MD17C in A25

[DesertAlbin736]

Oh by the way Sunsetrider, a bit off subject, but if all goes as planned later this summer, we may be passing through Kingston, ON by car on or around Sept 6th & do a little sightseeing around Thousand Islands not far from your area on our way to Maine. We should plan a meetup & swap boat stories!?!

[WillieC]

Au contraire, DA! La Dolce Vita is a fine boat! Very nicely appointed and extremely usable and used! Now I need to put hours on ours. And learn the new things about this engine and tranny. Yesterday I got into some shallow water and killed the engine so as to not ding my new prop as if that would have prevented it. Once the immediate danger passed I went to restart and it would not catch for love nor money. Now I'm thinking the muffler is filling with water and the fuel is loading up and crap I'm still in quite shallow water, but fortunately moving out. Why won't this b...start?! Oh, the stop cable is pulled out. This is a new feature of this engine as opposed to the MD3B. A Separate Stop Cable. Hmm... I could probably steal some more parts off the 3B and make it work like the old system. It had a spring loaded low idle stop that you overrode to stop the engine. Trouble is, I could not feel when the spring engaged, and the idle was not properly set what with the lousy compression, etc. etc... I have a new(ish) engine! WOOHOO! Now I need an airhorn to bug all my neighbors!

[DesertAlbin736]

Thanks for the compliment (blushing).

"Oh, the stop cable is pulled out. This is a new feature of this engine as opposed to the MD3B. A Separate Stop Cable. "

Yup, that'll do it. Just have to get into the habit of pushing the stop cable back in each time you shut down the engine so it's ready to start next time. Don't know how your single lever shift/throttle is, but on ours, (which I think was OEM Albin) there's this button you can push when in neutral which will disengage the shift function to allow advancing the throttle without engaging forward gear. We always make sure that's engaged before starting the engine. Our engine tends to vibrate while idling at low RPM and smooths out at about 1,000 RPM. But with no glow plug it takes a bit of cranking to start in cold weather (cold in these parts being anything 50* or less).

[WillieC]

I don't think the single lever was original equipment. Mine has two controls, one for throttle, one for transmission and they are not interconnected. I adapted these controls, which came with the MD3B, to work on the 17C. The throttle cable connection was almost the same, but I did rob a piece at the governor housing from the 3B. The transmission cable needed a bit of modification as I described earlier. And I added the separate stop cable graciously supplied by one of the scavenged engine owners. (He installed a Beta in his and was happy to see many things VP go away.) I located the knob for the stop cable just to the right of the helm seat, actually bolted to the seat frame. To stop engine, pull up sharply, and sometimes it doesn't return, thus my earlier problem. It will become routine for sure.

Went for a two hour run and she performed perfectly. I am finding it hard to believe I found the sweet spot on my first adjustment. Will do more vigorous testing once I do first (actually, second) oil change. Both the initial difficult starting I experienced when bench testing the rebuild and the lack of throttle response on first splash and under actual load were solved by backing the control screw out about 1/8", thereby allowing more fuel to flow. Did not see any black smoke today, but then again I am not running her hard yet. Though I did run it aground, sort of. Minus tide plus little boat hook (not mooring ball) plus onshore breeze snuck up on us with a house full of guests. Oops! But what a gentle landing on a bed of muddy sand and eel grass. Nothing to do but wait an hour, check the rudder and prop and and don't let it happen again!

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[DesertAlbin736]

Ha ha! I do believe the nautical term for that (low tide grounding) is called 'careening', which old timey sailing ships did purposely to clean bottoms, etc.

Our sailing club actually has a good humored rotating award for mishaps like that and other boat handling/sailing goofs/mistakes that happened to be witnessed, corroborated, and tattled on in real time by other member(s). It's called the "Fruitcake Burgee", a special flag the the 'winner' must fly until able to hand it off to the next victim. And no, we've never got one (but only because we've never been caught in the act)

In any case that's a cool picture. At our lake the "tide" goes out once a year, by as much as 40 feet or more as the lake is drawn down in summer months, and the "flood" tide starts back up in November as the lake is pumped back up until reaching maximum level in March.

[WillieC]

It is official. We now have at least a Six Hour Boat! After two and a half weeks of visiting relatives we today took the opportunity to leave on an extended run. I have been chasing minor fuel leaks and a more troublesome transmission leak and finally turned the corner a couple days back. The fuel leak is at the diaphragm of the lift pump and is barely perceptible, but I know it is there. Will keep close eye on it. Other than the mess if it leaks too much, one may run the risk of losing the prime, but I installed an electric pump that makes short work of that tedious job. The transmission leak is from a modified oil fill/dipstick cap that somebody thought needed a hole drilled in it to vent. The hole is crooked and I am quite certain it is not official VP endorsed. Swapped cap out with another that has NO HOLE. Hmm...

The main issue right now is determining the correct setting for the fuel volume/injection pump stroke screw. I wish they actually called it that. It was originally designed to be super secret that only VolvoPenta Whisperers knew how to adjust. Well most of them have moved on to the Albin Rendezvous in the sky so we luddites are left to our own devices.

What I know so far. When I first splashed it a couple weeks back it was clearly too lean, so I backed it out two or three turns. It ran like a top at that setting, but I was dubious that I got it perfect on my first attempt. Also, occasionally I would hear a big Bang! from the general location of the engine. That usually after running at 2000 or even a little higher. So I turned the super secret screw in one turn and that is where I have been running it to get my first ten hours in for oil change and valve adjustment.

Is it right yet? Who knows? So after our six hour run up (and back) to the mouth of the Dewatto river I decided that I need to know if I can get full rpm (2600) out of her at this setting. Sometimes at this setting, the idle will drop way below where it is set, like it is starving when I pull it all the way back. Most times, when I pull against the low idle stop it comes right down to 750 and holds. Not always. Anyway, all I can get right now is 2200 with no black smoke as near as I can tell. I see and can smell the steam from the water injection exhaust, but no heavy soot is showing up, only at cold start as it should. I think I am a tad lean so I will back the magic screw out half a turn, warm it up good, check my idle and see if I get more revs out of her. I know, I know, bottom clean, check, proper prop pitch, check, full moon over Mt. Rainier, check. Injection pump timing, check, rebuilt pump and injectors, check. I still think it is the magic screw. The book only describes "initial setting" and goes on to say that it must be bench tested to dial it in. Doesn't make sense. Those old Swedes didn't install an injection pump only to haul it out if it wasn't dialed. So I will back it out a tad and see what happens.

This setting is crucial and may be a part of the old bent pushrod syndrome these beasts have been known to incur. I recently spoke with a sailboater who rebuilt his 17C a couple years back and has had this happen to him twice since. He thinks his is caused by carbon loading in the combustion chamber/valve area that hangs up a valve and POW! I do not need this grief. He is swapping out this winter.

The run to Dewatto is significant in that we attempted this run last summer and that is when the old MD3B gave up the ghost. Coolant in the oil, cylinders weeping oil at the bases, oil pressure SAD, VERY SAD! This time, a sweet run on a gorgeous day. Varied throttle settings all day every five minutes or so to make sure the rings are properly seating. Fuel burn seems a bit high, but our measuring stick is not at all verifiable and I am accelerating and decelerating all day long. To be expected at this point. We'll worry about half a gallon an hour later. But not if it causes coking problems. They need to run hot.

I love the audible alarms and silent switch I installed. Low oil pressure sounds at every start and the high exhaust temp sounds and lights when I short the sensor terminals. Will add high coolant temp when I find the right switch and where to place it.

Enjoy the pics and thanks for reading!

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[WillieC]

Here is the Moon over Mt. Rainier picture. A bit grainy but trust me, Mt. Rainier is there and that is the Willie C. bathing in the moonglow over the Canal.

Click on pic to rotate from PC.

[Beta Don]

For the mixture, I think I would turn it in one screw turn at a time until I saw a bit of smoke at 3/4 throttle and then back it out half a turn to see if the smoke goes away - You for sure don't want to run it even a tiny bit too lean . . . . a bit too rich (even smoking a bit) is preferable

My Kubota garden tractor uses a solenoid to shut it down - It pulls the stop lever. Would be easy to do something like that using a push button switch to pull the solenoid. There are dozens of 'Kubota Stop Solenoids' on eBay for less than $20

Don

[WillieC]

Thanks, Don. That is the approach I am taking. It is really hard to see what is coming out the exhaust, this being my first diesel. I can make out the steam from the water injection, and I can see the black smoke at cold start. Occasionally, usually at start up I think I see a hint of blue smoke, likely indicating unseated rings, but there has been as yet no drop on the crankcase oil dipstick. The unburnt diesel stink that we used to smell on the old engine is barely noticeable even with a stern breeze, possibly too lean?

I think your directions for screw turning may be backwards, for this engine. At first splash, it barely ran so I backed the screw out and it ran great. Now I am just trying to fine tune it. I think "out" enriches, and "in" leans the mixture. The screw is connected to the cold start pin, which, when the oil pressure comes up to normal, goes erect, if you will, and limits high injector pump rack travel. That way, at cold start with a limp limit pin due to no oil pressure, the governor lets the injector pump dump a lot of fuel to aid cold starting. Only the Swedes could dream up this method, hmm, it IS a Bosch pump... Maybe I need to redirect my happy thoughts. (These engines have no glow plugs, except for the homemade kind. Ha!)

I'll shoot for a bit of smoke at 3/4 throttle and back off (I mean screw it back in a little) a bit. That screw is a very fine thread. I'll also look for higher top end, closer to the book. I figure I have about an 80% engine, having used slightly worn pistons and not being able to obtain the book value for the squish zone at TDC (without machining the crankcase and who knows what other damage I could incur.)

As for the stop cable, I have it working nicely, fully mechanical, just need Continuing Education for the Operators. I may add a solenoid in the future.

Will keep you posted and as always appreciate your input.

[Beta Don]

I think your directions for screw turning may be backwards, for this engine. At first splash, it barely ran so I backed the screw out and it ran great.

I have no idea which way to turn the screw - I was just going by what you said earlier

" So I turned the super secret screw in one turn and that is where I have been running it to get my first ten hours in for oil change and valve adjustment."

Sounded like 'in' to richen it, so I said 'keep going' until it smokes!

Don

[WillieC]

Went out this pm to adjust the screw, richer, ran out of time to run and I got hungry.
Very little oil has been consumed so I think the rings are doing pretty good as far as seating. Don's point about running too lean is well taken. Then again, not too rich for the coking issues. Lots of moving parts on a 45 year old engine. The governor shaft, where one sets the idle and hi speed, is worn enough that depending on which way you apply pressure to the shaft, the rpm is affected. Ah well. Patience will be rewarded. I hope.

[dkirsop]

After 20 hours my AD21 was fully broken in. No smoke, easy starting, and low fuel consumption. Patience grasshopper, patience.

[DesertAlbin736]

Sounds you've been busy! I think you should be awarded a new designation, "Volvo Diesel Guru 1st Class".

[WillieC]

Grasshopper! I couldn't remember that word but that was the exact phrase I was going for.
Wax on. Wax off. Patience, GRASSHOPPER!

Thanks, D.

I am over 20 hours and I have easy starting, low or no smoke, not sure about consumption.

Today we need to go to one of our National Parks to buy our geezer golden age lifetime passes. The price takes a huge jump on Aug. 1. Then back to dialing in the fuel tomorrow.
(Attention geezers: This means You! You can also get the passes online, but you are geezers. Go for a drive.)

[DesertAlbin736]

Yes, we have our GA passes. Use 'em all the time for camping in Nat'L Forest campgrounds, 1/2 off regular rates.