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New Guy With Questions

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dropbear68

Contributing Member
I have just bought my first boat with a sterndrive after many years of outboards, I picked up a 21 foot steberCraft runabout which has a early VolvoPenta 140, this is the little engine found in the early volvos that had the dual SU strommies however this one has a marine carby, my questions are
Can power tilt be fitted to the leg?
Just how reliable are these motors engine was refreshed last season only done 2 hours since
It has a slight spark issue Im guessing the condensor has gone ewok on me, I have an old volvo wreck which has the same motor so now I will keep this motor as a spare, no doubt the points and condensor are standard items youd get at REPCO? \
I really need to know all I can about this engine and real quick, forewarned is forearmed lol Cheers Guys Andy
 
Andy, the OHC engines are good engines. Keep up with timing belt replacements, and install a new belt tensioner ( same as auto engine)!

As for ignition, the only option for electronic triggering is the Pertronix kit (and one or two others) of which use Hall Effect!
** You'll want to time this engine for the PA and TA (progressive and total advance) as per the Volvo Penta OEM specs, and pay less attention to what BASE advance is....... although BASE is still very important.

At this age, don't be surprised if the distributor's mechanical advancing system needs attention! Often the flyweight return springs have rusted and the spring value has become compromised.
These can be brought back into specs by a good tech with an old school distributor machine.
I'd not suggest doing this any other way!!!!!

When you time this engine for spark lead, see above **!



As for PT with a 270, 275 or 280 drive, no! These use a "lift out" device only!
In order to gain power trim, you would need the 280PT, or move into a 290 drive at minimum....... better yet, a "c" or later drive!

Run the "set pin" in the center position, and try it!



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Thanks Rick thats great advice mate, Ill pull the dizzy out of the car I have and have it done up, swap over and keep the original as a spare, I ask about tilt as Im spoilt having had large outboards ith tilt and trim is a pure blessing, makes one handed use much easier, b y the time you get the boat of the trailer and in the water usually at the ramps the tide is flowing either way so i would normally have one of the slaves hold the bow rope while I dive in lower the leg and warm things up prior to take off, as my new boat is much longer going from 15 foot to 21 foot things will be harder Im not as young or strong as I once was so having to man handle the Volvo leg down manually is going to be a chore then theres the beaching and lifting the leg out again, so this is why I love power tilt lol
 
The automotive distributor and the Marine distributor "curves" are different!
Do Not use the automotive distributor in this Marine Engine!


Your drive will have the electro mechanical lift out unit.
If it is working it will lift your leg as you are describing.




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I have just been playing around with it theres a few little jobs to keep me amused but what is amusing me at the moment is the gear shifter set up, it has twin shifters one I assume is the original Volvo unit which runs the throttle quiet happily, the second shifter is a chrysler type single lever shifter designed for two cables but only has one the Volvo leg shift cable, its siezed Im working on it now had to pull the control box to get an idea of how they modded it, the lever shifts fine with cable on fit the cable and shes stuck fast, no problem if I have to replace the bowden cable try and fix old one first, she turns over fine and I expect once I change the condensor and fit a choke cable it will run or at least i hope it will run, i will post up a pic of the motor tonite if I can work out how to do that
 
This motor is OHV as you say but its the real early motor with a carby and has a timing chain not a belt, baring in mind Im in australia so wether our models differ from the US models I have no idea which is why I will pop the pic of the motor up
 
I was told it was 140HP I know bugger all about the Volvos, I guess I better go hunting for numbers, it has a carby of local produced GM Holden very reliable simple thing, Im wary of any inboard petrol motor, this one will need some things changed like the fuel lines which have hardened with age, some metal fittings which are rusting Ill change out and Ill remove as many of the external engine bolts as I can and replace with stainless, the connector hoses on the exhaust manifold wher eit joins the outlet pipe need changing there split, the front of the motor is a bit surface rusted so Ill attack it with the dremel and a wire wheel and clean it all up, i guess some sacrificial annodes on the engine wont hurt, the shifter cable is seized for the leg, the aircleaner has been made out of 1/4 of a coffee can with the flip of lid, its a real bewdy, some backyad mechanics finest work lol, I like doing this sort of thing so It will keep me amused
 
The AQ115 designation refers to the engine..... not the drive!
The PZNR # refers to the drive, of which is likely a 250 drive....... or perhaps a 200.

If this is an older pushrod engine, I'd cut my losses now!
If memory serves me..... by 1975 this may have (or should have) been one of the OHC 4's.

Pictures would be worth quite a bit here.


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Yep its a pushrod motor, whats wrong with this set up? its survived all these years so cant be too terrible, parts probaly getting abit scarce but if it lasts me a while Ill look at another conversion some kind of shaft drive
 
The engine was recoed 2 years ago and has done no work, has a spark issue but once my foot is better Ill hop in and fix it, bound to be condensor, I have the bits, only thing id like to change is the bellows tween the leg and engine i dislike rubber like this in this area, luckily it has a bilge pump lol I am the safest boaty around if it isnt running right within 10 secs of leaving the ramp it goes back in, I have a supply of engine bits and a spare motor for odds and sodds, I can keep her going just need to learn the ropes with it.
 
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