Did Volvo build the Albin AD-21 22hp two cylinder diesel?

[albinandthechipmunks]

I have acquired a 1972 Albin 25' mini trawler with an Albin AD-21 22hp diesel 2 cylinder motor. Is this a Volvo-Penta engine block? If not who built the motor? Are replacement parts still readily available including parts needed for complete engine rebuilds? What modern era motors have been found to easily swap the AD-21 out with? This is my first diesel. What steps may I take to lengthen the life of the motor and drivetrain? (fuel additives, preferred brand of oil and weight etc?). Any help is much appreciated, thanks.

[jcollins]

Hello and welcome to the group. I am no expert when it comes to your boat but here are a couple of <snips> I found.

Auto Marine Engineers
Plateao Cox
Fl. Phone 305 635 2401

They may still be around. They implied that they were sole importers and that the engine was still being manufacured, although no longer imported.

2.) Mine was seized when I got it, though it turned out new rings were all I needed. I sourced mine from a major US manuf based on the size alone. Albin was not in their books, although the pistons were made by Wellworthy (UK out of business - claim to fame was that Welworthy pistons went into RR motorcars)

There is a co. in the UK offering parts and another in Sweden . They were expansive though.

Both of these were from boatdiesel.com. There is also a guy on the Yahoo site (Clive Collins) that has or had the engine.

As far as replacing, we have a few members here, that will jump in and give you some ideas.

Thanks for joining.

[JackK]

The engine division of Albin Marine was acquired by Volvo in 1981. So I'm guessing that your engine is a true Albin engine.

BoatDiesel is probably a really good place to start looking for info.

Jack

[Conrad Nay]

We also just acquired a 1972 Albin 25 that has a very sweet Yanmar 3 cylinder 27 HP engine. It was repowered about 10 years ago by a previous owner. (Sorry, the boat is about 1200 kilometres from here so I can't tell you the model number.)

Years ago we had a 1976 Albin Deluxe with a 3 cylinder Volvo; this Yanmar is MUCH quieter and smoother than the Volvo. And the 3 cylinder Volvo in turn was much smoother & quieter than the 2 cylinder Volvo/Albins that we checked out back when we made our first Albin purchase.

Other repower options that seem to work well are Betas and Westerbekes from what I've heard. The important thing is to not overpower, as the 1972 hull is purely displacement.

[JohnStew]

Yes, the Albin AD-21 engine (which I usually refer to with the word "magnificient" preceding the designation) was made by Albin Motor AB in Kristinhamn, Sweden. In fact, Albin were in the business of making engines long before they started making boats.

I love the thing and the lovely "putt,putt,,,putt,putt,,,putt,putt,,," sound it makes.

The AD-21 engine is a well made unit, and is (amazingly) supported with a full range of spare parts by Fors Marin of Sweden. Their American agent is AME Ship Equipment of Miami, who have been very helpful to me. If you Google them, you'll find their number instantly.

The AD-21 is much more conventional in construction than the Volvo MD-17 and related engines.

I did a simple overhaul three years ago on mine, and it is a very straightforward engine requiring no special training to service. You can download both the excellent service manual and complete spare parts manual (in English) for free from Fors Marin.

The only difficulty with this engine is the fact that the raw water cooling system tends to become fouled with mud and sea water scale. If it tends to overheat this may be the issue.

The good news is that the engine is so easy to remove from an A-25 that I am tempted to pull it to do the annual oil change.

Good Luck and feel free to contact me if you have any serious issues, which I doubt.

John Stewart