Relpacement Engine for B38

[Shirazyacht]

Its time to replace the rubber seal on my 2008 B38 saildrive. Volvo recommendation is 7 years.
I need to replace engine also as she has over 4000 hours but still works fine.
A lot of hours, I know but she's chartered in Phuket and during NE Monsoon season the winds are light and charterers want to go places so use engine a lot. Retiring myself early next year and plan to spend most of my time on boat.
I am considering replacing the Volvo Penta DI-30 with D2-40 (28hp versus 39hp). Apparently Volvo dealer says this is possible but shock absorbers would have to be moved.
Feel that I might as well do the seal replacement and engine replacement at the same time and save on 2 jobs and 2 haulouts.
Charter manager says that if I wait longer, say next year, then if any failure of the saildrive seal and serious consequences then this could be kicked back by insurers for not following Volvo recommendations.
Anyone done any engine replacements & upgrades. Any info on seal failures?
Thanks

[Salty]

No experience with engine replacement, but if as you say it's running fine, then why replace it? I really do believe in the saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" I'd be inclined to get someone other than your usual engineer to come in and give an independent assessment of the engine condition.
As for the saildrive seal, my boat is also an ex charter boat, previously used on the west coast of Scotland. Don't know how many hours the engine had run, and still don't as that part of the instruments has not worked for years, but it is now thirteen years old and is running very sweetly and the charter work stopped after eleven years.
At nine years old and just after I'd bought the boat I had the sail drive seal changed along with the sail drive bottom bearings and shaft seal. The old sail drive seal looked and feels just like brand new after it was removed, and I've read stories of people who didn't change theirs for as much as nineteen years. Volvo have to put a figure on the longevity of the seal, and will naturally choose a very conservative figure and for which I think seven years is exceeding conservative. As for the bottom shaft bearings and seal, the evidence was clear on account of having water in the oil.
On the other side of the equation, doing those changes now while you are taking an income from the boat probably means you can offset the costs against tax, so heads you win and tails the revenue loses. Good luck !

[Yngmar]

I'm just servicing my saildrive, including diaphragm replacement. After cleaning it up, the old diaphragm looks just like the new one, despite having been sat in a horrid mix of oil, rust flakes and salty bilgewater for 2 years (previous owner fell ill and boat was neglected). No cracks when bending it and still plenty flexible. This is the original seal from 2000, so 15 years old. When I have some time I'll cut a section out of it and nail it to a nice piece of wood to hang in the cabin

I'm still glad I did it, because had I not, it would've kept nagging in the back of my head (while I'd heard about the seals never failing, seeing it for myself is much more convincing). Also as the outer gaiter had fallen off long ago (as they do), there was significant fouling in the recess below the seal (in fact, a small crab fell out of there and scuttled away in a huff when the boat was power-washed and full size mussels were growing in there).

So the 7 year service interval is very conservative indeed (in fact, in my service manual it still says 5 years, a number Volvo later increased to 7 and in my opinion could safely be twice that - but the dealer network wouldn't like that).

And a well maintained Diesel engine can happily run 5000 hours or more - as Salty said, why replace an engine that's working fine (unless you really want to have the extra HP).

[ZhuHai]

On my boat the seal is 13 y/o and I don't intend to replace it for the time being since there is no visible crack, no leaks and it looks like new. I just check it every time I do the oil levels.


As for the engine and unless it has been badly maintained it should last between 6000 to 10000 hours.


If you are going to replace the engine and the saildrive, you might want to look at some alternatives like Craftsman, Solé, Béta, Midif... most of them are using the same (Kubota?) base. Less expensive than Volvo with parts widely available through non marine resellers.

[Craig]

I agree with the other comments regarding the life of the diesel engine. 5000 hours is not long, especially if the boat has been in charter in Thailand or the Med where longer trips contribute to the hours rather than short trips in and out of British marinas.

Unless something major breaks, do not change it. I have a D1-30 in my Bavaria 38 and it takes the boat along quite well with the 3 blade folding prop.

After talking to Volvo mechanics in Malta, Greece, Turkey and Australia, they all agree that the most common repairs tend to be:-
1. Oil and water seal on salt water pump shaft. Common problem, check for leaks regularly and replace ASAP if any leaking is evident.
2. Elbow where salt water is injected into the exhaust. Check every couple of years or if you observe steam in the exhaust.

This of course excludes regular maintenance such as impellor replacements etc. Age is more likely to kill diesel engines, not use.

Provided you keep maintenance up to date the motor is unlikely to need replacing for sometime. It is possible that it is only 1/3 of the way through its life.

The transmission oil condition in your sail drive will give an indication if you have problems there. The gaiter is almost a regular maintenance issue and should be replaced when the boat is hauled out and damaged gaiter is observed.

In relation to the seal, the 7 year timeframe does appear to be unduly short but should be observed, for insurance purposes if nothing else. I was told of one story where the saildrive hit something in the water so hard that the engine mount arms were bent. The engine ended up at a 45 degree angle but the seal did not leak.

Anyone who keeps the maintenance up to date, keeps the engine compartment clean and free of salt water and does not abuse the engine will probably not outlive their diesel engine.

regards
Craig
s/v "Shirley Valentine"

[BillGiles]

Get the engineers to check the cylinder pressure and tap into the oil pressure these will give you a good indication of engine health. Even then with lots of constant speed cruising there might be some bore glazing which is easily fixable. 4,000 hours maybe equates to 120,000 miles in a road car - just run in! In addition look carefully at the exhaust for blue smoke (burning oil) but you did not mention excessive oil consumption.

[Shirazyacht]

All
Thanks for the info re this topic. Am off out to Thailand this weekend for 2-3 weeks and will take her out and have a good look over the engine and sail drive. I'll have a talk with the charter manager about some of the points raised here. My main sticky point is the insurance. I'll discuss this with him also and see where we go.
I'll let you know what the outcome is.
Thanks