A small installation problem can create an expensive-looking engine symptom.French Marine Motors describes an investigation into a Volvo Penta D6-330 that overheated as RPM increased. The reported cause was a split plastic elbow between a hose and the drive, damaged by an incorrectly installed clip. It is one company’s account...
A Volvo Penta D4 can run beautifully for years, and then one small change gets your attention.Maybe the boat is suddenly slower getting onto plane.Maybe the engine that normally reaches its expected RPM stops several hundred revolutions short.Maybe you see black smoke behind the boat.Or perhaps the EVC display gives...
You open the engine compartment, look down at a big green marine diesel and think:“It says Volvo Penta D6. Surely that's enough.”Unfortunately, this is exactly where a lot of expensive ordering mistakes begin.Here is a composite of a situation we see repeatedly in marine-engine enquiries.An owner needs a replacement component...
If a Volvo Penta fault code appears while you are underway, your first instinct is probably not to admire how sophisticated the engine-management system is.You want to know three things:What does this alarm mean? Can I keep running the engine? And what should I check first?Those are exactly the right...
A boat owner once described marine engine maintenance to me in a way that perfectly captures why people get caught out:“I thought maintenance started when the hour meter told me to do something.”That mindset is understandable.After all, when you think about wear, you naturally think about an engine running. Pistons...
“What is the best Volvo Penta marine engines?”It sounds like a simple question. But from a marine-engine specialist’s perspective, it is similar to asking, “What is the best vehicle?”A sports car, delivery truck and off-road vehicle may all be excellent, but each is built for a different job.The same principle...
One of the most common questions we receive at Titan Marine Diesel is:“My boat is 35 feet long. Which Volvo Penta engine should I buy?”It sounds like a straightforward question. But boat length alone does not tell us how much power the vessel needs.A lightweight 35-foot planing cruiser may require...
Choosing between a Volvo Penta D1, D2, D4, D6, D8, D11 and D13 can feel confusing.The model numbers move upward, but they do not create a simple ladder where a larger number is automatically the better choice. Each engine family is designed for a different range of vessel weights, hull...
Choosing a marine engine is not simply a matter of selecting a horsepower figure and finding the lowest online price.The engine must work with the vessel’s hull, loaded weight, gearbox, reduction ratio, propeller, exhaust system, cooling arrangement, controls and intended duty cycle. When one of those elements is incorrectly matched,...
Titan Marine Diesel, a common question we get is not about buying engines, it’s about replacing them.“When is it actually worth upgrading to a new Volvo Penta engine instead of repairing the existing one?”There isn’t one simple answer, but there are a few clear patterns we see in real world...
