Volvo Penta left idle for too long?

[Steve116]

Does anyone out these have some good tips for getting a volvo penta started after six months of inactivity. The engine will turn but refuses to start. Looks like the compression is very low. Currently trying to get a good mechanic but these things always take for ages. All feedback welcome...

 

[Appleyard]

Hi Steve... what makes you think the compression is very low? Check that you have a good supply of clean fuel..checkthat the fuel is getting to the injectors by loosening off one or two of the pipes at the injector while operating the starter..fuel should come out of the union.
(Also be very careful if you are operating the starter for long periods..the cooling water will not be blown out via the exhaust and can find its way back into the engine ,so shut off the inlet seacock ..but remember to open it when the engine starts). Try spraying WD 40 intio the air inlet as you operate the starter,a whiff of this will often give the beast a start,and allow it to run .Check your oil level by the way,if the engine has been lying unused .Does this engine have glow plugs? if so test them using a meter.make sure the stop control has been pushed in after the last time out. Make sure the battery has enough guts in it to start the engine.Check the air inlet,air filter .and exhaust for obstructions. Good hunting!

 

[Freebee]

not enough info petrol, diesel ,inboard or out board

 

[Talbot]

If all else fails a quick spray of ether into the air intake will normally resurrect the beast - not too much or the engine will knock like mad. - sometimes sold as diesel start or something similar from car factors - also useful if the glow plugs have died!

 

[Appleyard]

Be very careful with ether based starting fluid...it can [no thanks] up the engine. Try WD first. IMHO. Has anyone else had experience using ether stuff? (for starting engines I mean!!!)

 

[Talbot]

I have used it as last resort on a nuumber of different engines.

The engine fitted to the RN cutter and whaler used to have an ether squirt as it's standard start procedure IIRC the engine was an enfield.

It is important that you only use a very small squirt, if it doesnt start use a smidge more next time and so on until it starts. I f use a great dollop to start with you can do significant damage as it can cause the engine to fire far toearly and thus one cyliner is trying to push the engine one way, whilst another is pushng the other

 

[Double arvor]

check it has not got glow plugs, and hold key round for about
45 secs that migth do the trick mine started 2nd time after 5 months out

 

[ashanta]

You don't mention the model. I had similar probs with my 2002 when I first got her. Like yours it had been idle for time. A mechanic eventually got it going but a few months later I had to have the starter motor reconditioned. It was basically new by the time they finished it (inckuding a mod) the difference was amazing and I have not had any further trouble. It wasn't turning the engine over fast enough. Also if you have a VP 2002 follow the cold start procs .

Regards.

Peter.

 

[Evadne]

Six months is not very long, about the standard lay-up time for a boat kept ashore in the winter. Assuming that you are getting fuel and air through, have sufficient oil, the exhaust is not blocked and the system has been bled of air:
If you can crank the engine over by hand with ease, without the decompression lever depressed then there is insufficient compression, this can be caused by the piston rings "glueing" to the piston, if the engine wasn't laid up properly.
The hard but certain way to fix this is to get the piston out, spray with WD40 and scrape away the varnish until the ring(s) is free, and reassemble, as Mr Haynes would say. This is what I had to do on my 1GM after the 2nd winter I had her.
You may be able to shock it by starting with a whiff of Easy Start as detailed above, but don't persevere if this fails. Especially don't squirt the stuff in while cranking the engine. You may be able to remove the injector, squirt in a dollop of WD40 to leave overnight, then turn over by hand a few times to clear it before trying to start as normal. Another old trick is to put a small dollop of engine oil into the bore, replace the injector and fire it up but I've only ever tried this one on a dumper truck!

To "properly" lay up a small 1-pot diesel, I was told to hold down the compression lever, remove the air filter and spray WD40 into the air intake while turning the engine over by hand. This takes 1.5 pairs of hands, but I've not stuck the rings to the piston since starting to do this to my 1GM. You should also really change the oil and filter before laying up, rather than at the start of the season.

 

[Appleyard]

How do you crank by hand? do you use a spanner on the nut?

 

[JustMolly]

I am having a similar problem with my VP 2001 diesel (in an MGC 27). Have not tried ether or WD40 yet (later today) but have tried keeping the stop lever pulled until cranking begun - supposedly an old trick, but it didn't work either. There is also a lever at the top of the motor with a label that shows using it with the hand crank. Does anyone know the purpose of this lever and how it relates to the stop lever? Are they both compression dumps?
I was told that this series of motor was difficult to cold start unless a very specific ritual was followed...unfortunately, they didn't tell me what the ritual was!
I would be grateful for any thoughts that might help.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Stop control?

Errr - you haven't left the stop control out have you? Failing memory tells me there's some 'trick' to starting Volvos involving tweaking the stop control, but puggered if I can remember what - a quick search here might reveal it.

 

[Stemar]

Re: Stop control?

Apologies for egg sucking lessons, but the following might be helpful:

The Volvo 200X series have a lever on the end of the rocker box on top of the engine. This is the decompressor. It opens the exhaust valves so the engine can be turned more easily. It should normally be in the horizontal position, lift to near vertical to decompress.

The stop cable is like a choke cable on a car (remember them?) It cuts off the fuel when pulled out. It also sets the cold start mechanism, which is perhaps where the idea of pulling it out before starting came from.

My 2003 has just had the valves done and seems to have good compression, 'cos it starts pretty well now, but I can turn it over with a ring spanner on the crankshaft end nut without the decompressor, so I wouldn't panic if you can do the same.

The cold start technique is to set the throttle at about 3/4 throttle (full won't hurt, but you want to be near it to throttle back quickly once the engine starts). Now pull out the stop control all the way and push it back in. This sets the cold start, which shoves extra fuel in when you crank the engine. Now turn the engine. When it starts, throttle back to about 1500 rpm for a few minutes until it warms up.

Before having the injectors serviced and the valve seats recut, my engine could take anything up to a minute of churning to start, now it barely has time for the oil pressure to come up before it goes.

Here's what I'd do with a stubborn engine:

Turn off the water if you engine's exhaust elbow is below the waterline. Mine's above, so I didn't bother.

1. Take the air filter off then lift the decompressor lever and turn the engine over on the starter whilst spraying WD40 into the manifold for several seconds.

Have a meal and a few pints while the WD 40 works on the rings.

Next day:

2. Turn the engine over for a few seconds with the decompressor open. This is to clear any excess WWD40 from the cylinder(s). If you don't do this, there's a remote chance that the engine might start to run on the WD40 which is a bad idea, 'cos you can't control it. If it does ever happen, the only way to stop the engine is to lift the decompressor lever.

3. Now slacken the big union (17mm nut with a pipe through it) on top of the injector and turn the engine again. If the decompressor is open, it will lighten the load on the starter. You should see fuel leaking from the union. Retighten the union.

4. If, after a few seconds( <10) you don't, slacken the bleed-off return union on top of the fuel filter at the front of the engine. It's a 10mm bolt that goes through a baby banjo union into a big banjo union. If fuel doesn't leak from this, look down to the right for the fuel lift pump, which is a tubby cylinder with a lever sticking out from underneath it. You should be able to push the lever down and it'll come back up on its own. If you can't push it down, or it won't come up on its own, it's probably because the cam that works it when the engine's running is in the wrong place, so turn the engine over about half a turn by hand until it behaves. Pump until fuel does come through (could be as many as 50 pumps)

5. If you don't get fuel coming through, but the pump pressurises (the stroke gets less and less until it hardly comes up at all), your engine fuel filter's blocked. if it wont pressurise, but you can't get fuel through, it's not the engine, it's a blockage in the fuel supply - filter, fuel turned off (got the t shirt for that one /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif ) crud in pipes or tank.

Once you've got fuel coming out of the bleed-off union, tighten it down and try 3 again. Now you know fuel is getting to the injector.

6. If it still won't start, I'd give it a little dose of Easy Start (Ether). Follow the instructions on the tin, which I think say to turn the engine and spray into the air intake. Stop spraying when the engine starts running. The small amount you'll be using won't do any damage. It should keep running. Check your mooring lines and run at half speed, in gear for half an hour and everything should be OK. (don't forget to put the air filter back on)

7If it still won't start, it's time to get into mre serious stuff, and you may need help. (workshop manual here take the rocker box off (from memory, the decompressor lever just pulls off, but if it doesn't want to, it is possible to fiddle the box off with it still in place) Turn the engine over by hand and make sure the valves are opening and closing properly. If one is stuck open, it'll be obvious. Take the rocker shaft off, making sure you don't lift the pushrods out their cam followers. and give the recalcitrant valve a gentle tap with a hammer. If that doesn't free it, tap a little harder, but don't go mad, 'cos you don't want to bend the valve stem or you'll really be in bother. If you can't free it, it's a head off job. Regrind the valves and have the injector(s) serviced while you're doing it. When you put the rocker shaft back on, you' ll have to adjust the valve clearances, and if you've had the head off and valve seats reground as I did, you may need to increase the clearance on the decompressor shaft with a file and a lot of time, or an angle grinder

About the only other thing left if it still won't go is the injector(s). Getting them out can be a bit of a pig, but it's worth a try. Soak the injector in WD 40 and leave for 24 hours to help free it up. Turn off the fuel and disconnect and remove the two pipes connected to each injector. The injector is held in by a heavy "fork" that presses it into place. Undo the nut that holds this. With a bit of luck the stud will come out with the nut, so you can remove the fork.

Now get some molegrips on the injector (careful not to damage the seating of the bleed-off union on the side) and apply a twisting force back and forward until the injector starts to move. Now jiggle it out and take it to be tested. If it won't come out, don't get too rough with it or you may dislodge the copper sleeve it lives in, which will let water into the cylinder and means the head has to come off ASAP. If it won't budge, take the head off and take the whole thing to a mechanic who has the proper tools.

When you put he injector back in, use new washers on the bleed-offs and don't overtighten them they only need to be nipped up. Stripping the thread on the injector will cause emotions which are best avoided...

 

[areid12]

hi, i have a volvo penta 2010, it starts ok, lwo compression could be due to the oil drainign out of the piston rings, onece u have it going the compression will come back.

pouring in a little oil should fix it.

oh yeh, ive got glow plugs which i switch on (double trow switch) for 5-10 secs, fires 1st time with them.

 

[mjm6]

Hope I don't tell granny etc, but one more thing to check might be the state of the diesel itself. We bought a boat that had been ashore for four months, at the end of which the diesel was gunged up with algae. This had fed through the fuel system and required the whole thing to be washed out and the tank to be removed and pressure washed. Fortunately the vendor paid (nearly £1k). Needless to say, every time we refill, in goes some of the magic biocide. It costs a bomb but if (a) you don't burn much fuel and (b) it works, it is worth it.
Good luck.