Volvo D2 - 55hp Flooded - getting started

[GILow]

Originally Posted by TrentePieds

Glow plugs are 12 volts. Just think about it. Whatever calorific output they need to have, you get there quickest and with least pain by using highest possible "push" i.e. voltage. In toy ships all that is available in that department is almost always 12V, very rarely 24V.

My manual for the Vetus/Mitsubishi bastardization sez "15 seconds max". But that's for the sake of the starter motor. The plugs are like Custer's horse. They can take it.

I really don't agree with much of this, this is too much of a generalisation.

First, sure the "push" of voltage is important, but the resistance of the glow plugs will determine the current they draw and therefore the rate at which they consume power. Add to this that different plugs have different elements and really all you can say is every plug will be different and may or may not tolerate long periods of activation. Clearly the plugs on our 24 volt marinised truck motor do burn out if left on for too long, hence the warning label which was put there by the previous owner who got sick of killing the plugs. (There are nearly 20 spares in the boat, he got pretty serious about it.)

I mention the need to consider the time because a number of more modern diesels I have met have an automatic timer on the glow plugs so you really don't know how long the plugs are activated for. You turn the ignition on and the timer starts the glow plugs automatically, in some cases locking out the starter motor for a couple of seconds to avoid pointless cranking.

With the wiring harness gone from this engine any such protection, if it existed, has been removed, and I advocate a bit of caution, rather than sweeping generalisations.

Expressions like "they can take it" can lead to costly repairs. I don't think they should be bandied about lightly.

Matt

[DougR]

The glow plugs on the D2-55 engine are definitely 12 volt and they draw about 10 amps each. All four of them are energized simultaneously via the glow plug strip.

Early versions of the engines with the "old style" instrument panel had no timing function on the glow plugs, they would stay energized as long as you held the key switch in the glow energize position. That said, my D2-55C version will start instantly from cold with about 8 or 9 seconds of glow.

Newer versions of the engine with the EVC gauges and the MDI box have a timed glow function of 20 seconds if you just tap the start button, and if you start the engine without prior glow they will also energize for 20 seconds.
If the engine temp is above 50 degrees C they will not energize at all.

I think it's time to get this engine started and make sure there isn't any residual moisture in it before something gets rusted and seized up.

DougR

[TrentePieds]

To add to the "body of knowledge":

I understand from people who use, and work on, such beasts, that Ford diesel engines are notorious for burning out their GPs, and that Ford trucks are chock-full of automation to prevent that while offering "convenience" for the driver. I shouldn't doubt that these mod-cons are now the norm on all automotive diesels, even when they have been "marinized", so what Matt said in Message #16 in reply to me is certainly worth paying attention to.

For other people on this Board who may happen to have a 20 year old, "old school" Vetus 3M-10 (Mitsubishi K3D "marinized" by Vetus in Holland), the GP characteristics are: Rated voltage: 10.5; Ampage: 9.7; Maximum "on" time: 30 seconds.

Here, in the Salish Sea, you can't get Vetus parts for love nor money. The nearest (and only) dealer in Canada is in Nova Scotia, right on the other side of the country.

However, the MITSUBISHI part# (as opposed to the Vetus part# STM1658) is 32A66-03100, and that plug is freely available from industrial equipment supply houses.

Forty buxapop, so mind your voltage and stay within your time limit ;-)

Cheers

TrentePieds

[ben373]

Thanks so much for the advice. I have now started the engine after 9 months idle which was easier than I expected. 10 secs on the glow with a wire to the battery, 4 crancs and going. I now need to put it all back together. The alternator is missing and the loom is corroded. I may have a go at making my own loom as I imagine something from the green merchant will be very expensive.

Thanks again to my friends on CF

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