77 Volvo Penta overheating quickly.

[77GALAXIE]

My Volvo Penta 4 cyl. is overheating rather quick. To add to the maddness I have water in my oil which looks like a vanilla shake under the valve cover. But after I removed the valve body and looked at the condition of the head gasket I noticed the oil in the block didnt look corrupted. I didnt see any signs of blow by on the head or the gasket but I am getting water from somewhere. I turned my attention to the pump impeller. It is in great shape but where it links to the block the rubber guild was cracked and it looks like water is getting by. The housing that the pump and pully for the altenator mount to ; Is water not suppose to get in there. If so I am thinking my upper and lower seals could be bad where the crank shaft is mounted. The block is steel and the portion the pump mounts to is aluminium. I trying to issolate the problem and any help would be great. Is there an ideal site for parts on a 1977. Local dealers here have been no help at all. Thanks

 

[captmello]

Re: 77 Volvo Penta overheating quickly.

what model engine are you running? AQ???

do you happen to know?

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: 77 Volvo Penta overheating quickly.

Since you have the head off, take it to a local machine shop and have it check for cracks and flatness. It cant hurt and may save you some headache.

As for the water in the oil under the valve cover, when the motor gets hot it will get condensation in the top and mix with the oil. This is not good but the heat makes this result, water in the oil is not the cause.

 

[77GALAXIE]

Re: 77 Volvo Penta overheating quickly.

I'm sad to say that I still trying to figure that out. I just got the boat from my neigbor. What I do know is it is 130 hp with 280 outdrive. 4 cyl. I am new to this and still trying to navigate my way around.

 

[77GALAXIE]

Re: 77 Volvo Penta overheating quickly.

Thanks for your reply. At this point I only have the Valve body off. The Block is still mounted to the mounts which pinch together with the outdrive on the aft wall. I dont have a engine hoist to remove the block and I still looking at how it all will come apart. Good news is I just sent of for the manual and should get it by monday. I'm going to find a place local if I can to have it all x-rayed. Hopefully while still mounted. Where's the line drawn on a 1977 anyways. I might name her Money Pit.

 

[captmello]

Re: 77 Volvo Penta overheating quickly.

The AQ refers to the engine model.

Does the engine have one or two carbs?

Do you know if it is raw water cooled? Does the engine have antifreeze in it?

 

[P 0 P E Y E]

Re: 77 Volvo Penta overheating quickly.

May I suggest you stop taking the engine apart until the book arrives.

Overheating is usually caused by something that bolts onto the engine and not the engine block.

you removed the head? or did you remove the valve cover?

Improper disassembly can cause damage.

Define the problem before you turn a once running, assembled engine into a basket case.

 

[77GALAXIE]

Re: 77 Volvo Penta overheating quickly.

Captmello, The motor had two carbs and is raw water cooled. I'm going to look further into engine specs and find out exactly what I have. Popeye, I agree with you on the overheating. I plan on testing the termostat tomorrow. I'm going to try the boiling pot of water trick to see if it expands. I hope thats it. Yes to the head removal. I was up to around five boat mechanics telling me it was water in the oil before I was told about condensation forming due to heat. Which makes alot of sense now that it is apart. But at least I've crossed that bridge. Being a new boater, I'm on the learning curve of what I'm told. Thanks for your tip.

 

[captmello]

Re: 77 Volvo Penta overheating quickly.

I think you've got an AQ130D. Go to this link. type AQ130d in the 'engine type' box and hit enter.

Have a look at the PDF's that are available for that engine and see if it looks like yours.

http://www.volvo.com/volvopenta/global/en-gb/marine_leisure_engines/parts_service/publication_search/publication_search.htm

Did you drain the rest of the oil to confirm there is no more water?

You want to make sure before putting money into the engine and boat.

Good Luck.

 

[77GALAXIE]

Re: 77 Volvo Penta overheating quickly.

AQ130D Sounds right. I'll have to check the site later. I had to leave on assignment before I could drain all of the oil. Having said that, When I removed the valve body there was still a little water left and it drained down in the block. OOPPPS. One thing thing to note that I would not have noticed if I didnt take it all apart. I was storing the parts before I left and heard something metal rattling around inside the valve body. It sounds like a flat thin piece of tin. I am going to look at it further when I get back. Any comments on how I could make sure all of the water gets out. I was thinking of dropping the whole pan and running oil over all of the crank shaft. Thanks for the link.

 

[77GALAXIE]

Re: 77 Volvo Penta overheating quickly.

Captmello, Any ideas on the metal i was refering to?

 

[captmello]

Re: 77 Volvo Penta overheating quickly.

I guess when you say valve body, you mean the head.

It shouldn't rattle.

Why did you take the head off?

You really need to drain the oil and see if there is water in it. What does the oil look like on the dipstick? Is it overful? Could it have been winterized improperly to cause the block to crack? It it a salt water or fresh water?

 

[Robj]

Re: 77 Volvo Penta overheating quickly.

As for the water in the oil under the valve cover, when the motor gets hot it will get condensation in the top and mix with the oil. This is not good but the heat makes this result, water in the oil is not the cause.

I don't think this is correct. A very small amount of water in the oil is normal and will evaporate once the engine reaches operating temperature. Seeing a sludge on the valve cover or oil filler cap to me indicates that the problem is more than just normal condensation.


Have a great day

Rob.

 

[77GALAXIE]

Re: 77 Volvo Penta overheating quickly.

I had a look at the PDF files. You were right. AQ130D. I removed the head to examine the head gasket and check for signs of water blowing by it. As for the rattling I'm going to have a look this weekend. The oil didn't look out of the ordinary. Nothing like I was seeing under the valve cover. I'm really starting to think that water was not an issue and I paniced from what others were telling me. When I took off the cover it was only froffy near the oil cap and not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I am starting to think that the rattleing I was hearing is the culprit and was causing a blockage of some kind. I really appreciate your help on this.

 

[captmello]

Re: 77 Volvo Penta overheating quickly.

Well, I hope the engine is all right. I'd hate to see you dump a bunch of money into an engine with a cracked block. However the only way to tell if its cracked is to run it and watch for water in the oil. Since the head is off, You may a well bring it to a machine shop an have it checked out. You were premature in pulling the head, IMO, so you'll have to spend the money now to have it checked. Shouldn't be too expensive however.

While the head is in the shop, do an oil change. the oil should be transparent, If it looks like chocolate milk, it's got some water in it.

Like Robj said, condensation is normal but shouldn't cause the oil to become cloudy and milky.

Once you get the head reinstalled we can get to the overheating issue.

 

[Maclin]

Re: 77 Volvo Penta overheating quickly.

It seems to me that the AQ130's and other Volvo engines that size were fresh water cooled due to the alloy heads and/or block . In either case you should have drained the coolant passages first, but you know that now. Cap'n Mello's advice is spot on. I will go on and mention that your troubleshooting method is off base for a cooling problem. Your terminology is also odd, that all by itself is not a real problem but indicates a naivety that can hinder any real progress. You have found good technical help here at iboats though.

If it is freshwater cooled it will have a small tank up high on the engine somewhere with a cap on it just like a radiator cap in a car. If it is fresh water cooled and there has been good aintifreeze in that part of the system the block would probably not have cracked during a freeze. Antifreeze is re-circulated thru the engine and a heat exchanger by the engine's circulating water pump, this part of the system gets pressurized hence the need for the pressure relief cap. Raw water is drawn in from the lake via the raw water pump on the front of the engine, separate unit from the engine's circulating pump. There is a strainer for the raw water side, if it is plugged up then cooling is hindered. The strainer is easily serviced.

The most likely cause of an overheat condition in either a fresh water cooled or raw water cooled is the raw water pump impeller, especially if it has not been changed for a couple of seasons or more. Next is raw water cooling blockages. Next is hose/plumbing problems from the drive to the raw water pump. That is not all but those are the major ones.

 

[77GALAXIE]

Re: 77 Volvo Penta overheating quickly.

Thanks for all of your help. I will revisit the cooling issue once re-assembly is complete. Cheers.