Need some opinions

Dmaxx85

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Ok so i got my 1991 volvo penta 230a running and idling ok. took it out on the water the first thing i noticed water coming out of the exhaust manifold a lot of water actually its cracked by the what looks to be a drain?... Im guessing the drain that should be used for winterizing the boat but the idiot that sold it to didnt do..... But i find this weird because when running/tuning the boat in my driveway the manifold didnt leak a drip of water. Why is this???? Also the boat kinda seemed to get hot the temp gauge reached 175 at one point. This seems a little warm???? Would the hole in the exhaust manifold cause the boat to over heat???? ALso the boat didnt seem to go very fast at all actually less than 10MPH i wonder if something is going on with my outdrive???? or what is going on???? So far this boat has been nothing but a nightmare!!!! At this point i dont kno if i should get a new manifold? just seems like i have more problems than i could have imagined. Any help would be great... thanks
 

Ciera2450

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Re: Need some opinions

cracks in your manifold are not a good sign....any water in the cylinders? or the oil?
On the muffs in your drive, these motors don't suck up water like they do in the lake/sea.
If it is just the drain **** that is cracked, thats an easy fix.
Crack in the manifold, usually requires new manifolds.
Yes, a leak in the manifold will lead to an overheat.

As for the slow speed, if you have water in cylinders it may not be firing on all of them.
Could be many things.

Aren't boats fun! lol
 

captmello

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Re: Need some opinions

175 is normal for the 230.

Yes you may need a new manifold. You can buy aftermarket mani's if you don't want to buy OEM.

the boat may need a tune up/timing belt/rebuild, its hard to see from here.

I would do a compression test first.

Are you a good mechanic?
 

Dmaxx85

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Re: Need some opinions

Yup in my eyes no way possible that this crack in my manifold could be welded or patched. So first thing where can i find an aftermarket manifold???? Also i checked my oil and it kinda looks like the oil may be diluted actually pretty sure there is water in the motor. And honestly how do i change the oil in a volvo penta 230a????? Honestly dont know where to start to change the oil so any help would be great.Thanks
 

captmello

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Re: Need some opinions

You may want to have your drivetrain checked over by someone familiar with your motor and outdrive. A good marine mechanic could save you a lot of hassle and money by just spending an hour going over it.

Or,

http://www.iboats.com/Manifold-4-cyl-Mallory/dm/*******.395095063--**********.382437174--view_id.711194

there is a drain plug in the bottom of the oil pan to drain your oil, like most motors. Or you can suck it up through the dipstick tube.

Here is a link to the service manual. Thanks to Don S.

http://www.4shared.com/file/64741910/25295432/230_250_251_131151171.html
 

Dmaxx85

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Re: Need some opinions

OK thanks. That aftermarket manifold is still expensive but what can ya do?.... Not being stupid but what am i gonna do with the oil as it comes out of the drain????
 

captmello

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Re: Need some opinions

I double up two contractor type garbage bags and drain the oil into them. they need to be heavy duty 3 mil type.

How about some pics?
 

Dmaxx85

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Re: Need some opinions

Ok I will get some pics tonight. So another question If I did get water in my motor through my exhaust manifold what could happen to my motor?what steps do I have to take to make sure I don't have any more water inside my motor? Any tips and help will be great thanks.
 

Dmaxx85

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Re: Need some opinions

O and one more thing how do i check the drive oil in the 230???? Should this also be changed?
 

Dmaxx85

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Re: Need some opinions

Well i didnt get the manifold yet but i found as used one on ebay i feel confident with buying a used one. Also i havent changed the oil yet but i did put the muffs on and the boat wouldnt even start. So at first i put the battery charger on and put on engine crank and even with the brand new battery and battery charger on and still the boat wouldnt turn over fast enough to fire. What could possibly be wrong here???? Is my lower end kinda seized up???? It doesnt look good to me i mean what else could it be????? PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!
 

captmello

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Re: Need some opinions

Well i didnt get the manifold yet but i found as used one on ebay i feel confident with buying a used one. Also i havent changed the oil yet but i did put the muffs on and the boat wouldnt even start. So at first i put the battery charger on and put on engine crank and even with the brand new battery and battery charger on and still the boat wouldnt turn over fast enough to fire. What could possibly be wrong here???? Is my lower end kinda seized up???? It doesnt look good to me i mean what else could it be????? PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!

The list of reasons for your engine not starting is long...If you do not have the mechanical experience to figure it out, you could be spinning your wheels.

I repeat what I said in Post 6,
You may want to have your drivetrain checked over by someone familiar with your motor and outdrive. A good marine mechanic could save you a lot of hassle and money by just spending an hour going over it.
 

Dmaxx85

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Re: Need some opinions

Well i always do all of the work on all of my vehicles. I understand what it takes for this motor to run gas, spark, and air. i can take things apart and put them back together as far as internals im not really familiar with them. But would could some of the common reasons this motor will not turn the motor over???? If it could be internals i dont want to but parts (exhaust Manifold) for this motor if its no good or if it could be rebuilt i would but where do i go from here????? Straight to an expert is not my first option. I need to have this motor running before i take it to someone if its gonna run than i can make it run but if say the bearings are bad im gonna pull the motor and go from there......Any help towards my next steps will be great without taking to a professional that i dont even kno where i would find one????? Thanks
 

sqbtr

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Re: Need some opinions

Have you pulled the plugs and tried to crank it yet? You said the manifold was cracked, it may be hydrolocked.
 

Dmaxx85

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Re: Need some opinions

Just pulled the plugs and cranked it and seemed to crank faster but still not fast enough. Put the plugs back in and again the engine barely turns over. So i hoping starter????? Or with my luck the bearing are shot in the bottom end???? How would i know if they were shot???? Guess i should prolly get a real mechanic lol.......
 

captmello

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Re: Need some opinions

Could be starter, battery, cables, etc. Unless you can troubleshoot it, we're just guessing. Can you test the voltage?
I'd do a compression test on the motor as well. Do you have the tools to do these things?
 

88wellcraft

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Re: Need some opinions

Sounds like to me you're jumping all over the place rather than methodically checking everything step by step.

there is a lot of good info at the top of this section on trouble shooting your engine....if you keep going from the engine to the outdrive and back just guessing at the problem it's going to cost you a lot of money and time.

In my opinion.....start with one problem fix it and move on to the next using the guides at the top of this section.:cool:
 

Dmaxx85

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Dmaxx85

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Jun 16, 2011
Messages
117
Re: Need some opinions

ok so to date i have replaced the cracked exhaust manifold and replaced the starter that was the reason the boat would not turn over fast enough so now the boat starts right up. Besides a few leaks in my copper cooling tubes the motor runs and idles pretty good.... So this is where im at now. as soon as i go to throttle up the boat starts off good feels like it might actually take off. But once its under load for about 7 seconds it just looses everything... Max speed 12 MPH... So my question is, could this be my outdrive????? or my carburetor ????? What else could it be?????
Or is my volvo just tired???? Any help would be great thanks
 

Don S

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62,321
Re: Need some opinions

If it sat for years, there is a strong possibility you have carb problems. You probably need to empty and clean the tank, same with the carbs and make sure you have a water separating fuel filter before the fuel pump.
Do a full tuneup, including a compression test. That means new points too, setting dwell and timing.
It all has to work together, and after setting for years, it's all needed.
 
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