Volvo Penta MD2020 dumped all coolant in bilge under engine

[TimfromMersea]

My 2002 Beneteau Oceanis 281 has a Volvo Penta MD2020. I bought the boat new, and for the first seven or eight years I had the Volvo dealer service the engine every year, including winterising and spring recommissioning, then I used a local highly regarded ‘one man band’ marine engineer to do the same jobs.

On Monday last we found the bilge full of green coolant after our sail. The engine did not overheat and in fact we thought it might be running cooler than normal, as the domestic hot water from the calorifier was not as hot as it usually gets. The engine had clearly dumped all its coolant.

I’m a lawyer, not an engineer…….so I asked the marine engineer we use to take a look. He found that the cooling system was still full, so we think that raw salt water has got into the system somehow - he says most likely through a leak in the heat exchanger letting raw water into the cooling system.

He has dismantled the heat exchanger and taken the core off to pressure test it, which he believes may find the leak,

My concern is that the VP website seems to say that a new core for that engine is not available any more, and ‘has been replaced by a different part’. Might I have to buy a whole new heat exchanger, at VP’s legendarily expensive spares prices? In which case it won’t be worth it on a 22 year old engine, I might as well have a new engine fitted, which will then do for me until I’m in my box (I’m 70 this year……)

Am I misreading the website, and a new heat exchanger core is in fact available?

The marine engineer says they can be repaired sometimes. Does anyone please know a firm that can repair them?

Thanks!

 

[Beneteau381]

My 2002 Beneteau Oceanis 281 has a Volvo Penta MD2020. I bought the boat new, and for the first seven or eight years I had the Volvo dealer service the engine every year, including winterising and spring recommissioning, then I used a local highly regarded ‘one man band’ marine engineer to do the same jobs.

On Monday last we found the bilge full of green coolant after our sail. The engine did not overheat and in fact we thought it might be running cooler than normal, as the domestic hot water from the calorifier was not as hot as it usually gets. The engine had clearly dumped all its coolant.

I’m a lawyer, not an engineer…….so I asked the marine engineer we use to take a look. He found that the cooling system was still full, so we think that raw salt water has got into the system somehow - he says most likely through a leak in the heat exchanger letting raw water into the cooling system.

He has dismantled the heat exchanger and taken the core off to pressure test it, which he believes may find the leak,

My concern is that the VP website seems to say that a new calorifier core for that engine is not available any more, and ‘has been replaced by a different part’. Might I have to buy a whole new calorifier, at VP’s legendarily expensive spares prices? In which case it won’t be worth it on a 22 year old engine, I might as well have a new engine fitted, which will then do for me until I’m in my box (I’m 70 this year……)

Am I misreading the website, and a new heat exchanger core is in fact available?

The marine engineer says they can be repaired sometimes. Does anyone please know a firm that can repair them?

Thanks!

I had a similar issue on a 2030 belonging to a friend here in Portugal, did an article for PBO, the exhaust elbow gets blocked, the raw water can’t get out freely, it pressurises the top hats at each end of the intercooler. They then pass sea water under pressure into the fresh water system past the jubilee clips squeeze points. The pressure cap then unloads in to the bilges! Get him to take the exhaust bend off and clean, more likely you will need a new one, get a stainless one from parts4engines, job done. PM me with your email address, will send you the article

 

[Beneteau381]

I had a similar issue on a 2030 belonging to a friend here in Portugal, did an article for PBO, the exhaust elbow gets blocked, the raw water can’t get out freely, it pressurises the top hats at each end of the intercooler. They then pass sea water under pressure into the fresh water system past the jubilee clips squeeze points. The pressure cap then unloads in to the bilges! Get him to take the exhaust bend off and clean, more likely you will need a new one, get a stainless one from parts4engines, job done. PM me with your email address, will send you the article.

 

[Beneteau381]

My 2002 Beneteau Oceanis 281 has a Volvo Penta MD2020. I bought the boat new, and for the first seven or eight years I had the Volvo dealer service the engine every year, including winterising and spring recommissioning, then I used a local highly regarded ‘one man band’ marine engineer to do the same jobs.

On Monday last we found the bilge full of green coolant after our sail. The engine did not overheat and in fact we thought it might be running cooler than normal, as the domestic hot water from the calorifier was not as hot as it usually gets. The engine had clearly dumped all its coolant.

I’m a lawyer, not an engineer…….so I asked the marine engineer we use to take a look. He found that the cooling system was still full, so we think that raw salt water has got into the system somehow - he says most likely through a leak in the heat exchanger letting raw water into the cooling system.

He has dismantled the heat exchanger and taken the core off to pressure test it, which he believes may find the leak,

My concern is that the VP website seems to say that a new calorifier core for that engine is not available any more, and ‘has been replaced by a different part’. Might I have to buy a whole new calorifier, at VP’s legendarily expensive spares prices? In which case it won’t be worth it on a 22 year old engine, I might as well have a new engine fitted, which will then do for me until I’m in my box (I’m 70 this year……)

Am I misreading the website, and a new heat exchanger core is in fact available?

The marine engineer says they can be repaired sometimes. Does anyone please know a firm that can repair them?

Thanks!

Here it is Fixing boat engine cooling system problems - Practical Boat Owner

 

[TimfromMersea]

Thanks! I’ll pass that on

 

[nevis768]

I had the issue with the pressure cap overflow downloading into the bilges, and it was a blocked exhaust elbow, but that meant the there was no raw water coming out the exhaust, and would have caused overheating had I continued, but noticed it and stopped the engine immediately. I don't see how your coolant can be in the bilges, with your other statement that the coolant was still full, one rules the other out. It can't be in the bilges and in the engine, engine level must be down considerably. If you ring FYB or parts for engines they will tell you if the parts are available, both very helpful.

 

[TimfromMersea]

The cooling system is now full of raw sea water, which has pushed out the coolant

 

[nevis768]

I see, the leaking heat exchanger, fortunately mine didn't do that, I will remember for future, but hope I don't get that....

 

[Beneteau381]

I had the issue with the pressure cap overflow downloading into the bilges, and it was a blocked exhaust elbow, but that meant the there was no raw water coming out the exhaust, and would have caused overheating had I continued, but noticed it and stopped the engine immediately. I don't see how your coolant can be in the bilges, with your other statement that the coolant was still full, one rules the other out. It can't be in the bilges and in the engine, engine level must be down considerably. If you ring FYB or parts for engines they will tell you if the parts are available, both very helpful.

Read the article I linked to. The raw water pressurises the cooling system and blows the mixed coolant out through the rad cap

 

[tillergirl]

If a new core is needed, might be worth a call to Marine Enterprises Ltd. Dorcester. They do parts for the Volvo and the Perkins (The Perkins is the same engine and I think has a identical heat exchanger).

If the heat exchanger was cleaned over the winter, it is critical to properly re-fit the rubber gaiters to keep the two systems apart.

A 22yr old 2020 well maintained is not old! It's a Perkins engine!!

 

[Beneteau381]

I see, the leaking heat exchanger, fortunately mine didn't do that, I will remember for future, but hope I don't get that....

He hasnt got a leaking intercooler

If a new core is needed, might be worth a call to Marine Enterprises Ltd. Dorcester. They do parts for the Volvo and the Perkins (The Perkins is the same engine and I think has a identical heat exchanger).

If the heat exchanger was cleaned over the winter, it is critical to properly re-fit the rubber gaiters to keep the two systems apart.

A 22yr old 2020 well maintained is not old! It's a Perkins engine!!

read the article, its a blocked exhaust elbow that causes this

 

[tillergirl]

I agree it could be a blocked elbow ..... which can cause the leak of the intercooler.

 

[TimfromMersea]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

However I had a new exhaust outlet elbow fitted for the launch in April 2022, so I don’t think it’s likely to be the same problem as was mentioned in the article.

Any other ideas, please?

 

[38mess]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

However I had a new exhaust outlet elbow fitted for the launch in April 2022, so I don’t think it’s likely to be the same problem as was mentioned in the article.

Any other ideas, please?

Head gasket?

 

[VicS]

Head gasket?

Head gasket failure wont lead to the cooling system full of sea water.

 

[VicS]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

However I had a new exhaust outlet elbow fitted for the launch in April 2022, so I don’t think it’s likely to be the same problem as was mentioned in the article.

Any other ideas, please?

Nevertheless check the elbow and the connection between it and the HE.

AFAICS the only way seawater can be forced through leaking end caps or leaking HE tube to overpressurise the cooling system sufficiently to displace all the coolant is if the outlet from the HE is severely restricted,

 

[Ammonite]

A blocked elbow does sound like the most likely cause, however do you have a calorifier fitted / are you sure it's saltwater that is now in the block rather than fresh mixed with antifreeze? If the coolant is continually brimmed by either a raw water leak (blocked elbow or leaking stack) or fresh water leak in the calorifier, and you don't have a coolant expansion tank, it will dump a steady stream of coolant into the bilge via the HE cap. Without an expansion tank the coolant needs to be maintained a cm or two below the base of the neck for this not to happen.

 

[TimfromMersea]

If there was a fresh water leak from the calorifier surely the fresh water pressure system would not pressurise, and the pressure pump would run continuously? But the fresh water system comes up to pressure in a few seconds then the pump shuts down - so I don’t think it’s that…….

 

[johnphilip]

Good morning, I too had an issue after seawater got into thecoolant side on our MD2020. Having removed the heat exchanger and on the marine engineers recommendation I took it to Sheldrake and Wells in Ipswich.
About us - Sheldrake & Wells Not that far from Mersea. They were able to clear the scale to release the core and fully test it, fortunately found it to be intact. They seemed to know their stuff on repairs

 

[Ammonite]

If there was a fresh water leak from the calorifier surely the fresh water pressure system would not pressurise, and the pressure pump would run continuously? But the fresh water system comes up to pressure in a few seconds then the pump shuts down - so I don’t think it’s that…….

True. The pump would have to run at least intermittently when the engine was running, which isn't always easy to hear over the engine, but may operate normally when the engine isn't running i.e. it requires the brimmed coolant to expand with the heat of the engine to force it out of the HE cap, depending on the relative settings of the cap, pump etc and the pump only kicks in when the pressure is released thereby topping up the coolant again. However, if the pump is only operating when you operate a tap and not at any other time I think you can safely rule out the calorifier.