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Volvo D6 310 HP, good engine?

Discussion in 'Engines' started by Norseman, Dec 16, 2015.

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  1. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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  2. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    10,000 hours? How many years are you thinking?

    I'm not the expert some here will be on this subject, but my general awareness says there is nothing wrong with the engine, although fewer people perhaps familiar with it and knowledgeable in servicing it. As with anything Volvo, parts can sometimes be a problem and a delay. I'd certainly choose a 2015 Volvo though over an 20 year old engine of other brands.
  3. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    I plan to be around for very long time and a good diesel, like the one in my previous boat, a Perkins 4-108, can run 15,000 hours if taken good care of.

    Okay, call it 5000 hours then on the Volvo, with 15 Bahamas cruises per year, each trip 60 hrs, I would rack them hours up pretty fast.
    5-6 years perhaps. Or more likely 10 years, but thinking ahead.
  4. K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    I have used two of them in tenders and have not experienced or heard of any major problems one had a blower clutch fail which was attributed to water having got on it and causing it to slip a few times but this was saved by machining a bit off the steel to expose the fibre stuff mid charter, the other one was beached and swamped by a large wave and was declared a write off by the time it could be extracted from the sand.

    I have seen some reports on line of EVC problems but not experienced any myself.
  5. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    Thanks K1W1.
    Turns out the engine in the boat I am looking at is not quite a brand new 2015
    Volvo D6, but rather a 2015 Long Block. The original motor in the boat was a Volvo D6 in 2005, a $6,000 option on the Albin 28 according to the seller.
    The old engine had a bad piston/cylinder and the owner decided to have Volvo install the Long Block 5/2015 with a 1 year warranty.
  6. K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    If its been rebuilt by Volvo it should be sweet. Just make sure it doesn't sit for long periods where it can ingest salty air through open valves and perform the regular maintenance and you should get a good run out of it as with any modern engine from a reputable manufacturer.
  7. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    Ok, thx again.
    Will, keep thinking about it.
    This one is priced a bit high for the year, even with the Long Block.
    (Fuel system, turbo and electrics would still be 2005 I assume)

    Will keep away from salt, not hard to do as my boats live 2 miles in-land on a residential canal in Fort Lauderdale, brackish waters and very little salt expect on the Margarita glass:)
  8. Oscarvan

    Oscarvan Senior Member

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    Someone on another forum, when asked the similar question, said:"Good engine, but bring a defibrillator when visiting the parts department"......
  9. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Actually keeping away from salt is harder than you think. The air has it. In our area about 10 times the content of the middle of the country. However, we don't approach the salt content of the air off the Eastern Seaboard further north. So, what K1W1 said still applies, plus you are going to be using it a good bit.
  10. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    All true, expensive parts and salt in the air.
    Yeah, will rinse and repeat after each cruise, no problem.
    Still debating whether I want to take on another long distance inspection.
    Already had tentative deals on 3 of these Albin 28s.
    2 of them fell through on the survey and the third disappeared under my nose after the seller and I had a firm deal @ $75k, then he responded to a higher offer and sold it as if it was an auction.
    (I should have put a deposit on the table, but perhaps I was naive and thrusted a handshake over the almighty Dollar :))
  11. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Volvo D6's are good motors with no inherent problems. They run smooth and pretty clean. However, they have several secondary fuel and several oil filters that are a bit on the spendy side to service them.
  12. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    Thanks Capt. J.
    I may go further on this deal.
    How was the run from Nassau?
    Boring hopefully, which is good in your business. :))
  13. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Verrrry interesting. Landed 10:15am, got underway at 2pm, after owner and wife got off, got everything ready, 3 pizzas from the pizzeria etc. Was calm when we left and then at 5pm a cat runs from back by the donzi and waverunners around the front of them and hides under one of the waverunners, couldn't coerce the cat to come out. Started off at 9.3 knots and by this morning was at 8.6 knots. This morning there was Cat poop under the Donzi and on top of the waverunner seat after the cat tore open the cover which was ready to tear anyways, but no cat. A bit bumpy crossing the stream (4's with occasional 5's right on the beam, some movement but not bad, but a lot better dealing with it in the daylight, but got docked at 11:30am so not bad time-wise. Took off the covers on everything, looked for the Cat, nowhere to be found. cleared customs, renewed the cruising permit, mate and I ate late lunch on flanigans and headed home at 5pm. Engineer and assistant went home right after clearing immigration. Tired, but no issues.

    Well, had one small one when checking/changing fuel filters in Nassau, the water sensor fell off of one racor and it started draining fuel, only had a shutoff on the output of it and main supply to all 3 racors, luckily I had some racor rebuild kits on board and it had a rubber plug in the kit that fit the water sensor hole in the bowl perfectly and stopped the leak. Only slept from 10-3am while the mate had the helm, I ran it 2pm-10pm and 3am-11:30am.....engineer and helper did their own shifts but one of them was awake the entire time as well......
  14. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    Aye Capt. J.
    Interesting trip for sure.
    I thought about volunteering for the run, but lazied out.
    Being the Junior guy onboard I would probably end up chasing puzzy all night. Glad I stayed home, but perhaps next time.
    I am good at staying awake all night after 27 years of doing long-haul on big airplanes. At least we had a stew coming up to now and then to offer coffe and to laugh at some dirty joke.
    Hope you had the same:)
  15. Oscarvan

    Oscarvan Senior Member

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    Did you report the cat to Ag? Just kidding.:confused:
  16. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Shhhuush
  17. Oscarvan

    Oscarvan Senior Member

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    No more dirty jokes. Plenty of them out there baiting you for a sexual harassment suit. The business has changed.
  18. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Party poopers.
  19. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    Aye, seen both sides of that coin.
    One international airline I flew for, with long 12 hour legs, some of the female flight attendants would come up in the cockpit, tell dirty jokes, rub our neck and shoulders to gain favors, then ask if they could smoke in the cockpit?
    (Sure, go for it, and do my neck again rubbing them t!ts on my arm:))
  20. Norseman

    Norseman Senior Member

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    Aye, these days one has to be careful, polite and politically correct.
    Easy to get turned in if you are a pig.:eek: