Bottom end rebuild reasons

[gmakhs]

If I had to buy , an engine I would definitely choose a new one , have been using used engine on tractors and tracks before I start sailing , I can only tell you that a used motor is a postponed issue and problem , on a boat I would try to buy a new one .
Now i believe the budget is an issue like always the best option is to be prepared to rebuild the used motor if it's bad if yours is repaireble then far better to repair yours .

A 10 horse power Volvo penta worth 4000 euro , how much have you been quoted for a new 20 hp ??

[Pugcat]

Hi, I know where you’re coming from, I’m unfortunately a bit of a perfectionist and always like to do things the “best” way. Have talked to Beta a while back and was quoted around £4500 for a new Beta 25 with upgraded alternator and s/s exhaust elbow.
The fact is though, she is an old unfashionable boat that will never be worth huge sums of money and she is really a boat for us to learn on for a couple of years rather than keep long term. With that in mind (and budget always being an issue as you say) I figured a £2.5k saving for an older but solid engine makes sense.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by jimbunyard

It all sounds reasonable; engine sat for 7 years, they disassembled it to hone the cylinders, since they're in there, rods and mains are cheap, why not change them too? I'd hope they'd have put in new rings while they were at it

That is exactly why I do it, I have even several times done inframe overhauls on a backhoe not removing the crank, but polishing the journals with crocus cloth and installing new bearings.
You stick a cotter pin in the oil hole of the crank journal and as the crank is turned slowly it will roll the old bearing out.
If you change them early, it’s like changing disk brake pads early, the rotors aren’t worn out so you just need new pads, same with main and rod bearings, if you change them early, almost certainly the crankshaft doesn’t need to be turned.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Pugcat

They have a massive stock of other engines and suggested a Volvo Penta MD2030 as an option for the same money as the Beta. It’s a 2001 engine with around 2000 hours and they’ve done a full strip, check and rebuild just like the beta so may be a good option, although I do seem to covet a Beta for some reason. Any advise ref the md2030’s?

Many thanks again to all who have commented, this site is such a great resource.

Collaboration between Volvo and Perkins, choose the make if you want a blue or a green one. They made and sold a shed full of them for all sorts of stuff, not just boats. Heat exchanger needs cleaning out occasionally and the rubber end cups plus the exchanger tube stack needs careful alignment on re-assembly. Brit bloke on You Tube did a good video on how to check the alignment about 6 months ago.

Are you in Europe? these folks have a few to compare prices to:

http://www.marineenterprisesltd.co.uk/

Probably our choice of engine if the 2003 goes bang in the near future, though the D1-30 is tempting at that price.

[jimbunyard]

The MD2030 is a good engine; lots of them around, they were/are used in everything from refrigeration units to lawn mowers.

Some of the marinizing parts that are proprietary to Volvo (certain exhaust elbows, transmission drive coupling, gear) are very expensive. I don't think you'll be able to use the gear from your old engine on the MD2030, so if the one you're interested in is bobtail, you'll need to take that into consideration. Last I checked the Volvo drive coupling alone was more than 800.00, though I believe there are some aftermarket solutions out there if you look around.

As noted, the sealing around the heat exchanger bundle is important; the rubber boots must be properly aligned and tightened to avoid mixing sea water and engine coolant, but that isn't very difficult.

Internal parts are available from Perkins, if memory serves, their nomenclature for the engine is Perama M30 and the engine design is by a Japanese company, ISM, and their name for it is a 103-10 (I think).

By the way, the Beta base engine is a Kubota, which in my opinion is even better than the ISM/Perkins.

[Compass790]

Don't know the MD2030 but Beta has much cheaper parts prices & a better reputation according to dock talk.