Installing low-speed controller for D4 300 HP engine

Subject: Installing low-speed controller for D4 300 HP engine

This is an option I guess I should have asked for during my boat's assembly.... However, it can be installed later as I found out today.

Here's what I've found to have this low-speed feature added to my R29 CB's Volvo Penta D4 300 HP engine.

1) Called Mark at La Conner Maritime and got the info from him.

2) Estimated cost: $4500 to $5000.

3) It takes about 6 to 7 hrs overall to add the low-speed controller which includes taking boat out on water to check things.

4) Can be done in a day. Current schedule for doing this is about 4 weeks out or less.

5) Would need to go up one day and stay overnight at La Conner marina and next morning Mark comes to boat to install.

6) Requires HW & SW - HW cost is $900, SW from Volvo cost $1800. All can be done in the engine bay with boat in the water.

7) Labor time at $95/hr so this would be around $665.

8) $900 + $1800 + $665 = $3,365 (so I assume the extra to reach to $4,500 to $5,000 must be for mark up and profit margin)

9) If using CC for payment there's a 2.6% fee levied.

10) To start the process need to send/Email to Mark: My Engine Serial Number, Phone #, and Billing address.

I will either schedule this over next few weeks or wait until later in the year.

Has anyone else done this as I've outlined above ? If so, how successful was it either +ive or -ive comments welcomed.... and what was your cost ? (PM this to me if you wish).

Thank you. 🙂

baz":12i5rdz4 said:

7) Labor time at $95/hr so this would be around $665.

Click to expand...

Dang, Labor costs around here vary between $125/hr and $185/hr. I wish I could find a quality shop for $95/hr.

Talking with my dock buddies that have many years fishing for Salmon and Ling Cod I was told "Barry, just do it... best investment you can make for fishing." So if I move forward with this engine low-speed feature I will need to have beans on toast for a few weeks and put Jake on half-rations. :lol:

I also think this is a better solution than opting for a small kicker motor installed on the swim step.

I've since chatted with Mark at La Conner Maritime and my estimated cost of $3,365 is what he agrees with. His original estimate is high but Mark indicated he always quotes high to begin with.

Thus if pmt made using a CC my new estimate will be

$3,365 + 10.3% Sales tax + 2.6% CC fee = $3,365+$347+$88 ~= $3,800. Plus of course the expense for taking boat to La Conner and back, and spending one night at the La Conner marina. So a reasonable round number for having this low-speed controller installed would be $4,000.

As an aside taken from http://dragonenginestore.com/products.php?product=Volvo-Penta-D4%2d300-Marine-diesel-engine-300-hp

...and a videos here ->
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nrJ1Z_Y-SU
https://vimeo.com/234702361 (IMO a good video)

EVC/EC – Plug and go

EVC Electronic Vessel Control is the latest development in engine control and instrumentation for Volvo Penta marine engines. It offers a higher level of integration in your boat: electronic shift and throttle for smooth and safe control, a complete range of easy to read data link gauges, an EVC System Display (option) and much more, everything in just one CAN cable. EVC makes boating easier and safer with twin engine synchronization and new software functions such as Volvo Penta Low Speed (option), which signifi cantly reduces boat speed at idle to simplify maneuvering in tight quarters.

...and more here -> https://www.volvopenta.us/marinelei...ering-inboard-shaft-mb-ml/low-speed-mode.html

THROTTLE/GEAR LEVER CONTROL
With the Low‐speed Mode, the throttle/gear lever is used to control the boat’s speed. In the first 12 degrees of the lever movement, the engine will remain at idle and the boat’s speed is reduced by a slip in the transmission. The slip is from 50% to full engagement and when the lever is pushed further, the gearbox is fully engaged. The throttle is increased and the speed can be controlled with the engine rpm.

With the Volvo Low-Speed installation the boat can be moved as low as around 2 kts or slightly less.

I hadn't noticed before that there's a button labeled "Low Speed" already on the engine throttle's base in bottom left on both the helm and Command Bridge. 🙂 ...and of course does nothing if depressed until the HW & SW for the low speed feature has been installed.

Still waiting for inputs from others that have this "Low Speed" feature enabled on their boat.

Our boat is a c28 with the D4-260. It came with the low speed mode active. I have not tried to fish with it yet, but when the "low speed" switch is pressed, a message appears on the Volvo display saying Low Speed is active. It can only be engaged when the transmission is in neutral. The idle speed drops from around 3 knots to 1.5 or so. Great for docking!

I can't add much more as we haven't had many trips yet.

I haven't a clue what hardware is needed. I assume the software is simply installed into the engine computer, but I haven't any experience in any of this.

I would love someone to provide the interface info between Volvo and Garmin...

Good Luck,
Glenn

Glenn: I will have much more details surrounding this Low Speed mode when I have mine installed. What I do know about this at this time is that software for the engine and hardware for the engine is required. The software from Volvo cost around $1,800 and the hardware cost around $900. I'm told Volvo is VERY proud of its software for this Low Speed feature. 😉 :roll: Also the estimated labor time for installing is around 6 hours or so (includes time on the water checking the Low Speed operation).

I've tried trolling for Salmon using down rigger and find without the Low Speed feature my boat travels too fast at around 3 to 4 kts when throttle is set to the first fwd detent. This speed will in most cases cause the line to be released from the 'gripper' due to too much drag caused by the flasher. This is evident from the rod's line angle going from close to vertical to one that starts to approach the water's surface and of course retrieving the line eventually with no catch to be seen. :roll:

I'm waiting for a schedule for the Low Speed to be installed by my Volvo shop. They will likely require a deposit to start ordering the 'stuff' from Volvo on my behalf. I expect to have this work done sometime in next 3 weeks.

I'm scheduled for this Low-Speed installation late next week at the La Conner Maritime facility. I plonked my deposit down for this today. 😀

I will go up to Cap Sante to meet up with the 2nd Annual "The Last Hoorah" boaters and then afterwards back track to La Conner to have the installation done. The Port of Skagit is having its marina dredged so staying there maybe problematic though. La Conner Maritime has two slips so hope they can fit me in there if Skagit fully booked.

I found this bit of information yesterday on the Low Speed feature/installation.

What does this mean…. Found at http://www.fybmarine.co.uk/PDF/Low-Speed.pdf

Do I have choices for the 25% to 75%, and if so what do others advise who have this Low Speed feature ?

Quoted from the above PDF file ref.
"Adjust the angles and slip

Your Volvo Penta dealer can, using a Vodia tool, help you adjust both angles where you control the clutch and the slip reduction from minimum 25% to maximum 75%. This function gives you an improved maneuverability. "

Thanks... 🙂

I was at the La Conner Port of Skagit marina yesterday to have my Low Speed software/hardware installed by the La Conner Maritime Services.

When I arrived I informed La Conner Maritime Services I was at the marina and they in turn sent two technicians to perform the work. In meantime the engine hatch should be opened to allow the engine to cool down so the technicians did not have to deal with a hot engine etc.

So far so good. The technicians arrived, checked the engine's serial number against the software they had downloaded (the software is specific to an engine's serial number and will not load if there's a discrepancy; a good sanity check IMO).

Now one of the technicians with long arms lay down on the engine to access the output shafts plate that a special wheel (named - Reluctance wheel) was to be attached. The plate was secured by 4 stud/nuts.

A question now arose because the the Reluctance wheel had 6 holes. The technicians now became a bit concerned that Volvo had sent them the wrong hardware kit. The Reluctance wheel is not a complete wheel; it's in two halfs as it has the be bolted down around the prop shaft. See photo album referenced below.

It turned out that none of the 6 holes in the Reluctance wheel aligned with the 4 bolt studs on my engine..... bummer.

No matter, the Low Speed software could be downloaded to the engine's ECU and not be active until calibrated when all the hardware installed. This was done and the download took just 5 seconds.... (an expensive software download at some $360/second :lol: ).

Technicians told me that Volvo never charged for these type accessory installation some years back, but now thinking they are a good revenue stream for such things, have started to charge the customer 😱 😉 . BTW... the software is developed by the Volvo trucking company and that the Volvo trucking company and the Volvo marine company are closely aligned with each other.

So what to do was the next question ? There were several approaches for dealing with this... and I post the approach we agreed on.

It was decided to check back with Volvo as the La Conner Maritime Services had followed the correct protocol for ordering the hardware. The ordering system had to be at fault and Volvo certainly should review this aspect and correct the provided online ordering system for the Low Speed hardware kit for specific engine serial numbers.

La Conner Maritime Services told me this error was not my fault nor theirs, but a Volvo issue. They will reorder the Low Speed hardware and ensure it is correct and work with Volvo to correct their ordering system data. They will not require me to come back to La Conner, but instead will send the two technicians to my Port of Edmonds next week with the correct hardware, install it on my boat while in its slip and sea trial the Low Speed software/hardware for being correct etc. This will be at zero cost to me. IMO, La Conner Maritime Services adopted the right approach for the customer.... jolly good, and I commend them for taking this action.

While this was a real bummer for me I guess I had to accept the situation even though I was anxious to go out fishing trolling for Salmon ASAP this week.

Here are a few words explaining the operation of the Reluctance wheel...

This wheel is bolted to the output shafts coupling plate that has 4 bolt studs. As wheel rotates with the prop shaft a small black device (see photo that shows this small pulse pickup device) picks up pulses from the Reluctance plate's tooths and the low speed engine software computes the shaft's RPMs. Using this information the engine's software controls the shaft/props rotation for low speed below the normal idle 700 RPM.

Unfortunately this wheel had 6 holes and my engine had only 4 bolt studs for it and was determined that Volvo sent the wrong hardware kit.

I managed to snap off a few photos and share them here -> https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B1A5qsTcwP8u58

When the correct hardware is installed next week I will have all the Volvo instructions and the Low Speed information that accompanies the Low Speed software/hardware kit so can post additional details on how the feature is intended to work.

Today Scotty from La Conner Maritime Services arrive at my Port of Edmonds and did the final install for my engine's Low Speed feature.

Summary:
Time to install the hardware, calibrate the software, configure the various user settable settings via computer laptop for the throttle engagement, dry testing things at the slip while stern tied down securely when engaging forward throttle and two sea trials was 4 hrs.

It works.... :lol: Lowest speed with Auto pilot holding a heading (slack tide, wind at 6 mph, calm seas) was around 1.5 kts. Any slower than 1.5 kts the Auto pilot struggled holding the heading and issued warning msg that flashed up a few times indicating the Auto pilot's pump was stalled. The highest speed achieved while the engine was in Low Speed mode was around 3.2 kts. Beyond the Low Speed throttle setting/range the transition to normal throttle use was seamless with no sudden increase in engine RPM. Scotty was concerned that the transition from the Low Speed range to normal Throttle use might cause a sudden and uncomfortable RPM increase; this did not happen.

Details:
Firstly, the way the Low Speed feature works is quite simple. Basically, the rotational speed (RPM) of the prop shaft is controlled by a hydraulic set of valves that controls the amount of pressure the output clutch plate/disc is applied to the engine's output clutch plate disc. The slower speed is achieved by applying less pressure between the two clutch plates and more pressure for faster speeds, up to the point when full pressure is applied to cause no slippage between the two clutch plates. My engine has around a 2:1 ratio meaning the engine RPM are twice that of the prop shaft RPM. The normal idle engine RPM is 700. When the Low Speed mode is engaged (via a button on the throttle base with the engine in neutral) and then moving the throttle lever forward past it's first indent the prop shaft can be lowered from 350 to around 100 (my estimate and could be more or less). As the throttle lever is pushed further forward the hydraulic valve(s) increase the pressure between the two clutch pad discs to raise the prop shaft RPM up to the 350 level. Pushing the throttle further forward disengages the Low Speed mode and from this point on the engine's RPM can be raised all the way up to 3650 as desired.

After Scotty installed the hardware (the two-piece Reluctance plate/ring and the magnetic pulse pickup component that was set to be around .5 mm from the Reluctance plate's teeth), Scotty manually turned the prop shaft to ensure the Reluctance plate/ring was properly centered and none of its teeth rubbed/collided with the magnetic pulse pickup device. The 'pulses' are created by the teeth as they pass by the magnetic pulse pickup. These pulses are communicated to the Low Speed's software in the engine's EVC computer so it is aware of the prop shaft's RPM.

At this point Scotty wanted to do a sea trial to ensure the Low Speed operated as claimed by Volvo.

As an aside, before the sea trial started we had some engine alarms going off which took Scotty some time getting a grip on. The engine alarm for 'water in the fuel' was sounding and no matter what Scotty did trying to deactivate it and clearing the recorded error codes in the engine's software, the alarm persisted. Scotty thought the sensor for the water in fuel had faulted or that there was water in the fuel. Scotty release the sensor from the base of the secondary fuel filer to check for water and none was found. So Scotty was thinking the sensor was bad or had a transient error issue. Bad news, as Scotty did not have a spare sensor on hand. What to do ? It was decided to continue on with the sea trail.

We got out onto the water and started to employ the Low Speed feature. By golly, it had no affect on the boat's speed. Hmmmm, what to do ???? No matter what we did the Low Speed feature was not doing what we expected, even though the Volvo engine display indicated it was engaged. Scotty, then admitted that he had forgotten to calibrate and configure the Low Speed software he had previously installed a week ago when the boat was up at La Conner. Basically, the engine's EVC computer had no clue it had the software installed. (ha ha) 😱 So it was back to port so Scotty could grab his laptop from his parked van.

Back at the slip, Scotty fired up the laptop, connected to the engine's VODIA (Volvo's Diagnotic application) port and started the software calibration and most importantly the settings for Low Speed feature. Of course there are default settings but one of which controls the amount of speed the Low Speed software will allow. The default was 10% which Scotty thought would allow a decent low speed to be delivered. We tested this by securing the boat's stern to the dock, engaging Low Speed with throttle in neutral, and pushing the throttle to the first indent and a bit further in increments while Scotty observed the prop shaft's rotation. With this 10% setting there was not much reduction to the prop shafts rotation speed.... Hmmmmm, so maybe the default 10% was insufficient and we decided to raise it to 70%. In short, this did the trick and we were both happy with the result.

Sometime while Scotty was adjusting the settings the laptop software indicated the power to the engine needed to be turned off and back on after a few seconds. This apparently was to allow the software setting that had been made to be 'burned' into the EVC's EPROM chip. This was done a couple of times.... and strange as it may sound, the 'water in fuel' alarm that was persisting throughout most of the activities so far stopped and never ever again disturbed us... a real gremlin if you ask me.... and looking at Scotty he felt the same way.... software can be finicky at times I guess. No matter, it was a relief to both of us that this alarm was now gone and were left with really not knowing why it messed with us in the first place. :?

So now we went out for the 2nd sea trial and this time we had success. It was possible to run the boat as low as 1.5 kts with Auto pilot engaged and holding a heading. At a lower speed the Autopilot struggled a bit and threw out 'Auto pilot pump stalled' msg at times. The max Low Speed was at around 3.2 kts as controlled with the throttle. Transitioning from the Low Speed throttle range/angle to normal throttle operation was smooth with no sudden RPM increase and the engine could be run up to WOT and 3650 RPM.

Both Scotty and I were in agreement the Low Speed feature was now operating as Volvo claimed it would, and headed back to home port.

All done in a 4 hr window... and Scotty and I were very happy. 😀 😀 😀

Photo album here... https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B1A5qsTcwP8u58

So the real test/benefit for this Low Speed investment will be if I now can catch my Salmon limit multiple times to cover the cost of having the Low Speed installed.... :lol: :roll:

One last thing: what is the maintenance aspects involved with having the Low Speed hardware/software ? I did ask Scotty about this and the response was... "basically no maintenance required." Also, one might ask what are the side affects of having Low Speed feature installed? Again, Scotty replied... "a little more heat will arise due to the clutch plate's combined friction slipping heat... but really no worry as the transmission is cooled to take care of that aspect, and that the clutch plate's wear maybe will be a bit higher.". I quizzed Scotty about running the engine at 700 RPM for extended periods while trolling for fish.... and Scotty additionally replied with some information that addresses another recent post elsewhere here about WOT being used at times and was it necessary ? Scotty said it was very useful to run at high RPM periodically to raise engine temperatures to 'burn off' oily/carbon residues in the Turbo conduit connections and the Turbo vanes as well as the charged air unit (the big finned green box hanging on the upper aft port side of the engine). The charge air unit has many small diameter tubes inside and the moist air mixed with some exhaust oily/smutty fumes will over time build up on the tube's outer surfaces and affect the ability to cool the charged air. Running at high RPM periodically will cause sufficient heat to be built up that will deal with these items and keep the residue build up to a minimum, allow the engine to run smoother, and provide a cleaner exhaust.

Scotty ended up saying, just wait until you have to deal with diesel engines having to have catalytic converters similar to what autos have today. A lot of engineering magic will and is needed to avoid clogging the converter and running a hot engine will be a necessity at times.

Berry, now that your ready for fishing with the low speed control on your boat! Please post how it works. A few pictures of some fish would verify that the money was well spent!
Bob

bob daily":365befb7 said:

Berry, now that your ready for fishing with the low speed control on your boat! Please post how it works. A few pictures of some fish would verify that the money was well spent!
Bob

Click to expand...

Now that's a challenge. :lol:

I've had some time to arrive at some form of calculation as to what the 70% setting signifies as set by Scotty using the VODIA application for the Low Speed application software.

If 70% represents the amount of clutch slippage from the fully engaged clutch that delivers 350 prop shaft RPM which propels the boat at around 4 kts GPS (as I've observed many times) then 70% slippage would mean the setting lowers the prop shaft to some 105 RPM (0.3 x 350) and the 4 kts GPS down to 1.2 kts GPS. This correlates closely to the observed lowest speed I was able to get to at the minimum Low Speed throttle setting just forward of the throttle's first detent position; the position that starts engaging the Low Speed mode. This assumes the prop's rotation and boat's speed has a linear relationship between 0 to 350 RPM. 😎

My Volvo Low Speed installation has been a great investment IMO. So far it has worked flawlessly. I can move the boat easily at 1 kt up to 3.5 kts GPS by using the Low Speed throttle movement.

To engage Low Speed the throttle needs to be in Neutral and then pressing the Low Speed button on the Throttle base - and a single beep is heard. Then moving the Throttle to its first forward detent. From this position moving the throttle slightly forward provides the low speed up to its max speed and then transition to normal throttle control. With the Low Speed button being activated the throttle acts as it did before Low Speed was installed.

To disengage Low Speed the throttle has to be moved to Neutral and the Low Speed button pressed and an indication it has been disabled is given to two quick beeps. The Low Speed setting, if engaged prior to switching the engine off, will be disabled when the engine is subsequently started - a good Volvo safety feature for the Low Speed feature IMO.

When the boat is in Low Speed mode the boat's wake appears as a gentle swirl without bubbling and imparts a sort of calmness just by looking and gazing at it. 🙂

There have been times when the displayed GPS speed is non zero but the ground speed is zero. Of course this is due to apposing wind, current/tide conditions. Without Low Speed being active this would be a rare event, but of course could happen in strong apposing currents regardless.

The one aspect when using the Link ow Speed with Auto pilot engaged to hold a heading can be problematic. If the boat's speed is so low (close to 1 to 1.5 kts), beam side swells being aggressive causing a lot of boat movement such as rocking side to side, then the Auto pilot's pump will stall. Presumably this is because the Auto pilot's ability to position the rudder correctly to hold the heading overloads the Auto pilot's software and rudder hits full lock at times in the struggle. The only recourse here is to speed up slightly and suffer a change in heading direction. The pump stall is clearly displayed on the Auto pilot's display and is accompanied with a growl-like noise from the pump. Apart from this the Auto pilot works very well with the Low Speed Mode and is a welcomed god-send when trolling solo.

Yesterday I put the Low Speed into full use for around 4 hrs with my two oldest grandchildren with me. It happened to be Derby Day for Coho Salmon (I was unaware of this). As we exited the Edmonds marina at around 7 AM there were hundreds of boats floating/drifting/trolling in front of us. I slowly navigated through them and proceeded to just north of Kingston as I was advised it was low tide (slack) and Salmon being lazy would be over on the Kinston side. :lol: This proved to be spot-on. The Sonar/Fish-finder display showed fish all over the place (which I've never seen before) for some 4 hrs trolling about.

We had success beyond my dreams. The kids were so excited (and so was I) when we caught our first Coho keeper.

Bob: A few photos here provides evidence of money well spent. 😀

https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B1AG5VpecABy93

Sounds like you are enjoying the mod. I was wondering, to enable low speed mode, there is a controlled slipping of the clutches to maintain the lower speed. Did Volvo give you any indication how much this might reduce the life of the clutches??

Obviously there will be more clutch wear with constant LS use but the life of clutch will be dependent onhow many hrs LS is used.

Mr. Berry Nice job! Great photos! I'm glad to see your money was well spent on the low speed trolling valve. And yes you have proof !
Now for the second down rigger, and extra poles, and all the extra fishing gear to keep those kids happy! Christmas presents?
Don't forget the butcher gloves (no cut ones) prior to teaching them how to clean there catch, just might save a finger or two.
Good luck and hope to see you all at the fish cleaning station one day. Bob

To wrap up this thread....

I've now been using the LowSpeed feature with great success. I can troll at 1 kt to 4 kts with ease. The low speed of around 1kt can at times be a challenge for the auto pilot holding a heading, especially in a following sea, but other than that it does a good job. I will at times use the auto pilot's soft buttons to change the heading to affect a zig-zag course at times or simply disengage the auto pilot and manually steer the boat around an area that the sonar displays fish all around me. 😀

My final cost for having this LowSpeed installed was $2800 including tax. This included all the hardware (HW) / Software (SW), labor, and a sea trial(s). The sea trial is a MUST as after doing it first time the boat trolled too fast at the lowest setting. We returned to the dock and the software was 'tweaked' (requires a laptop with proprietary Volvo software application and a proprietary Volvo connection to the engine) a bit and a 2nd sea trial done to see how well the 'tweaking' worked for me. It did work, and I accepted the final software configurations and had a handshake with the installer chap from La Conner Maritime Services who had traveled down from La Conner at zero cost to me.

For those having the Volvo LowSpeed installed at the factory I wonder if sea trials were made to your satisfaction ? If not, the only way to tweak the engine EVC software is by using a laptop and a proprietary connection to the engine, and this could be problematic for you to have this done at a later stage.

Pardon my ignorance, but what does HW and SW stand for?