Volvo Penta, surging at idle, stalls when given throttle

Oddle

Cadet
Joined
Apr 25, 2011
Messages
7
I am new on the forums as a poster and apologize up front if I don't get all the requisite information in this post.

A bit of background and description of the problem:

I just purchased this boat. Prior to purchasing I had an inspection done by a locally recommended inspector and following that I had the recommended repairs made before purchasing the boat. The repairs were made by a local marina and included:

Replaced thermostats
Water pump Impellers
and a Seal on one the trim tabs

When I picked the boat up on Saturday everything seemed to run great. We had about a 20 minute run from the marina where the service was performed to our slip. We overnighted at the slip and the next morning we filled up with fuel and headed out.

After filling up with fuel we ran for about 20 minutes when the starboard engine suddenly shutdown. It would start again pretty easily but would surge at idle. If I attempted to give it any throttle it would die again. We headed back to the slip with one engine.

Any ideas?

Engine details below

Volvo Penta I/O, Gasoline, V8 235HP
Serial Number of Starboard Engine - 4110130116

Thanks in advance!
 

bobeeker

Cadet
Joined
May 3, 2009
Messages
19
Re: Volvo Penta, surging at idle, stalls when given throttle

Same problem I am having good luck dude
 

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Aug 31, 2004
Messages
62,321
Re: Volvo Penta, surging at idle, stalls when given throttle

Since your problem occured just after refuelling I would sure be pulling the fuel filter off the engine, pouring the contents into a clear container and looking for water or debris in the fuel. (Do not reinstall the old filter, put on a new one)

PS, the serial number helped, you have a 96 Ford EFI engine
 

jfalco

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Aug 28, 2010
Messages
91
Re: Volvo Penta, surging at idle, stalls when given throttle

make sure the fuel vent is not plugged, when it is running poorly try loosening the fuel cap and see if it sucks in air and runs better, i had this problem and one engine would bogg down b 4 the other for some reason, just a shot in the dark good luck
 

Oddle

Cadet
Joined
Apr 25, 2011
Messages
7
Re: Volvo Penta, surging at idle, stalls when given throttle

Thanks Guys, will give both suggestions a shot for sure. Will come back to the boards and give a status as I try out these suggestions.

thanks!
 

Oddle

Cadet
Joined
Apr 25, 2011
Messages
7
Re: Volvo Penta, surging at idle, stalls when given throttle

Ok.... replaced the fuel filter, tried opening the fuel cap (actually tried to run it with the cap off for a bit), and still had the same exact problem. I am trying to work on it on the weekends, so I apologize for the length of time between posts.

Any other ideas I should try?
 

Oddle

Cadet
Joined
Apr 25, 2011
Messages
7
Re: Volvo Penta, surging at idle, stalls when given throttle

OK... another thread update ... I had the fuel pump replaced and still same issue. I can only get to work on the boat on weekends so I asked the same marina that did the work when I purchased the boat to look at it and do the fuel pump replacement (was hoping to be on the water this weekend). I was told that "they give up" after swapping the pump they said they can't go any further and that I would have to find a volvo certified shop. They did charge me for the work but that really threw me for a loop. I am, at this point, really concerned. The marina I am dealing with is the largest in the area and they can't/won't work on it so I am now looking for another service center and, at the same time, kind of SOL. I am hoping someone on these forums can point me in the right direction, I have no problem doing the work, but am a bit worried at this point. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
 
Joined
May 13, 2011
Messages
62
Re: Volvo Penta, surging at idle, stalls when given throttle

Ive gone through my engine and boat(complete overhaul) only to come up with this problem. I will say that i have had this problem intermittently over the years but it always seem to go away after a couple of starts. Not this time. Tomorrow I am replacing the Idle air solenoid valve. The Ford (auto) dealer told me that the 5.0 ford efi are notorious for this part failing. I hope it works. let you know tomorrow
 

Oddle

Cadet
Joined
Apr 25, 2011
Messages
7
Re: Volvo Penta, surging at idle, stalls when given throttle

Justin,

Would be great to hear if this fixes it. At this point my boat has been in the service yard for almost a month now and still no head-way. One mechanic "Gave Up" on it, and the next group has just not had time to get to it. GRRRR... Really wish this was something I could diagnose myself. Anyone have a lead on some laptop software that I could plugin to help with diagnosis?

thanks
 
Joined
May 13, 2011
Messages
62
Re: Volvo Penta, surging at idle, stalls when given throttle

Oddle,
See if you can find my entrie thread as I did give updates until I figured it out. Ultimately it was my upper and lower intake manifold gaskets and or lower intake bolts not being torqued properly. I had replaced my long block and rebuilt/replaced everything else. I must have gotten sloppy and missed the lower intake bolts. In any case, I replaced all the gaskets when I went back through it. It runs great now. There are many things that can cause your problem. 20 mins is just long enough for it to warm up and give the EEC reasons to change your mixture, this may be where you should be looking. The mixture may be leaning too much and causing it to stall. In my case, the intake air leak was more than the computer could compensate for at idle but at higher RPM it could. One thing to check, since you have 2 engines, watch your temp on both, the faulty engine is likely running hotter due to the lean condition. If this is true, then an air leak is becoming more likely. As far as self diagnosing the EEC, you can do it your self easily. Go to Fordfuelinjection.org and follow the instructions. All you need is a muti-meter or cheap test light. In my case though, I got an all clear code because the problem was with too much air. The computer has no way to measure how much air is coming in above the amount it is programmed to assume. Let me know if your engine will run good at say 2000rpm+. Also be sure to check the simple things, fuel lines, anti-siphon, etc... If you want, PM me your ph# and a good time to call . I'll be glad to help if I can.
 

Oddle

Cadet
Joined
Apr 25, 2011
Messages
7
Re: Volvo Penta, surging at idle, stalls when given throttle

OK..update...
I finally made my way to the top of the queue it the second service center. I now appreciate why the line was so long. They diagnosed the problem and had it fixed the same day. It was the low pressure fuel pump on the starboard engine. Yes the same one the previous mechanic claimed to have swapped with no success. I ran the boat all day yesterday with no issues. Thanks to everyone that has helped.

Justin, will send yeah a pm with contact info. I also have been talking to a friend down at the Marina were I keep my boat who has a guy in Miami that is "a Volvo God" so maybe next time a phone call to him will help out.

Thanks.
 
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