Volvo Penta D2 55 - MDI siwtches itself back on and alarm sounds

[julianvezey]

Hiya All

I have a new (2015/2016) volvo penta d2 55. For no apparent reason today the MDI is switching itself back on and the alarm beeps. There is no fault being shown on the display. I switch it off and a few minutes later it comes back on and the alarm beeps. Truly annoying.

Has anyone come across this before and is there a solution !!

Thanks
Julian

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by julianvezey

Hiya All

I have a new (2015/2016) volvo penta d2 55. For no apparent reason today the MDI is switching itself back on and the alarm beeps. There is no fault being shown on the display. I switch it off and a few minutes later it comes back on and the alarm beeps. Truly annoying.

Has anyone come across this before and is there a solution !!

Thanks
Julian

Replace the MDI Black Box.

[julianvezey]

Thanks COTEMAR.

Will see the agents on Monday and hopefully they will be able to replace it.

Just one further thing on this. Because the alarm kept on beeping the only thing I could do to stop it was to take the 'plug' out of the tach/evc. I have put the plug back in now (15 hours later) and now there is no response from the control panel at all.

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by julianvezey

Thanks COTEMAR.

Will see the agents on Monday and hopefully they will be able to replace it.

Just one further thing on this. Because the alarm kept on beeping the only thing I could do to stop it was to take the 'plug' out of the tach/evc. I have put the plug back in now (15 hours later) and now there is no response from the control panel at all.

When the MDI mis-behaves you never know what to do next.
Try shutting off the engine electrical power switch.
Pull the 15 amp fuse in the top rubber plug of the MDI for 1+ minutes.
Put 15 amp fuss back in and switch engine electrical power back on.
Now try to start

[julianvezey]

Thanks a lot.

Will try this. Fingers crossed.

[jamhass]

I don't know if Volvo has changed the design, but on a friends boat, the control unit had 2 identical plugs (out of 3 total). Unfortunately, they were poorly identified and it was possible to easily mix them up. Worse, mixing them fried the unit. Even worse, it was a "Volvo certified" mechanic that did so, but refused to acknowledge the $1000 error.

So ... before you start, carefully and properly ID each and every connection and label same in an unambiguous manner.

By the way, the actual problem proved to be a failed splice in the electrical cable between the engine box and the control head at the helm.

[Jim Cate]

I read this thread, and I contemplate the companion thread lauding the advent of common rail engines, those that also rely upon "highly reliable" complicated computers, sensors and all associated wiring.

For me, I'm glad to have a relatively simple mechanically injected dinosaur of a Kubota. With my 2-300 hours/year usage, the additional contribution to environmental disaster from such an engine is not overwhelming.

Jim

[julianvezey]

Thanks for the observations everyone.

I followed the advice of Cotemar (I see you have an FP Helia Evo...same here)...the display came on at the tach and the engine started. Then after about 10 minutes I stopped the engine and the display went off straight away and wouldnt come back on.

Switching the power off and taking out the fuse and then putting the fuse back in and switching the power back definately seems to work to start the engine. Seems like the 'black box' is really the problem (there are times when I hate fancy technology).

Thanks for the tip Cotemar, has this also happened to you ?

So off to the service agents in Levkas tomorrow and then we will see how the whole warranty thing works !!

[julianvezey]

Thanks for the comments and advice.

I went to the agents in Levkas, Contract Yacht Services and they replaced the MDI Black Box and all is well, back up and running. Still within the warranty so that is also a plus.

The mechanic reckoned he had replaced over 20 MDI this year...clearly a Volvo Penta problem.

[Naughty Cat]

From the Catana Owners Forum:

I would like to inform the group that Volvo have a temporary fix to the failing Mechanical Diesel Interface (MDI) units fitted to Volvo engines.

Vessels fitted with Volvo MDI electrical units can suffer sudden engine loss. The MDI units can last as little as one hour and the problem is widely reported.

Volvo have found that the current required to start the engine (glow plugs and cranking) is too great for the components in the MDI causing them to overheat and eventually fail.

As a temporary fix Volvo can fit two HC Cargo 160311 40 amp power relays to protect the MDI unit.

A reinforced MDI is being designed by Volvo but the release date is unknown.

I hope this news will assist anyone who is experiencing MDI problems.

Regards,

[Sailorman4009]

My boat came with a new D2-40 it had 8 hours on it. It was recalled. I had to get a new engine. No warranty. I would love to know if the electronic module can be removed and standard switches, buttons and gauges fitted to replace the undependable and far too expensive control system. Even a 16 ft harness for a remote control pad is $125.00, for 16 ft of 18/6 cable ($4.20) and a couple of plugs.
The extremely high cost of parts makes this a non serviceable installation in my opinion.
I am hearing constantly of control box failures.

[Dsanduril]

One of the nice things about these engines is that they aren’t really computerized. The MDI is just a couple of relays and a not very useful comms interface. You can still start and run the engine by jumping the solenoid just like a good old engine.

There have been a bunch of recalls of the MDI (I think Volvo is currently at version 7?), so if you’re getting a replacement spend a little time figuring out the version of the box you have and searching the web to find out if there’s a service bulletin/recall. If for some reason you can’t find a replacement/don’t want to there’s a fair amount of information here on CF and on the web about replacing the MDI with something more robust.