Volvo Penta 2001 Operating Temperature

[gilgsn]

Hello, I have a Volvo Penta 2001, 1cyl diesel. Tere is no temperature guage in the boat but I have a handheld IR thermometer I can point at the engine to read it's surface temperature. How hot is too hot?

Any advise about this engine would be appreciated. I have no idea how many hours it has, but seems to run fine.

Gil.

[DougR]

The Volvo Penta 2001 was only available with raw water cooling. The thermostat starts to open at 140 degrees F +- 5 degrees and should be fully open at about 160 degrees. So, you shouldn't see any temps higher than 160 F.

Rgds,
Doug R

[gilgsn]

Hello,

Thanks, well, I left the engine idle for a couple hours and regularly checked the temperature with my IR thermometer pointed at the oil filter. It slowly went up to 170F (77C). Water was coming out as it should, though at idle it isn't that much.

Gil.

[Neptune's Gear]

Running it at Idle is no good, Try it at full load - Tied to the dock is fine. THEN check the temp.
I have a 2003T, the 3 cyl turbo version. Used to have a raw water cooled non turbo one as well.

Main cooling probs with the raw water cooled ones are Raw water pump/impeller, block full of sand, blockage in the little plastic insert in the pipe between the thermostat housing and the exhaust outlet, Blocked exhaust elbow.

It sounds pretty hot for idling! The raw water pump impeller sometimes looks fine, but the vulcanizing between the metal inner and the rubber fails, so it does not turn under load properly. That would be where I would start.

[DougR]

Standby one second.......If you point your IR thermometer at the oil filter, then you are measuring the oil temp, not the water temp. Engine operating temperature refers to the cooling water temperature, not oil temperature.

To measure water temperature on your engine you should point the IR thermometer at the thermostat housing or the water tube running between the thermostat housing and the exhaust elbow. This will give you an idea of the temperature of the cooling water which has traveled thru the thermostat and is leaving the engine.

An oil temperature of 170 degrees F is nothing to get excited about. Heavy duty diesel engines routinely use the lubricating oil to remove large amounts of heat from the pistons by spraying oil thru jets onto the underside of the pistons. This hot oil is then cooled with an oil cooler. Oil operating temperatures ranging from 220F to 240F are not uncommon at all. (My wife's 328i BMW runs oil temp of 220F loafing along at 70 MPH on the freeway). While your 2001 doesn't have piston cooling, the oil will still get very warm and can vary up and down depending on engine load even though the water temp might not vary much at all.

Try running the engine under reasonable load while tied to the dock, as suggested by "Neptune's gear". This time use the IR thermometer on the cylinder head and thermostat and see what you come up with.

Rgds,
DougR

[gilgsn]

Thanks, I will try that!

Gil


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[Neptune's Gear]

Good point Doug, I should have picked up on that as well!

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[mf70]

Exploring the surface of my Yanmar YSB12 with a IR gun was informative. Temperatures ranged from 450 on the exhaust riser, 170 in the lower crankcase, to 140 near the thermostat.

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[Dsanduril]

The operator's manual (that you can find here: Engine database - Find your engine : Volvo Penta) says the 'B' instrument panel comes with a cooling water temperature gauge with a range of 75-90C (167-194F), which makes me believe that Volvo considers the normal cooling water temperature to be ~180F.




[Edit] - After I posted I saw that was fresh water. Raw water cooled is usually lower to prevent deposits. [/Edit]

[olaf hart]

RWC thermostat opens at 140c
FWC thermostat opens at 170c
They are interchangeable, my RWC 2003 had a FWC thermostat fitted when I bought the boat, caused all sorts of cooling problems until I found the error.

[Rustic Charm]

Can I ask a question of you guys with the 2003 T. Do you suffer from irritating oil leaks?

I've recently had my engine out, cleaned, seals replaced with new ones, same with some gaskets and put back in. After going for a run up the river it still leaks from some of those irritating oil pipes with the small round seals.

I'm thinking of putting some of that red engine sealant around each of them. The probes is now its back in the boat it's no small feat to get at them.

[DougR]

You might have some success stopping oil leaks with silicon based sealants placed on the sealing washers, but it would be better to just replace the sealing washers with new ones.

Like most engine manufacturers, VP used both aluminum and copper sealing washers at various times and in various places. Both can work well when new and both can have problems. The edges of the aluminum washers can be subject to corrosion, and if it goes on long enough it can compromise the seal. The copper washers, if reused a time or two, can work harden and make it more difficult to get a good seal. Both should be replaced if there is any doubt. (You could anneal the copper washers in an emergency)

All the above assumes that the oil pipe hasnt been bent at some time, and that the surfaces of the banjo lie parallel to the cooler surface or turbo before tightening the banjo bolt......

DougR

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by DougR

You might have some success stopping oil leaks with silicon based sealants placed on the sealing washers, but it would be better to just replace the sealing washers with new ones.

Like most engine manufacturers, VP used both aluminum and copper sealing washers at various times and in various places. Both can work well when new and both can have problems. The edges of the aluminum washers can be subject to corrosion, and if it goes on long enough it can compromise the seal. The copper washers, if reused a time or two, can work harden and make it more difficult to get a good seal. Both should be replaced if there is any doubt. (You could anneal the copper washers in an emergency)

All the above assumes that the oil pipe hasnt been bent at some time, and that the surfaces of the banjo lie parallel to the cooler surface or turbo before tightening the banjo bolt......

DougR

Ummm, I was about to say There's no problem with the banjo fittings and copper washers. I replaced all of them and they are seated nicely. at the back of the engine there is a pipe that is on the underside of the turbo which then goes up under the back of the engine somewhere. The seals are just round rubber seals similar to what is in the water pipes. I can see but I think that's where it's leaking from.

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by Rustic Charm

Ummm, I was about to say There's no problem with the banjo fittings and copper washers. I replaced all of them and they are seated nicely. at the back of the engine there is a pipe that is on the underside of the turbo which then goes up under the back of the engine somewhere. The seals are just round rubber seals similar to what is in the water pipes. I can see but I think that's where it's leaking from.

That's meant to be 'can't see' where the leak is coming from.

[DougR]

The pipe you are describing is probably the oil return pipe from the turbocharger. It runs from the underside of the turbo to the rear of the block. There were a couple of different connections at the block, depending on the vintage of the engine. As this is only a drain pipe with no oil pressure, you should be able to use sealant to stop leaks.

Rgds,
DougR