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2003 81 GiBF 95 hrs with blown head gasket

T

theomd

New member
"Just got some bad news my boa

"Just got some bad news my boat was pulled for winter storage and found to have blown head gasket on starboard engine VP 8.1GiBF. Noted that starboard engine was running a little rough late August when compared to port, but nothing that appeared striking. Oil pressure and temp always ok. Just seemed to run slightly rough at idle and had higher fuel consumption. Mechanic noted that 2 adjacent cylinders had 30psi with compression testing. Gasket failed between two adjacent cylingers - at narrowest part. ECM shows no error codes. No evidence of water intrusion - lucky me! They showed me the actual gasket and about a 10-15mm opening at the narrowest part of the gasket between 2 cylinders. Any thoughts as to why this failure may have occured anything else I should be looking for or discussing with the Marina. I would guess that this is an unusual failure for an engine with only 95 hrs on it.

Purchased boat 10/04 a 2003 Doral 330se with only 25hrs on her I only put 70hrs for a total of about 95hrs on the engines. The boat surveyed well - Bristol and the 70 hrs used were idle to cruise at 3000RPM. Engines just out of warranty by 3 months. No overheating problems or water noted in oil. No excess oil or antifreeze use. I have also contacted Volvo Penta as the mechanic "thinks that this has been present for a while." and hopefully they will assist with reapairs. Thanks for the input."
 
"Lost a head gasket in mine as

"Lost a head gasket in mine as well, and for no good reason. The block is probably grooved from the leak blasting thru there. If it won't clean up (mill out) you may need another block.

Damn shame that it's just out of warantee! Boats can be cruel at times.

Jeff

PS: Recommend you get a compression test on the other engine, in case some dope of an assembler screwed up htere as well."
 
"Ted,

Although the 8.1 has

"Ted,

Although the 8.1 has had an excellent service record, the one wart it has seems to be head gaskets. It is not a chronic problem, but I have seen more of this than any other problem. When repairing, be sure to use the factory replacment gasket. This will insure you have a factory warranty on the repair part. Also, be sure to have the head and the block surfaces checked.

Being the second owner, also confirm that the oil line recall has been performed by Volvo, if applicable. They had some external oil line problems which took out the lower end on some engines. I don't know the bulletin number, but your VP dealer will know it.

Good luck
Rick"
 
Thanks for the input. Do you g

Thanks for the input. Do you guys think that VP will help with the repair given the above and also given that the mechanic states this has been present for a while. What is the best way to approach VP on this?? I have an email into them and will hopefully hear from them on mon.

Ted
 
"First of all was the factory

"First of all was the factory warranty transfered when you purchased the boat? A factory warranty is normally only good for the original purchaser, although many manufacturers will offer to transfer the balance of the original warranty to the second owner for a fee.

If you don't have documentation of the warranty in your name, Volvo doesn't know who you are and is not going to do anything for you.

If you do have verified factory warranty, simply have the dealer make the repairs. When they file the claim there is a space for the "Failure Date" in the claim form. This is the date used to determine your warranty eligibility, not the repair date.

If this date is within your warranty period, there will not be an issue. Your dealer should know how to handle this. In fact, if they felt is was an old problem they should have covered it without thinking about it.

Good luck
Rick"
 
"Hi can anyone help?
I am loo

"Hi can anyone help?
I am looking at a friends AQAD31A 130hp engine for non start. Before i got to it they had replaced fuel filters and injectors for a non start situation . I have looked at the engine and found no voltage to fuel stop solinoid which i have repaired . The fuel system is bled and there is a good amount of fuel reaching injectors . However the engine appears to crank slow (the batteries have been replaced and starter is new) . When i leaned over the back to check exhaust for signs of smoke on cranking , i could hear and see that engine seemed to be sucking on one of its cycles . It was apparent as it was pulling shut the exhaust plate at regular intervals on crank.
Anyway i was wondering if anyone could confim my diagnosis as head gasket (have you had this )?

Cheers
Neil"
 
"Update!!!

VP got back to m

"Update!!!

VP got back to me. They cannot find the cause for the head gasket failure. As mentioned before the engine is out of warranty (6/25/05), but they have agreed to pay for one-half of all repair costs associated with repair of the head gasket and provide all parts free of charge.

It is great to have a company that stands behind its products and helps its customers after the sale and warranty period."
 
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