Are Volvos Actually Made by Volvo

[aclmck]

I am a little confused , last week at the Boat show i was in a hurry and photographed a few bits and pieces on of these were the volvo 55hp and 30 hp motor commonly used attached to a sail drive.

I photographed a plate (i think on these motors) which reads "Perkins"

is this Correct ?? are these motors made by perkins for volvo The rain had got to one of the engines and the Volvo sticker had started to fall off.

i have checked the photos and the paint around these plates is Volvo green.

[model 10]

Not even sure Perkins makes the Volvo that looks to be a Perkins.

[aclmck]

Hi Guy,
not sure what you mean?? i found these plates on the volvo motors with "perkins" on them the plates had all of the details of the engines but are not legible enough to post on the forum, but they definitely had perkins on the top in bold lettering

Allan

[model 10]

Sure but even though it says Perkins on the plate it may be built by another outfit. Not sure about this , just what I remember. Perkins might only make bigger engines themselves.

[aclmck]

Yes i know now what you mean but these were "Volvo "motors on the volvo stand, i hope volvo are not just re- badging perkins motors

[roverhi]

Don't think Volvo has made their engines since the demise of the MD series a couple of decades ago. They've sourced engines from Perkins and Peugeot among others. They used to get their gas engines from GM. They marinize the engines and add their name like most of the other marine engine suppliers except Yanmar.

Don't think Perkins make Perkins engines any longer. Believe they are Japanese industrial engines possibly sourced from Mitsubishi. Believe the 4-108 and the other 4-*** and 6-*** were the last of them made by Perkins in England. That's what Guy was refering to in his post.

[Jeannius]

Volvo have been re-badging Perkins for years. My 2040Ds are made by Perkins Shibaura (Shibaura being makers of small tractors and such.

Small tractors have a far harder life than marine engines so there is nothing wrong in having your boat engine based on a tractor unit. What matters is how well the marinisation bit is done and that IS done by Volvo

[nigel1]

Have a VOLVO TMD 22 which is made by Perkins, and I believe it was originally fitted to Montego vans. Very popular for re-engines in older Land Rovers.

[Albro359]

Volvo marine engines have been rebadged Perkins for some years now.
Perkins now make engines in China.
From the Perkins site :

Perkins has officially opened its second new engine manufacturing line at its Wuxi facility in Jiangsu Province, China. Gwenne Henricks, president of Perkins, declared the new line open at a ceremony attended by local dignitaries, business partners, company personnel and press.
The new production line will build Perkins’ popular 1100 Series range of engines and will complement the existing line that has been manufacturing its compact 400 Series range of engines since 2008. Production of the 1100 Series is expected to reach 60,000 units per annum, bringing total output for the Wuxi factory to 88,000 engines per year.
Speaking at the ceremony Gwenne declared: ”This new line marks the completion of the second phase of our plans to provide our Chinese OEM partners with an unrivalled product range for both domestic and export markets. We have established a world class facility here that features all the hallmarks of our other plants around the world.”
She continued: “Opening this second facility increases our engine manufacturing capacity, enables us to improve our presence in the growing Chinese market and provides better support to local customers. This is important as Chinese OEMs are increasingly moving to manufacturing more sophisticated machinery. To do that successfully requires engineering, technical and application expertise – areas that Perkins can help customers address.”

Perkins will now be able to offer customers a mechanical four cylinder product with outputs ranging from 50kW to 74.5kW. In 12 months time the company plans to offer a six cylinder mechanical engine capable of producing 145kW at Tier 2 and 130kW at Tier 3. For electric power applications the six cylinder engine can offer 200kVA standby power.
The arrival of the 1100 Series will make a significant impact for OEMs in the construction, agricultural and industrial sectors, giving them the choice of a locally made but internationally branded product that offers tangible advantages over domestic engine producers. As Chinese OEMs strive for that competitive edge Perkins can offer valuable services whether it is applications engineering, logistics or product support.

Perkins opens new facility in Wuxi, China - YouTube

Nothing is what is seems these days...

[Vasco]

I think the last Volvo that was a Volvo was the 2000 series (2001,2002,2003,2003T) the worst engines ever! About 1983 to 1989.

[chala]

Perkins 100 series, 2,3 and 4 cylinder from 5-44 bhp developed for industrial, agricultural and turf markets. In 1990 the motor was manufactured in Japan with a J on the plate, in 2000 the plate bear a U maybe for UK. The heat exchangers are from Sabre Japan. The gear box on Perkins Perama and Volvo are different and so is the wiring and some electrical insulation and other item.
Apparently China own Volvo.

[hd002e]

Originally Posted by Vasco

I think the last Volvo that was a Volvo was the 2000 series (2001,2002,2003,2003T) the worst engines ever! About 1983 to 1989.

Hi Vasco,

I have an MD 2002 on my Beneteau, which is new to me. What makes these engines "worst"? Not trolling, just curious what I should watch out for Thanks.

[Pete7]

Nowt wrong with a 2002 Volvo, spares for our 2003 are available over the counter from the local Volvo dealer, it starts mostly and at 25 years old has only needed a head job a couple of years ago. How many car engines are still going from the early 80s.

Pete

[Dsanduril]

Originally Posted by hd002e

Hi Vasco,

I have an MD 2002 on my Beneteau, which is new to me. What makes these engines "worst"? Not trolling, just curious what I should watch out for Thanks.

If you search this forum and the internet in general you'll find that people either love or hate, but nothing in between. Personally, I installed a Volvo 2003 in our boat in 1985 and it still starts every time I turn the key, has required one starter re-build and a couple of injector re-builds, and other than that has gotten pretty crappy care other than oil changes. Parts are expensive (and getting harder to find) if you need them, but I haven't needed anything that is "Volvo" (Bosch for the injectors, can't remember on the starter). I think that's pretty good service. YMMV.

[vRUN]

Originally Posted by aclmck

...are these motors made by perkins for volvo ...

Actually they are "made" by "Wuxi Diesel Engine Works" ...
BTW: VOLVO isn't quite the right label to use... it's VOLVO PENTA

For the details have a look at: new - Volvo Penta : Volvo Penta
where it says:

Production plants around the world
Volvo Penta has wholly owned plants in Vara, Sweden, for production of 3-, 4- and 5-litre diesel engines and in Lexington, Tennessee, USA, for production of all gasoline engines.

A major part of Volvo Penta´s diesel engines are manufactured at Volvo´s common engine plant in Skövde, Sweden.

In Wuxi, China Volvo Penta has a final assembling factory for diesel engines together with its Chinese partner Wuxi Diesel Engine Works.

Volvo Penta's stern drives are manufactured at the Lexington plant and at Volvo´s common transmission plant in Köping, Sweden.

The video linked above shows quite a "funny" opening ceremony
(if you know how the chinese handle foreign "ownership")