Who Built My Volvo?

[rwidman]

On another thread, the discussion turned to "rebranding" of engines. i.e. Volvo is really a Perkins, Perkins is really a Volkswagen, etc., the point being that you can often get identical parts at a lower price by using parts branded for the original maker.

My engine is a Volvo TAMD41P and it wasn't part of the discussion. I've always assumed it was built in Sweden in a Volvo factory (in 1999). Is this true?? If not, what company manufactured it?

[Blue Stocking]

Volvo used to build blocks were the various, such as head hold-down, studs were blind tapped in the walls, preventing coolant seepage up the studs. Other marinized blocks were thru-tapped into the coolant jackets, greater risk of leakage. This was the type of detail that made Volvo more expensive, it was said

[HappyMdRSailor]

Olga???

[zeehag]

sven and olga. .
btw--perkins doesnt use vovlos to my knowledge, but does use tohatsu, mitsubishi and other tractor and truck ish forklift engines for marinizing. still looking to see if they sneaked a volvo in the mix, but havent found one....

sven and olga's work is hard to find in mexico--must be ordered from magicland and takes 4 weeks for delivery, as a neighbor learned from ordering one.

rotten robbie, out of puerto vallarta knows where magicland is.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by zeehag

sven and olga. .
btw--perkins doesnt use vovlos to my knowledge, but does use tohatsu, mitsubishi and other tractor and truck ish forklift engines for marinizing. still looking to see if they sneaked a volvo in the mix, but havent found one.... ........

I am trying to find out who built the Volvo TAMD41P, not if some other company is selling Volvo engines under their brand name.

[DougR]

Your engine was designed and built by Volvo Penta at their Vara, Sweden production facility. This plant began with the production of the MD 30 and MD40 series engines in the mid-70s, moved on to the MD 31 and MD 41 series in the 80s and currently builds the D4 and D6 engines. If I recall correctly it also is involved with the marinization of the D3 engine, which is an adaption of the Volvo Car Corp five cylinder diesel.

Rgds,
DougR

P.S. Volvo car used the VW diesel engines for some time in the 70s and 80s, (I had one and it was a real dog...had to row it along with the shift lever) but Volvo Penta never used a VW Diesel engine. They did use some Indenor(Peugeot) blocks for the MD 19, 21, 29, and 32. Today everything below 75 h.p. is an ISM/Perkins based engine.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by DougR

Your engine was designed and built by Volvo Penta at their Vara, Sweden production facility. This plant began with the production of the MD 30 and MD40 series engines in the mid-70s, moved on to the MD 31 and MD 41 series in the 80s and currently builds the D4 and D6 engines. If I recall correctly it also is involved with the marinization of the D3 engine, which is an adaption of the Volvo Car Corp five cylinder diesel.

Rgds,
DougR

P.S. Volvo car used the VW diesel engines for some time in the 70s and 80s, (I had one and it was a real dog...had to row it along with the shift lever) but Volvo Penta never used a VW Diesel engine. They did use some Indenor(Peugeot) blocks for the MD 19, 21, 29, and 32. Today everything below 75 h.p. is an ISM/Perkins based engine.

Thanks. The list of Volvo Penta marine engines is pretty extensive and bewildering. Even the TAMD41 has several versions.

[shipleft]

Originally Posted by rwidman

On another thread, the discussion turned to "rebranding" of engines. i.e. Volvo is really a Perkins, Perkins is really a Volkswagen, etc., the point being that you can often get identical parts at a lower price by using parts branded for the original maker.

My engine is a Volvo TAMD41P and it wasn't part of the discussion. I've always assumed it was built in Sweden in a Volvo factory (in 1999). Is this true?? If not, what company manufactured it?

Volvo is made by Volvo period. The rebranding issue is more a matter of one company buying engines from a manufacturer, marine-izing them with proprietary parts like air intakes/exhaust manifolds, different flywheels, transmissions and transmission adapters, paint colour, then putting their logo/brand on the finished product. Like Westerbeke using various engines from other manufacturers (ie.Perkins) and calling them by their own model number.The Lugger brand, using engines manufactured by John-Deere Corp is another example. Perkins at one point was manufacturing engines in about thirty countries, all over the globe,at one point. I would imagine some of those engines were branded differently in their country of origin by other businesses using them in trucks ,buses, tracktors, generators, air compressors, you name it. Some would set up their own replacement parts service- with their own system of parts numbers but they would wholesale the parts directly(or indirectly) from the original manufacturer, adding their own mark-up to the part(s) of course. Something called a "Basmakuto 125" in a bus in Calcutta could actually be your garden variety Perkins 6-354 under the grease and dust.

[mike d.]

Actually Volvo did not make all their own engines!!! I have a1994 MD22L-B 50 hp. That has a Factory installed Perkins name plate on it! This would indicate that Perkins made/put together or how ever you want to say it sold it, to Volvo Penta. If you go on the SSCA sight there have been quite a few discussions about this over the yrs. You can check with trans Atlantic Diesel in Va., and maybe some one there can give you more info. I am waiting for a conformation regarding the same situation!

[Thumbs Up]

my volvos (2040) have "perkins" cast right on the block in raised lettering (period)

[shipleft]

Originally Posted by Thumbs Up

my volvos (2040) have "perkins" cast right on the block in raised lettering (period)

Zorks! Those sneaky Swedes, and I always thought they invented the diesel but didn't put their name on it before the German guy did! At least that what they told me.

[colemj]

Yes, the smaller Volvo diesels are simply green-painted Perkins. They are exactly the same engines and parts - everything is directly interchangeable between the two. As someone pointed out, the name "PERKINS" is cast right into the blocks, and if you peel off the "VOLVO" sticker on it, there is a "PERKINS" one underneath.

Mark

[deblen]

Engine Derivations

Perhaps Cox Engineering site/engine derivations may help.

[shipleft]

Originally Posted by rwidman

I am trying to find out who built the Volvo TAMD41P, not if some other company is selling Volvo engines under their brand name.

look at the front port side of the block, directly in front of the injector pump, if it's Perkins engine, it should have some identification stamped on the edge where it meets the timing gear cover.

[jimbunyard]

Just to throw a little more in, those little Volvo nee Perkins engines were actually built by a company called Ishikawa Shibaura Machinery (ISM), who have been subsequently bought by IHI....