Volvo

[tico]

Can anyone tell me why, given the universal bad feeling towards Volvo for their extortionate spares pricing and lack of customer service, that they have the huge advert showing whenever I try to get to anywhere on ybw.
Is this a case of commercialism overcoming integrity??

 

[Col]

Where do you think the money comes from for the ads?
Yep thats right!

 

[Guest]

They are continuing to throw money at their boring RACE. World interest among public and yachtsmen is negligible and they have recently postponed any announcement about the future.
One informed observer recently commented ' What a sad and extravagant waste of sponsorship funds'.

 

[oldgit]

Wanted to buy 1 spark plug Volvo b........s would only sell set of 6.Nipped round to Mercury dealer who gave me a spark plug for free.

 

[ArthurWood]

Re: Sparkplugs

Why go to a marine supplier for plugs?

 

[tripleace]

Why don't we try and unite this year and take on Volvo!

Thoughts:

Mass email campaign to DB marine or even Volvo direct


www.cleverdic.co.uk

 

[oldgit]

Re: Sparkplugs

Ahh well arthur.As I could not be bothered to grovel around the bilgy type place to remove a second plug to read the plug type number I thort I would just go( in flash the cash in rich boat owner type way money no object) and buy new plug with out regard to cost etc.
Ps most normal type places do not stock resistive plugs.
PPS.Its 8c here.So there.

 

[ArthurWood]

Re: Sparkplugs

Oldgit - I'm impressed by your cavalier attitude towards your money. Hope you got the right plug. I was reminded of the time a short while back when I changed the plugs in my SAAB for platinum tipped ones and was made aware of resistive vs non-resistive. The car ran fine, but its engine mgmnt computer kept giving me error messages.
AW
p.s. and its 23c at 10.30am, going to 30c today, so there!
and I have to continue to work on my port engine: have spark, have liquid in carb, but won't start. Could it be H2O in fuel, I ask, as we had very, very heavy dew in last few days and tanks are <1/4 full. Hesitate to call in bloke at $85/hr when I think it's something I should be able to fix by myself, even though my education is in chemistry and management!! Next step, fuel crossover from stb tank.

 

[longjohnsilver]

Re: Sparkplugs

Just get on with it Arthur, it's taken weeks to get down to it, retirement and the heat must be slowing you down!!!! ;-))

 

[Geoffs]

Weather

Cor 30 deg.! It's been F8/9 in UK today with rain lashing down all day.

 

[Col]

Re: Sparkplugs

Arthur, Have you tried removing air filter/flame arrestor, dribbling half an egg cup full of fresh petrol straight down carb intake?
Replace filter, crank engine, if it fires, you have a fuel/carb problem.If not, probably electrical. Is spark quite strong at end of plug lead?
Let us know what you find.

 

[ArthurWood]

Re: Sparkplugs

Hey LJS, you're confused (too much scrumpy?) as I've only had this prob since last Sun. But I am slow. In retirement you will soon learn that you don't do everything today because ther'll be nothing to do tomorrow

 

[ArthurWood]

Re: England

Well, as our NZ friend, Chippie described me the other day:
I'll fight for England, I'll die for England, but I won't live there!

 

[ArthurWood]

Re: Sparkplugs

Thanks Col - I took the flame arrestor off yesterday and when the throttle was pumped, liquid squirted down the venturi, but on thinking about it later, there wasn't much of a petrol smell, so I'm wondering if there was water in it. Certainly the spark was strong on the one plug I tested. We had done a 100nm trip only a week before, and the boat ran like new, so I wonder if it's condensation in the fuel. Stb engine is fine, so I'll first try switching tanks and let you know.
Afterthought: when I first tried to start it when the prob orig occurred it backfired and was dead after that. Could it have been timing belt/chain jumped? I'll just take a stroll down and take a another look.

 

[Col]

Re: no starting

If timing belt/chain jumps, you usually can hear a different sound when engine being cranked, sometimes like no compression ( engine doesn't have that familiar wur-wur-wur-wur-wur )

 

[KevB]

It's seems the magazines/dealers are scared to say anything against the big marine manufacturers for fear of reprisals. It's obvious there not publicly going to say they’re $hit that would be like biting the hand that feeds you.

As for Volvo it seems universally known that they are generally unreliable and expensive but does anyone influential (boating magazines) hi light this? - Course not, too scared.

I have said this elsewhere but it's about time there was boating publication/organisation that wasn't in the pockets of the marine industry. Reading boat reports in mags is almost like reading the manufacturers clossy brochures. All IMHO of course.

An analogy would be if ford produced a car engine which regularly broke down, how long do you think it would be before the AA/RAC/what car were publicly on their case? Not long.

I guess the best place to start a campaign would be with the RYA but doubt if they would be bothered, as we don’t have big white things to catch the wind and move our boats along.

Oh well.

 

[ArthurWood]

Re: Timing belt

Well, it isn't water in the fuel, but it does sound like no compression, ie the starter sounds like it's spinning too freely,come to think of it. Think I'll call a mechanic bloke on Monday. Off to the local bar for fish & chips and Boddies by the water, now.
Thanks again.

 

[Scubadoo]

And the thing that got me while watching the Ocean racing Sat afternoon - just before the commerical break you would see the words - Volvo is for Life (and so are problems).

RM.