Volvo D2-55C - considering options on what to do with it.

[skipperpete]

If the drive plate needs replacing the easiest path is OEM from Volvo but far from the least expensive, the other options are R&D, Vulkan, Sachs, all fairly good to excellent “ASAP” marine parts is one supplier as is PYI.
The gearbox ( depending on type) needs only an oil change, clean the magnetic plug and change the filter, check the input and output shafts for seal leakage and inspect the input spline for wear.
Pete.

[Jim Jones]

Originally Posted by warren2

I have a d2-75, same as yours but with a turbo. The exhaust elbow is very poor quality and I have replaced it 2 times. There is a company offering a stainless replacement and I would suggest you fit 1. Also carefully check the water circulation pump for salt crystals which are a sign of impending seal failure.

Hi Warren, I believe the D2-75 is the exact same block/bore size etc with D2-55 with the only difference being the turbo on the D2-75. They may be different pistons to take the extra stress from the turbo but I dont know that for sure on this engine.

I am going to get the stainless elbow. Looking for ways to stop the corrosion between the stainless and the aluminium - any ideas on that ?

[Jim Jones]

Originally Posted by more

yes possible, this engine you show is little expensive. ask authorized importer of perkins-CAT engine in your contry. bigest issue is number of teeth in water pump">raw water pump. you must also remove this teeth from your engine and install in new. our dealer in Croatia exact know what perkins block kit we need. always have 5 pices on stock. this block is made in +- 8 different factory Japan,USA,China with +- 100 different setup
before month this engine price be 3300€ with discount 55 horsopower

Do you have any part numbers of the the perkins block kit that we need?

As you say it is manufactured in a number of different places with lots of different setups. As was mentioned earlier some of these (replacement) engines may be governed and that would be a disaster.

You mention the teeth on the raw water pump. Is that on the pump itself or is the pump driven by a gear from the engine?

At 3300 euro it seems like a no brainer if it fits OK and all the marinized parts can be swapped over to the new block.

If you have any further information it would be gratefully received.

[Jim Jones]

Originally Posted by more

and you are wrong,
mayor difficulty problem is
electric panel special VP eletric box on engine
(solution this type engine dont need eletric pull extra wire from box to start engine on engine direct. If you dont know what wire on startr solenide make wire kit for emergency start engine.

second problem is heat exchanged body made in India ,on exit SS gasket ussualy eat Body of heat exchanger.
solution use exehaust liquid gasket and made aluminium gasket . if heat exschanger is damaged . weld aluminium layer on layer and rebulid this part.

Engine on charter boat last 8000-15000 hour without touch on engine block.
but must clean heat exschanger,service engine if something broke replace. (water pump,starter,

Thankfully on the D2-55C there is no special VP electric box.

Great idea on the heat exchanger - liquid gasket goo with an aluminium gasket - should be able to get one of those made somewhere in an industrial port city.

I totally agree on the 10,000+ hours on this block if looked after. However it all depends on its history - how did the owners treat it? Was it serviced religiously on 100Hrs? Did they motor for many hours at a time on 1200 rpm (thus lightly loading the engine for long periods at a time)? Did they maintain the heat exchanger regularly ?

I dont know any of this so assuming the worst. If its better then expected then thats a win. If its bad then I am ready for it.

[Stewie12]

Re I am going to get the stainless elbow. Looking for ways to stop the corrosion between the stainless and the aluminium - any ideas on that ?

I used to live on a aluminium boat and before we put on a fitting we would put in plastic rawl plugs for the SS screws and make a rubber gasket to islolate the fitting, or whatever, other wise the paint would bubble. For your exhaust you need a gasket material and bolts that are non conductive to prevent corrosion.

[Jim Jones]

Originally Posted by skipperpete

If the drive plate needs replacing the easiest path is OEM from Volvo but far from the least expensive, the other options are R&D, Vulkan, Sachs, all fairly good to excellent “ASAP” marine parts is one supplier as is PYI.
The gearbox ( depending on type) needs only an oil change, clean the magnetic plug and change the filter, check the input and output shafts for seal leakage and inspect the input spline for wear.
Pete.

pete when you say drive plate, is this something like a clutch plate? (I am not sure what the mechanism is that is used to be able to get the engine into and out of gear/reverse)

I hear you on the service of the gearbox. Are bearings in the gearbox something to be considered for replacement?

[Jim Jones]

Originally Posted by Stewie12

Re I am going to get the stainless elbow. Looking for ways to stop the corrosion between the stainless and the aluminium - any ideas on that ?

I used to live on a aluminium boat and before we put on a fitting we would put in plastic rawl plugs for the SS screws and make a rubber gasket to islolate the fitting, or whatever, other wise the paint would bubble. For your exhaust you need a gasket material and bolts that are non conductive to prevent corrosion.

There was a good suggestion about making an aluminium gasket for the elbow. Would aluminium bolts be up to the task for this job? I shouldn't think it would be impossible to track down aluminium bolts somewhere in the world and fly them in. My concern would be can they hold and maintain the torque needed over the long haul - exhaust temps are not easy to deal with.

[Jim Jones]

Originally Posted by more

yes possible, this engine you show is little expensive. ask authorized importer of perkins-CAT engine in your contry. bigest issue is number of teeth in raw water pump. you must also remove this teeth from your engine and install in new. our dealer in Croatia exact know what perkins block kit we need. always have 5 pices on stock. this block is made in +- 8 different factory Japan,USA,China with +- 100 different setup
before month this engine price be 3300€ with discount 55 horsopower

Looks like what you are seeing with your dealer in Croatia is the 404D-22 ...**NOT** the 404C-22

I can find no reference to the 404C-22 from the country Cat-Perkins maser distributor nor on the UK Perkins web site. Only thing I can find is the 404D-22

I think this is a little hairy - replacing a 404C-22 with a 404D-22 - what differences are there? Cant be identical engines because if so then why jump to a new D variant model ? Something has to be different.

[more]

Originally Posted by Jim Jones

I am going to get the stainless elbow. Looking for ways to stop the corrosion between the stainless and the aluminium - any ideas on that ?

yes use original elbow or prepare 5000€ for ne heat exchanger,

i see 100- destroyed heat exschanger by 5 gramm SS gasket,i can imagine couple kg SS to do.

no sit and think. bulid salt inside elbow be hapen on SS,plastic,aluminium any material. and you must simple change this part evry 500-1000 hour depend how you use this engine.

[more]

Originally Posted by Jim Jones

Looks like what you are seeing with your dealer in Croatia is the 404D-22 ...**NOT** the 404C-22

I can find no reference to the 404C-22 from the country Cat-Perkins maser distributor nor on the UK Perkins web site. Only thing I can find is the 404D-22

I think this is a little hairy - replacing a 404C-22 with a 404D-22 - what differences are there? Cant be identical engines because if so then why jump to a new D variant model ? Something has to be different.

in reality i don't want to think,this https://bu-power.com is paid for thinking. his perkins engine easy work

[skipperpete]

Originally Posted by Jim Jones

pete when you say drive plate, is this something like a clutch plate? (I am not sure what the mechanism is that is used to be able to get the engine into and out of gear/reverse)

I hear you on the service of the gearbox. Are bearings in the gearbox something to be considered for replacement?

The drive plate is the torsional damper that joins the engine to the gearbox input shaft. Bolted to the flywheel and splined in the centre to accept the gearbox shaft it often resembles an automotive clutch plate with the linings removed.
Unless you find an alarming amount of steel particles on the magnetic plug or the oil is otherwise contaminated the bearings should be ok. Any lateral “ wiggle” in the input or output shafts is also cause for further investigation.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by more

and you are wrong,
mayor difficulty problem is
electric panel special VP eletric box on engine
(solution this type engine dont need eletric pull extra wire from box to start engine on engine direct. If you dont know what wire on startr solenide make wire kit for emergency start engine.

second problem is heat exchanged body made in India ,on exit SS gasket ussualy eat Body of heat exchanger.
solution use exehaust liquid gasket and made aluminium gasket . if heat exschanger is damaged . weld aluminium layer on layer and rebulid this part.

Engine on charter boat last 8000-15000 hour without touch on engine block.
but must clean heat exschanger,service engine if something broke replace. (water pump,starter,

Hmm... you say I'm wrong, and say the "special VP electric box" is the major issue on these engines... but there IS NO SUCH box on this model. And then you mention the heat exchanger being the second worst problem... and the heat exchanger is a marinizing part , thus supporting my statement that such are the most frequent issues in our marine engines on small boats. And then you mention the raw water pump may need replacing... yet another marinizing part.

And finally, you say that the basic blocks should last 8-15,000 hours, plenty of years of service left in his with only 3000... just as I said.

So, where was I wrong?

The OP's desire to have a bullet proof engine is understandable, even laudable, and I don't disagree with his wish. But, when I was in a similar position (when we bought our present boat with a Kubota based Nanni and were long term remote area cruisers) I did little beyond normal maintenance to the engine. It now has ~6000 hours with the only problems being alternator (aftermarket Balmar), heat exchanger, the lift pump and one tiny leak in an injector seal. Not so much for all those hours and 19 years of cruising, so I'm happy with my decision. Had I replaced the long block at the time of purchase it would have given me little benefit IMO, and that experience was the basis of my suggestion to the OP.

Jim

[Baby tug]

I would have to know how you’re going to use this engine , you say you’re going to be on a lake , lake Victoria , I can’t see you using the engine all that much , I would have to know what you’re going to do with the boat is it gonna be running every day , personally I wouldn’t do anything change your oil give it a servicing take some spare parts with me, if you’re going to be out in the middle of nowhere I would want an engine that I could rebuild in frame without the need of a machine shop i.e. replacing Cylinder sleeves etc. maybe you should just carry a spare engine complete how big is this lake , Lake superior is the biggest lake in the world and I wouldn’t worry about that too much , you’re not going to be 3000 mile Offshore, Just my opinion if it’s running good and it ain’t broke don’t fix it take whatever spare parts are appropriate ,if it is a rebuildable engine I would take a rebuild kit that’s it just my opinion once again

[Jim Jones]

Originally Posted by more

in reality i don't want to think,this https://bu-power.com is paid for thinking. his perkins engine easy work

Thanks for the link. I only see reference to the 404D-22 on that site. No mention of the 404C-22. Looks like the 404C-22 maybe too old. There are those sites I linked too - they have the 404C-22 - but at the higher price.

On the site you linked too above, if you go into the industrial engine section and read up on the 400 series industrial engines, there are some interesting things listed.

- as skipperpete said, beware of governing of the industrial engines

- the linked site mentions that the industrial 400 series have an "E-Governor" . That could be problematic - just depends on how they do it.

They also mention a 500 hour service interval. Many here on the forum suggest either a 100 hour or 200 hour service interval. Interesting. Is it because the engine on a boat is in a harsher environment ?

[Jim Jones]

Originally Posted by more

yes use original elbow or prepare 5000€ for ne heat exchanger,

i see 100- destroyed heat exschanger by 5 gramm SS gasket,i can imagine couple kg SS to do.

no sit and think. bulid salt inside elbow be hapen on SS,plastic,aluminium any material. and you must simple change this part evry 500-1000 hour depend how you use this engine.

Yes, see your logic here. 2 things though -

1/ yes it does seem that it will be hard to keep that Stainless away from the Alu heat exchanger. Various ways to do it are to have an Alu gasket made and coat in a liquid gasket.

I have seen on a youtube video that a guy took off his heat exchanger and cleaned out the core and he noticed the amount of material eaten away from his heat exchanger in a year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49-UiRPoeyM

What is very interesting about that video is the comments section - loads of suggestions on how to handle this.

This comment seems to hit the nail on the head with regards to the comments made by "more".........

...."Great video and a great job. Definitely a poor design. Imagine if you had to access this while underway in rough weather. I don't know if there are other material choices available, but the use of a stainless steel exhaust elbow on an aluminum heat exchanger is a terrible idea without a sacrificial anode. You are trading corrosion of the exhaust elbow (low cost and easily replaced) for corrosion of the heat exchanger (high cost and a huge job to replace)"......

So there maybe merit in simply using the original type elbow rather then the aftermarket stainless steel elbow. The above comment from YouTube says it nicely.

2/ The other issue is I will be using the boat on a freshwater lake. Do the same problems exist if the salt water is removed from the equation ? The lake it is going on has very high Ph (9.4 -9.7 for freshwater !!) and is very hard water from the dissolved minerals in it. I am wondering if I will still have issues - just a different set of issues ?

There is a lot to be said for an electric motor setup !!