*THE HULL TRUTH is the world's largest FREE network for the discussion of Boating & Fishing. Whether you're researching a new boat, or are a seasoned Captain, you'll find The Hull Truth Boating & Fishing Message Forum contains a wealth of information from Boaters and Sportfishermen around the world.
Welcome to the updated THT!
If you are having trouble signing in, please email feedback@thehulltruth.com with your username and we will help you. We thank you for your patience as we help you access the new site!
Random Quote: Patty Hearst heard the burst from Roland's Thompson gun, and bought it.
I just got home from a friends house and we received terrible news. The block cracked over the winter.
Please read... What would you do?
The engine is a 2002 year 5.0 Liter Volvo-Penta I/O. This is the second engine that has been in the boat. When the boat was received New from the dealer in 2002, and on its first run during break-in, it was determined that the boat had a cracked block at the time. No problem... manufacturer winterized that engine... manufacturers fault and a new engine was in by the following weekend. Great service from the dealer!
The engine in question (also year 2002) has about 300 hours on it. The boat in question is owned by my good friend, a Merchant Mariner with unlimited horsepower USCG license. Boats and engines are what he does so this has us both perplexed. The engine had winterizing fluid throughout the block as it spilled on me when I went to connect the hose to the engine flush valve today. In the six years I have been fishing with him the reliability of his boats has never been remotely in question. Every weekend his boats have bought us fishing... no problems electrical or mechanical! I spend 200 hours a year on his boat and thats in a 5 month season. We did have a cold New England winter this year.
A new engine goes $12k to $15k per the dealer repair quote.
What are our options? Has this been a problem with the Volvo-Penta 5.0 blocks????
A new block and if so from where?
A remanfactured engine and if so from where?
If the engine froze, it obviously did not have antifreeze in it. Did someone tamper with it after it was winterized? Did he dilute his antifreeze too much? Did he remove the thermostat, drain the block and refill with antifreeze? That quote seems high to me. If all that broke was the block, he should be able to buy a bare block or short block and have it installed for much less. First find out exactly what is broken, then figure out what went wrong with the winterizing procedure. If it is a raw water cooled engine you can't just feed it antifreeze through the flush hose. You must drain at about seven different points while using a stiff wire to keep the drain plugs open, then remove the thermostat to refill with undiluted antifreeze. He could also think about adding fresh water cooling, which will eliminate a lot of problems.
Location: Quebec, Canada and Pirates Cove, OBX, NC
Posts: 17,813
Re: New Volvo-Penta..... destroyed.
UNFORTUNATELY a cracked block is usually the result of water in the block freezing over winter.
UNFORTUNATELY, as it is the responsability of the owner to ensure that the engine is properly prepared for winter, I seriously doubt that the warranty will cover thew work.
Since the engine has only 300 hours I would get a new block as the rest is probably OK. Suggest that you contact Andy (SIM) . . . he is a vendor on this board . . . I get my Volvo parts from him . . . great service and very knowledgeable
Click on the logo just below and it will bring you to his site
Unless something has changed with vulvas they do not have antifreeze in the block on what they call a freshwater cooled system. If you just run antifreeze into the raw water side of the system you may not get the block flushed. If the thermostate is closed you will not. Maybe vulva has changed to a full fresh water system; but if they have not you and your buddy did not read the manual on how to do the job the correct way. Now pay the piper
A new engine goes $12k to $15k per the dealer repair quote.
Your dealer is on crack! I put two 5.7 long blocks in for about that including labor. You can purchase brand new complete engines for 5-6k plus labor.
I will ask if it is a cracked block or a bent rod. I have heard stories about mpi's having leaky injectors causing hydrolock. It makes me glad that mine are good ol fashion carbed engines.
But say I wanted to buy a new complete 5.7 Chevy FI motor for a boat. I mean complete with heads, starter, serpentine belt and the FI and ignition system, but WITHOUT the exhaust manifolds. Who sells this?
(Hint..it's NOT for a boat, but my old Jeep. I'm thinking of in the future kind of thing.)
I have a buddy who had some yahoo try to winterize his Volvo with anti freeze and did the same thing. Cost him about 6K for a new 305 Chevy. The next year I pulled the drain plugs from both sides of the engine block and the exhaust manifolds and had no problems. I'm not sure about the 7 points to drain or using wires to hold valves open. Then again winter in SC ain't that tough but I have seen blocks crack here. Maybe I dodged a bullet but he's been using the same procedure ever since with out a problem. BTW my buddy has long since lost the owners manual for the motor.
__________________ Im so excited I can barely cope,
Im sizzling like an isotope.
MTTY- The procedure came from a service manual. When you open the drain plugs and water comes out, there will be enough scalely rust and crud coming out with the water to plug the hole back up before all the water is out. The wire doesn't hold the valve open, it is fished around to keep the hole open till the water is drained. On my Merc with the same engine, there were drain plugs on the manifolds and risers as well as the block and a couple of hoses that would not drain unless they were disconnected on the bottom end. A total of seven points that should be drained, four on the port side three on the starboard. Then the drains were closed and antifreeze poured back into the thermostat housing. The Volvo may be slightly different, but not much. ----JOE---- What kind of Jeep do you have?
Joc-It's a '91 Grand Wagoneer. The motor is fine now, but it is seriously lacking in hp and torque. I 'm thinking swap to a GM motor, as not only are the parts more plentiful than the AMC, but the hp and torque are better as well. It never sees over 3-4 k rpm (really never over 3K rpm), so a marine motor and its low end torque would be a perfect match for it. Advance Adapters makes all the necessary stuff except a radiator to swap the motor in, so when i do I want to put FI in ther and get rid of a carburetor for good.
I had twin 5.0 GXI's in my last boat which I owned for 3 yrs and never had a problem with them. As stated above it sounds like you missed a spot, just because you dodged a bullet a couple yrs prior doesn't mean the job was done right. Also that price sounds more like a 8.1 price instead of a 5.0, sounds like Mellen is up to their old tricks again.
I believe that the 2002 engine that you are talking about has a Volvo Penta 3 year warranty, I could be wrong. I have a feeling that the manifolds were not drained properly or antifreeze was diluted with water. If Volvo isn't paying for the repair you can bet that they will prove that the engine was not winterized properly. A new Volvo 5.0 engine should be about 8K.
Read the manual about how to drain and winterize the engine. I live on Long Island and do my own winterization. My block was properly winterized according to the manual and when I went to commission it for this season, I didn't have a single problem. When winterizing, I go a step further and drain the hose that goes to the water pump. If you put the pink antifreez through the rabbit ears and you see it come out or the exhaust on the outdrive, your block is protected (as long as you don't dilute the antifreeze with water). It takes about 5 gallons of antifreeze to properly winterize the engine.
u can get remaned engines from jasper for 1800.00. those r long blocks. i helped a buddy of mine replace a couple of 5.7s 4 years ago got both delievered for 4000.00. they have been running great.
CB Haws - 5/3/2005 8:03 AM Unless something has changed with vulvas they do not have antifreeze in the block on what they call a freshwater cooled system
*** Sounds like the owner of this boat*has a raw water cooled system. A closed cooled system(even Volvo's) has anti-freeze in the block........if thats the*coolant the person choose to put in there.*
Ct FreeDiver,
That price sounds like it may be a complete engine package. Engine, transom shield and drive.
A more cost effective solution I would suggest is a VP engine bob tail. That is the complete engine ready to drop in...thats everything, fuel system, exhaust manifolds ect. You pull the old engine out and drop this in and reconnect fuel lines, exhaust, wiring and cables. It comes with a warranty from VP and your finished. Nothing transfers from the old engine to the new one. The labor charges are going to be much less with this setup versus a re-build.
Second would be a long block assy,*but since VP does not offer them, you would have to locate a reputable outside vendor to purchase from and transfer all of the engine accessories to the new long block. No VP warranty with this setup so get the details on the rebuilder warranty. Questions to ask are........who pays for and how much is paid should there be an issue? Some re-builders have a flat rate for R&R*your re-built*engine and its usually at a rate that is much much less then what the yard charges. Guess who gets to pay for the difference
Someone mention "freeze plugs" That is the common term for them but actually thats no what they are there for. The correct*term from what I understand is a casting plug. They have something to do with how the engine block is actaully made. The freeze plug name comes from some lucky engine owner that was fortunate enough to have them pop out inside of cracking a block. Not so lucky in this case.
Good Luck,
Andy
__________________ Andy Munao Our new parts site: www.simyamaha.com Yamaha Outboard Sales, Parts and Service 1-800-213-3323 parts@shipyardisland.com Click the logo to see our THT Vendor Forum
Joe-- you're on the right track and a marine engine would certainly work , but wouldn't be my first choice. I think jasper will build you an engine with an RV cam and matching heads and intake which would give you good pulling power from just off idle right up through the mid range. Or someone like TRW or Summit will sell you an engine in a box. All the machine work done, all the parts matched to your application. The best part is, you get to do the final assembly and you can order a small block chevy with something like 426 CI. This combo will give you more power than you ever thought possible. A marine engine usually has a cam with zero overlap to prevent pulling seawater up the exhaust and into the cylinder. This hinders scavenging and hurts power, economy, and emmissions. For the money I would probably just look for a donor truck with a good engine and do the swap. This will save a ton of money and you'll have all those little parts that you're going to need but get overlooked in the planning. I have an older cj7 with a new 304 v8, rotting away in one corner of the pasture. But I don't think that engine will help you. I wish I could find someone that could use it before I take it to the scrap yard.
I liked the marine motor as it is a package unit--distributor, fueli injection and a brain, complete harness. And I am wanting to get rid of the multiple drive belts as well, and serpentine belt would be nice. My days of building motors are over (it was fun when I was a teenager, now its just a pain), I'd rather have it ready to go and put in than be hassling with parts and gaskets. I just need something reliable and decent on gas--I figure with FI and a bit newer design I might brake 12 mpg .
Yeah the 304 is a small one for this beast; the 360 it has barely gets the job done. I'm sure you could get that thing in to the hands of someone with a wrangler.
Has this been a problem with the Volvo-Penta 5.0 blocks????
All your questions have been answered except that one. There probably has been over a million 305 Chevy engines, that were correctly winterized and did not crack. The engine was not done properly there fore it cracked.
I just finished tearing down a 260 Mercruiser last night that busted all to he!! on one side, even cracked the head. One side the petcock had been removed, other side petcock still in the block, and that was the side that cracked. But the owner saved $55.00 which I had quoted him to winterize the engine.
Your friend is going to eat this one, Volvo is not going to stand behind the engine. One thing for him to consider is going to a 350 Chevy long block, and use all the bolt on parts.
New Volvo-Penta..... destroyed. 
photob
ucket.com 
.
