it going sideways and emphasise you will save a some fuel (but only if flat out ) and nobody will care until the first big bills arrive.
Make sure that no way in hell can they ever be owner maintained or repaired.
Progress .!
Serious question
Could you retro fit a mechanical system and simply bypass the electronics.
Basic morse control.
One Bowden cable to shift the gearbox and another to move the lever on the injection pump.
Realise the indignity of syncronising the engines yourself but !
 
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I often wonder what it would be like to be a fly on the wall at a VP board meeting .
The tech guys who designed stuff and the marketing guys the supply chain guy the accountants .
Baffles me what the culture is ?
The condemning unique feature was once ( maybe they still do it ?) that they set up a credit line with the boat maker as such the invoice is due only when the boat sells .So it’s from a cash flow pov ideal and may sway the decision to use a VP product .
So the popularity is not through merit. Stuff the customer let’s just shift boats and be thankful for the credit line attitude.
Think Fairline various incarnations, once the owner founder packed it in .

The other interestingly thing the Italian s hardly use VP products .
Have not used the cash flow wheeze.
Maybe a reflection of there accounting practices and tax / profit allocation ?
Or they disregarded the cash flow advantage and just specced purely on merit , a lot of owner builders building boats for family and friends Don’ t know it’s just odd stands out .

Many years ago I met the Villanova brothers ( through a Ferrari meet in St Trop ) .
They import Riviera boats from Australia based in St Trop / Port Grimaud .
The Portofino 35 was my first mobo so I thought it must be ok with VP outdrives as Sunseeker built it .Kinda leap of faith .
Once in i soon realised and saw the shortfalls in the engineering of the engines / outdrives .
Those Rivieras where on our short list and we ventured over to Villanova s in P Grimaud they had a few out in the sheds .
Later on i meet the younger brother again at Cannes and expressed further interest over a glass or too and he specifically told me to avoid the 74/75 p VP version and go for a CAT powered .At the time VP was 480 Hp and CAT iirc 425 Hp ?
He said it under his breath at the show in my ear .The demo boat had 74/75 p’s in it btw .

Simultaneously we nurtured a relationship with the Sunseeker brokers , you know in the hunt for a bigger boat , before long anything that came up in our marina we had first dibs .
Sat on a Porto 53 the broker advised away from VP towards a MAN powered boat .
I did ask why and seeing as he was almost a friend known to us and our kids for 9 years he just said they present with hassle he VP ones .Same for a Porto 46 which has the 74/75 p s .The relationship here my wife did some child minding for him when he needed to show clients around the bigger yachts stuff .

So Thats two independent heads up circa 2014 /15 .

I know I will get flamed for this but all theses recent ECU intermittent problem threads are of no surprise to me .
I will never get another VP powered boat .
What I am trying to say they did not pass the “ friends and family test “ .
 
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I am new to boat ownership and it is interesting to learn of the shortcomings of what appeared to be solid brands In the boating industry.

But, it is nothing new in engineering, when you think of Porsche, the 964 engine, the 996 3.4 and early 3.8, the Boxster 2.5. Engine replacement cost of £10k when the car itself is worth roughly the same. The developing problems with the BMW 2.0 diesel common rail engine. I am sure that there are many more.

It seems to be a long road of continual cost for the owner whatever brand you choose...
 
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