Newf
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2014
- Messages
- 320
- Fluid Motion Model
- R-21 EC
- Vessel Name
- Saltwater Joy
This should be of interest to those who have the Volvo Penta D1-30 engine. While researching other boating forums after discovering a problem with my heat exchanger (noted in a different post), I found that there has been ongoing issues with the o-ring in the end cover over the heat exchanger core for several years now. Apparently this also applies to other Volvo Penta engine models with the same style of exchanger. The o-ring in the end cover has been known to allow sea water to leak past it and corrode the casting to a point where it can get past a second o-ring and contaminate the glycol.
From what I can determine, in some cases (like mine) there are no early warning signs of this occurring unless you pull off the end cover to expose the end of the core and clean the face of exchanger for inspection. You can pull the exhaust elbow and look in through the discharge nozzle on the end cover but you cannot see the casting face as it's sealed off by the o-ring. I read reports where one guy had leakage resulting in corrosion at less than 400hrs and another guy had a leak at 30 hrs.
One post noted that they had contacted Volvo-Penta and they basically told him that salt water is a corrosive environment and have done nothing to solve what appears to be a design issue.
As was the case with the guy that had the issue at 400 hrs, my first sign of something wrong was a salt mixture oozing out round the end cover. (1400 hrs) Unfortunately for me, by that time it was too late. Photo's in my album.
This post is just another heads up for those of you that have commented about doing a flush to remove salt build-up etc from your cooling system. This will not address this particular issue and the flushing will not clean any build-up between the two o-rings at the back of the exchanger. The only way to inspect this or clean any build=up is to pull the cover off. Hopefully no one has this issue but if you are getting a few hundred hours in the salt chuck it may be worth a look. Don't rely on regular flushing and good flow out of the exhaust as a sign that things are OK. It's unfortunate that Volvo-Penta has chosen to ignore this and not come up with a better sealing mechanism.
Sorry for another post on this topic but just trying to inform other owners of this issue. Around 2K for a replacement if it gets past a repairable condition.
From what I can determine, in some cases (like mine) there are no early warning signs of this occurring unless you pull off the end cover to expose the end of the core and clean the face of exchanger for inspection. You can pull the exhaust elbow and look in through the discharge nozzle on the end cover but you cannot see the casting face as it's sealed off by the o-ring. I read reports where one guy had leakage resulting in corrosion at less than 400hrs and another guy had a leak at 30 hrs.
One post noted that they had contacted Volvo-Penta and they basically told him that salt water is a corrosive environment and have done nothing to solve what appears to be a design issue.
As was the case with the guy that had the issue at 400 hrs, my first sign of something wrong was a salt mixture oozing out round the end cover. (1400 hrs) Unfortunately for me, by that time it was too late. Photo's in my album.
This post is just another heads up for those of you that have commented about doing a flush to remove salt build-up etc from your cooling system. This will not address this particular issue and the flushing will not clean any build-up between the two o-rings at the back of the exchanger. The only way to inspect this or clean any build=up is to pull the cover off. Hopefully no one has this issue but if you are getting a few hundred hours in the salt chuck it may be worth a look. Don't rely on regular flushing and good flow out of the exhaust as a sign that things are OK. It's unfortunate that Volvo-Penta has chosen to ignore this and not come up with a better sealing mechanism.
Sorry for another post on this topic but just trying to inform other owners of this issue. Around 2K for a replacement if it gets past a repairable condition.
