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Vovlo Penta Gas Engine Identification

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How do I identify my Volvo Penta gas engine and what does the model name tell me about the engine?

A metal tag is riveted to all Volvo Penta engines. Some of our products also have the information on a decal on the top of the product. Locate any of these on your engine and you will know the model. In the case above the name is 5.7Gi-B.

What does the model name tell me about my engine?

Several methods have been used to provide the engines with unique names. Some were based on horsepower ratings. More recent names are based on the displacement of the engine in liters.

Each time the name was changed, it was due to some change in the parts content of the engine. Sometimes the changes were minor, sometimes they were major. The changes may or may not affect the parts that you need for example a repair.

There are three distinct periods of gas engine production, each with a different naming method.

Red Engines, early

Very early engines, built until the late 1980.s, were named based on the displacement (early) or horsepower (later) of the engines. The name started with AQ (sterndrive engine), BB (inboard) or MB (inboard). Next came the number for the displacement or horsepower. Most of these also included a one letter suffix, for version control. An AQ271A is older (and different) than a AQ271B.
Examples: AQ260A, AQ171C, AQ200F, BB260A

These engine names then changed to a system based on displacement. The names were a three digit number, followed by a letter. The first two digits of the number represented the displacement. The 43 in 434A meant the engine was a 4.3L. The third digit was used for version control. A 430 and a 431 are both 4.3L.s, however the last digit indicates there is difference between the engines. The numbers at the third digit were not always sequential. 430.s were built before 431.s, however 432.s and 434.s were built at the same time.

The letter at the end was also used for version control and was sequential. A 500A was built before a 500B. These engines went out of production in 1993.
Examples: 432A, 500B, 251A, 740B

Nothing in the names in either of these systems relates in any way to years of production. Some of these engines were in production for less than a year, others for many years.

Charcoal engines

These engines were built during the joint venture with OMC and were painted a dark charcoal color. They were usually named by long character strings that contain two numbers followed by a series of letters.



  • The two numbers are the displacement.
  • Next is the letter that indicates who made the base engine. ( G=GM, F=Ford)
  • After that, one or two letters that note the fuel system and/or output. L=Limited, S=Superior, X=Exceptional, i or I=Fuel injected (no I means carburated).
  • Then one letter for the steering system. P=Power steering, M=Manual steering, X=Exact steering, I=Inboard
  • The next two letters are the most important for finding parts. These are random letter pairs that indicate the years of production for the engine. All parts information for these engines is based on these letter codes, including the charts that follow later in the book.



MD = 1993-1994 BY = 1997-1998
HU = 1994-1995 WT = 1998-1999
NC = 1995-1996 EF = 1999-2000
LK = 1996-1997

The next letter is also random and is used for version control. An .A. may not be the first version. .A.C. may not have been built before an .S.. An .S. in one engine's name may not mean the same thing as an .S. in another engine's name, especially if the engines have different displacements or production years. When needed this code is noted in the charts. There are instances where it is needed to find the right column for an engine.

Some names have the letters .CE. at the end. This indicates the engine meets certain emission requirements. The only service part affected is the ECU. These part numbers are noted when needed in the catalogs.

These engines went out of production in 2000.

Examples:

4.3GLPBYC = 4.3L, G=GM, L=limited output, carbureted (no i), P=power steering, BY=built 1997-1998, C=service code for version control.

5.8FSiPNCACE = 5.8L, Ford, Superior output, injected, power steering, NC=built 1995-1996, A service code, certified emissions.

7.4GLPHUS = 7.4L, GM, limited output, carbureted, power steering, HU=built 1994-1995, S service code.

3.0GLMMDA = 3.0L, GM, LIMITED output, carbureted, manual steering, MD=built 1993 1994, A service code.

Red Engines, current

Beginning in 2000 the gas engines are painted red again. The naming system was also changed. The first part of the name is the same as the charcoal engines, up to the letters for the fuel system.



  • The two numbers are the displacement.
  • Next is a letter that indicates who made the base engine. New engines have been added that use Volvo Penta's new Ocean Series sterndrives, these engines have an OS for this letter.
  • After that, one or two letters that note the fuel system and/or output.
  • For 3.0L only, there is an M or P for the steering
  • For Inboard engines only, there is an I after the lower case i.
  • Then a dash (-) followed by a one or two letter suffix. This is the major change from the charcoal engines above.
  • The first letter is the version control, this is present on all current engines. .A is the first version, -B is the second version, etc. There is no link between the suffix and production years. All engines with .A were not built the same year. A 5.7GXi-B and a 5.0GXi-B are not similar. A 4.3GL-D is newer than and different from a 4.3GL-C.
  • The second letter, if present is always an F, it notes that the engine is freshwater cooled.
    Examples: 3.0GLM-C, 4.3GXi-DF, 5.0OSi-E, 8.1GXiI-B
 
Wow, that's great info ! You just helped me identify the volvo-penta engine in the 1961 Bell Boy I just bought, thank you !
There was another small plate with "SPEC 9419" engraved on it. Any ideas what that means?
 
I agree, good information to have here.

If I may add this.....
Not all understand that the AQ style drives were continued right along side of the SX and DP-S Gimbal system drives up through 1996 in the gasoline engines, and into the 2k for some diesel engines.
While the designation no longer used "AQ" in the identification, these are Main Suspension fork/Pivot Tube geometry drives.

Examples in the Ford engine line:
The 5.8FIPNCACE, 5.8FIPNCSCE, 5.8FLINCS, 5.8FLPNCA, 5.8FLPNCS, 5.8FSIPNCACE, 5.8FSIPNCS are all Gimbal system drives.
During similar year runs, the
5.8FIPNCBCE, 5.8FIPNCMCE, 5.8FLPNCB, 5.8FLPNCM are all Main Suspension fork/Pivot Tube geometry drives.
These are Apples/Oranges by comparison.
Basically, the cone clutch and lower gear unit arrangement are similar ONLY.
The suspension is entirely different.

The same thing occurs within the GM engine line.


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BTW, I want to mention something else that comes up from time to time, and that is PDS removal and bearing/seal replacement.

With the Ford 5.8FIPNCBCE, 5.8FIPNCMCE, 5.8FLPNCB, 5.8FLPNCM etc, etc......, and with the GM 5.7GLPMDA, 5.7GIPMDA, 5.7GIPMDACE, etc, etc, (just to name several) these are all Main Suspension fork/Pivot Tube geometry drives.
What these have in common, is the single bearing PDS, unlike the earlier AQ series GM V-8 PDS.
The single bearing PDS can be removed without pulling the engine, very similar to the OHC 4 engine PDS.

I mention this because all too often we will read on these on-line forums, and/or we are being told by Volvo Penta shops that engines must be removed for this bearing replacement.
Baring extreme corrosion issues, this is far from true!

This beginning season alone, I have replaced three single PDS bearings, and all without removing the engine.

This is just an FYI and Heads Up for you guys so that you keep your money in your pocket, and keep from being taken advantage of.


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Keep in mind that this is a "Sticky" thread for posting information, not necessarily for asking questions.
If you have any AQ series or later Volvo Penta related questions, I'm sure that the forum administration would prefer that you ask your questions by starting a new thread in the Volvo Penta forum section.

Here's more information that should help you identify your AQ series drives.
 

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i have a 1997 Volvo penta 4.3 GS however the engine model number is faded and i cant read it. This would be the location on top of the motor by one of the valve covers. ou stated that there should be anotherlcation that is riveted also to the engine with this information? Any idea where? Everytime people ask me for the type of engine i can never give them an answer
 
i have a 1997 Volvo penta 4.3 GS however the engine model number is faded and i cant read it. This would be the location on top of the motor by one of the valve covers. ou stated that there should be anotherlcation that is riveted also to the engine with this information? Any idea where? Everytime people ask me for the type of engine i can never give them an answer

You have posted to a thread that was started in 2011, and was intended to be a "Sticky" thread for info only, not necessarily for questions.

When we have questions, it is always best to start a new thread for our specific topic.



Meanwhile, go to this website and see if you can find the correct engine/drive package.
Look at the 4.3 designations.
Unfortunately you will not be able to search by year.

https://www.marinepartseurope.com/en/volvo-penta-schematics-MarineGasolineEngines.aspx



If you still have questions, please start a new thread.





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