Volvo Penta Dealer Network

I have a Volvo Penta MD2040B i

I have a Volvo Penta MD2040B in my sailboat. On a passage from Portugal to the Azores this summer the engine wouldn't start two days out. Problem was diagnosed as water in the crankcase by Azores Volvo Penta dealer. Engine re-built at considerable expense. I then sailed to the Canary Islands. Same problem: water in the crankcase. Canaries Volvo Penta dealer thinks water may be coming in through air intake. This makes no sense. I am losing faith in the professionalism of the dealer network. Any thoughts or experience?

You're going to find good

You're going to find good people and bad people wherever you go. You could write a letter to Volvo describing your problems.

I would get a second opinion from a different diesel mechanic. It doesn't have to be a Volvo shop.

"This is an indirectly cooled

"This is an indirectly cooled engine but I assume you are not seeing any loss from the closed coolant system and therefore assume it is sea water finding its way into the crankcase. There are two likely ways in which this could occur. One is by syphoning in via the exhaust injection point. The other is via defective seals on the sea water pump.

If the injection into the exhaust is not well above the water level then you must have an antisyphon (VP call it a vacuum breaker) fitted at the top of a loop in the pipe between engine and exhaust. These valves can be come blocked and should be checked periodically for correct operation. (Vetus and no doubt others do a version without a valve as such that discharges a constant stream over board or into a cockpit drain.

There are several slightly different seawater pumps fitted to 2040 engines but all have two seals fitted back to back. One stops water leaking from the pump the other stops oil leaking from the engine. Normally there is a telltale drain between the two so that any water leaking past the water seal drops into the bilges. If this drain does not exist in your pump or if it is blocked then water can get into the crank case from here.

Two things to investigate then, but any mechanic worth half a grain of salt should have investigated both already.

I would not expect a samll quantity of water in the crankcase to prevent the engine starting but water getting in via the exhast will partly fill one of the cyliders and prevent the engine from turning when you attempt to start it (and cause appreciable damage at the same time)"