Hole in motor behind starter on Volvo Penta MD22L

[exMaggieDrum]

I'm way over my head in this but just a couple of thoughts. I find it hard to see how a failed bendix could have exploded in the direction of the hole in the bell housing unless somehow it blew up inside the housing and ricocheted over to where the hole is.

I could easily see how a crow bar could have been used to try and move the engine/housing/tranny to either adjust alignment of the assembly. Put a block of wood (or not) in the bilge and try to pry the assembly over right against the housing.

I could be off the wall but will ask anyway. The housing is structural isn't it? It at least holds the tranny on to the engine and I seem to remember seeing engine mounts bolted to flanges on to bell housings or on to the bolts/studs holding the tranny to the housing in more than one engine. If it is structural, there is no way it can be run like this as the engine movement/vibration would tear it apart asap. It is hard to see where the flange off of "something" is mounted since the pic has the motor mount right in the way.

Just ignore me if these are off the wall comments.

Just plain dastardly if the previous owner didn't point this out but we all know that this happens all the time. One reason for a survey.


I had a Ford Lehman with a BW tanny. The left rear motor mount stud in to the tranny had sheared off flush with the tranny. The flange was still on the motor mount and it was not obvious at all looking at it. It was the hardest access to get to on the engine which otherwise was easy in the engine room of the Whitby 42. I had to remove the tranny to get it out so I could drill and easy out the buried stud. Of course, I had to realign the engine after that for which I used my shop's hydraulic scissor jack. You still need to apply leverage to move the whole thing around and the bell housing makes a tempting spot to apply leverage. (As does the oil pan but even I knew that was a bad idea.)


The point here is that I didn't know how long the motor mount was sheared. The boat surveyor (a noted hard ass who spends all day on a survey and another day writing the report) missed it. I missed it. I never noticed any unusual vibrations or noises. I only found it replacing the starter which was right there. But to miss a big hole in the housing on this motor with the easy access to see it directly and then not notice would be hard to imagine.

[Northbound44]

Originally Posted by exMaggieDrum

I'm way over my head in this but just a couple of thoughts. I find it hard to see how a failed bendix could have exploded in the direction of the hole in the bell housing unless somehow it blew up inside the housing and ricocheted over to where the hole is.

I could easily see how a crow bar could have been used to try and move the engine/housing/tranny to either adjust alignment of the assembly. Put a block of wood (or not) in the bilge and try to pry the assembly over right against the housing.

I could be off the wall but will ask anyway. The housing is structural isn't it? It at least holds the tranny on to the engine and I seem to remember seeing engine mounts bolted to flanges on to bell housings or on to the bolts/studs holding the tranny to the housing in more than one engine. If it is structural, there is no way it can be run like this as the engine movement/vibration would tear it apart asap. It is hard to see where the flange off of "something" is mounted since the pic has the motor mount right in the way.

Just ignore me if these are off the wall comments.

Just plain dastardly if the previous owner didn't point this out but we all know that this happens all the time. One reason for a survey.


I had a Ford Lehman with a BW tanny. The left rear motor mount stud in to the tranny had sheared off flush with the tranny. The flange was still on the motor mount and it was not obvious at all looking at it. It was the hardest access to get to on the engine which otherwise was easy in the engine room of the Whitby 42. I had to remove the tranny to get it out so I could drill and easy out the buried stud. Of course, I had to realign the engine after that for which I used my shop's hydraulic scissor jack. You still need to apply leverage to move the whole thing around and the bell housing makes a tempting spot to apply leverage. (As does the oil pan but even I knew that was a bad idea.)


The point here is that I didn't know how long the motor mount was sheared. The boat surveyor (a noted hard ass who spends all day on a survey and another day writing the report) missed it. I missed it. I never noticed any unusual vibrations or noises. I only found it replacing the starter which was right there. But to miss a big hole in the housing on this motor with the easy access to see it directly and then not notice would be hard to imagine.

I agree with you about this possibility, another one would be that sometimes when a starter don’t work, some tap it with a hammer in a way to unstick it. Maybe the last shot was so hard and misplaced!
So after a while they replaced it.

[miyva]

Well thanks for all the information, i have clean the engine and around it, under it. So i'll monitor it for oil leaks which someone mentioned. I'll see if i can drill to stop the crack also.

Cheers everyone for the input.

[exMaggieDrum]

Good luck to you with your housing and all.


Off the subject so my apologies: our starter became erratic in Vanuatu years ago (on the Ford Lehman). So I got out the rubber mallet and whacked it. That really didn't work very well so I took it in to the dirt floor starter repair/rebuild place. It took a long walk and a long bus ride to go back which I did expecting them to have it fixed. They said there was nothing wrong with it and I was an ignorant idiot for thinking it was the starter. They solenoid would click but no joy in spinning. But I went through the entire start circuit. I replaced the starter key switch as it had a lightly too high resistance even though all it had to do was energize the solenoid which it did. Took me a whole day to check every last wire and cable. And, I had to put the starter back on and off and then on again. It was a heavy mother and getting that first bolt in left my arm/shoulder shaking holding it up laying across the engine and trying to find the studs by feel.


I took it back in and insisted it was the starter and said I wanted to go back and watch the "tech" work on it. Turns out the armature had two dead spots and when the starter stopped on the dead spots where the brushes were it would not start. They replaced the armature and it was fine. I was pissed but learned a good lesson.



It didn't help that I dropped the heavy starter the first time right into the water lifting it out of the dink on to the dinghy dock. Duh!



Sorry for being off topic. The morale of the story is that a starter can't always be coaxed in to working with a mallet. And I don't see how I could have missed the big starter and hit the bell housing but I'm sure it is possible with other engines.

[Cadence]

ex Maggie Drum
I wonder is polishing the armature with a strip of fine emery cloth and a new set of brushes may have been cheaper.

[captainwd40]

My crusader engines on my 1984 Carver Riviera had holes similar to this one. My owners manual stated they were inspection holes so I could check the ring gear if needed.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by captainwd40

My crusader engines on my 1984 Carver Riviera had holes similar to this one. My owners manual stated they were inspection holes so I could check the ring gear if needed.

The holes were jagged and cracked?

[exMaggieDrum]

Originally Posted by Cadence

ex Maggie Drum
I wonder is polishing the armature with a strip of fine emery cloth and a new set of brushes may have been cheaper.

Cadence,
Good suggestion. I wish you had been there to give it to me back then. We had already checked out of the country and needed to leave. It never occurred to me as I had never done it and never had seen anyone else do it. When I worked on boats we just had them rebuilt at a shop so it was all done without having to track down other problems after reinstalling starters. So I had never done that. Now that you say that I do remember hearing of others doing it but at the time I didn't know what the problem was and I just didn't think of it. I did inspect the brushes and they looked fine.

[Cheechako]

Look at it closely with a magnifying glass. If any tiny cracks are protruding from the hole, drill the end of the crack with a small drill to stop it going further. I think I see one going toward the left of the pic. It will likely be fine.

[iduff]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

It’s the bell housing, it will be fine as long as it doesn’t finish breaking, which it could do as it is what transmits the torque from the engine to the transmission.
If it were mine, I’d replace it, but in all honesty it could run fine forever just as is, or break next time you take the boat out.
Gut says stop drill the obvious crack at least
You can usually pull the transmission, then the bell housing, and since your there consider replacing the drive plate or at least inspecting it.
Or stop drill the cracks and hope for the best.

This is exactly correct. Stop drill the existing crack, monitor the condition, and replace when less inconvenient.