2007 Volvo Penta 3.0

[borz170]

I have been experiencing problems with my 2007 Larson 180 Sport with the 3.0 VP SX drive. For the entire 100 hrs of operation(one season) I have not been able to get the engine to idle consistantly. When I brought the boat in for it's 20 hr service, I brought this to the attention of the technician working on my boat. He had just gotten back from VP school. I tild him that the boat wants to idle around 1000-1100RPM, and that if I lower the idle adjustment screw to 800 RPMs(which the VP manual states it should never be shifted above), the boat will stall and run rough. It also is not consistant. It seems that the boat varries RPMs every time I shift in and out of gear. This makes me think that the shift cable may be sticking. The shift handle is much harder to operate, which further makes me believe this cable is not right. I have tried adjusting the friction screw to make operation of the shift lever easier, with no luck. It shifts difficult whether the screw is all the way in or out.

I read in Tim's post a few days ago that VP discontinued using a certain Holly two barrel Carb, the one used on his '04(I believe it was the 2300. Does anybody know what carb they switched to? Mine has a Holly 2 barrel and my boat is a '07. I'm not sure what the model number is though.

Ironiclly, my uncle and I have Identical 2007 Larson 180 Sport models, however his has the Mercruiser and mine has the VP. His has a rochester quadrojet carb and mine has the Holly. Another difference I noticed was that his engine operates at approx 160 degrees. I cannot get mine to warm up over 140 degrees. Is this right? I know that the blocks are the GM 3.0 and there are different components, but how much difference in operation can there really be. This is still 1960's technology right?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Also, I would love to hear other stories from VP 3.0 owners.

 

[Don S]

Re: 2007 Volvo Penta 3.0

Post your Volvo Serial number if you will.

PS: Mercruiser stopped using Rochester Quadrajets back in the mid 90's and NEVER used them on a 3.0L. What he has is the Mercarb, looks a lot like the Rochester 2bbl carb.

 

[borz170]

Re: 2007 Volvo Penta 3.0

I brought this boat back to the VP dealer and he said the carb is the right one for teh boat. He noticed that it is flooding out and under warranty, VP decided to replace the carb rather than adjust it. Dealer said he had it right, but it was still idling a bit high. He said this was due to the valves being in need of adjustment. The boat has only been run for a season and has ~100 hrs on it.

When I took teh boat out after getting it back from the dealer, the engine would not stay running and was difficult to start unless the engine was out of gear and about 1/2 throttle. When it started, I backed it down to about 1500 for a few seconds. I tried to back it down to 1000, but it died. I let it warm up for about 2 minutes at about 1200 rpm, using the warmup lever. When I put it back in neutral, it died. I restarted it at 1/2 throttle, then pulled it back to idle and quickly went into gear, just to keep it running. It still would stall out at neutral, so I did what I had to do all last year and adjusted the idle. I was able to back it down to about 850 and so i ran it for about 20 minutes at various RPMs.

When I reached my destination and went into neutral, it was noty going lower than 1000 RPM's. Sometimes it would stay at about 1300 when comming off plane to idle, then would fall back after taking out of gear and reving up then returning to neutral, but never lower than 1000.

I was thinking linkage, but it is BRAND NEW and has a new carb. The cables are new and sealed, it should be fine. I haven't done any of the engine portion of the 100 hr service, but the out drive has been pulled and checked, and is fine. I have to change engine oil and plugs, and per the dealer, I have to adjust the valves. He is blaming the high idle on the valves being out of adjustment. It isn't really ticking that loud, could that be the problem?

I am pretty fed up with this boat and the dealers who are working on it. I just want to get my own tools and do my own work. These guys rush everything, scratch things(minimal), and just plainly do sloppy work. I am a perfectionist and tend to look at things much closer than most people, but is it too much to ask to have a boat that runs fine all season? I would like to take it out just once and not have to adjust the idle! I want to adjust the valves and change the plugs, then see if it runs fine after I set the idle. Do you think this will help? It only has 100 hrs on the plugs.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Bondo]

Re: 2007 Volvo Penta 3.0

He is blaming the high idle on the valves being out of adjustment. and under warranty,

Ayuh,...

I rater Doubt the problem is Valve Adjustment....
But,.. That said,...
Keep bringing it back til they get it Right....
'ell,.. Call Volvo directly if necessary, but I wouldn't touch it til Volvo gets it Right, atleast for the 1st time....

 

[borz170]

Re: 2007 Volvo Penta 3.0

I have been told by other people that the valves shouldn't be messing with the idle, especially since the idle is not consistant. Do you think I have a case to go back to the dealer and insist that they adjust the valves, or whatever until they get it right, since it has never been right?

It is becoming upsetting since it seems that the dealer is becoming impatient with me.

 

[Bondo]

Re: 2007 Volvo Penta 3.0

Do you think I have a case to go back to the dealer and insist that they adjust the valves, or whatever until they get it right, since it has never been right?

Ayuh,... Absolutely.....

 

[JustJason]

Re: 2007 Volvo Penta 3.0

Personally.... I wouldn't tell the dealer to do this or that thing that you read in a forum.
I would tell the dealer just to "fix it" though.

 

[Don S]

Re: 2007 Volvo Penta 3.0

You need to stop dealing with your dealer, and start by makeing a phone call to Volvo Penta's customer service and explain the situation fully.
What should have happened is your dealer should have contacted VP tech about the problem if they couldn't fix it.
All the phone numbers should be in your warraty paper work.
What is the Volvo serial number for your engine.

 

[borz170]

Re: 2007 Volvo Penta 3.0

Engine Type: 3.0 GLP-E
Serial Number: 4012205875

Thanks again for your help. I am going to go water test her right now, then if she isn't running right, I am going to vall the VP service line.

Do these 3.0 engines typically need valve adjustments after 100 hrs?

 

[Don S]

Re: 2007 Volvo Penta 3.0

No, they shouldn't ever need a valve adjustment if they were set right to begin with.
Your problem is most likely a lean carb adjustment. Very common problem on the 3.0L enginee.

 

[StevNimrod]

Re: 2007 Volvo Penta 3.0

borz,

Last year I dealt with EXACTLY the same idle issues that you describe. Admittedly, I have a '94 5.7 Merc so take from this what you want.

I asked a few local Merc dealers to look at it and I heard everything from "your valves aren't adjusted right" (like you've heard) to "it could use a new set of shift cables". A buddy of mine recommended a mechanic a few cities over so I called him and he said to me exactly what DonS told you: "lean carb adjustment".

Long story short, I got a choke kit from the carb manufacturer and installed it. No more idle problems.

Also, at least on my carb (Edelbrock 1409), when I adjust the idle SPEED screw I also have to adjust the idle MIXTURE screws, then adjust the speed screw again, etc. until I'm idling within specs. It was helpful for me to get a timing light that gives a digital readout of RPMs and have someone at the helm so I could set the "in gear" idle speed.

As far as the thermostat goes, if your application calls for a 140 degree thermostat and his calls for a 160 degree thermostat then that difference would make sense.

I'm not in any warranty so I can't speak to that, but it took me several weeks last season to find a mechanic who is competent, close, and reasonably priced. It'd be a tough call for me to let a dealer keep messin' around or take it somewhere and get it done right the first time. That said, if you call VP directly it may be wise to discuss what options you have for using your own mechanic, in the event they can't provide a competent one. I have a form letter, in legalese, I had sent to (a certain big three auto maker) dealing with a similar situation and can dig it up for you if you'd like.

 

[borz170]

Re: 2007 Volvo Penta 3.0

Stev,

The legal form would be great, I may do that I have a mechanic that is competant, but I haven't tried to press the issue about warranty work and a non-dealer doing the work.

I took the boat out yesterday for another sea trial and found that it was still missing pretty bad. I checked the fuel filter and it was very clean. A few days ago, right after I ran the boat after it came back from the dealer and still wasn't right, I noticed the miss. I added the recomended amount of Sea Foam additive (great stuff), to get rid of mossible junk or moisture from sitting a few months. It was still missing, so I checked and cleaned the cap and rotor, which were both dirty. I also changed the plugs and got rid of the miss. Engine was running much better, so I decided to adjust the idle screw. That is when i found both mixture screws, and I set them the way you mentioned in your post. I really was guessing, but I was able to set the idle while running in neutral at about 750-800. It would run very smooth at idle, both in gear and out. After running around a bit on plane and then dropping back into idle, the engine would wond down then bounce up to 1300 rpms, then slowly work it's way back down to about 1000. If I turned the key off than back on, it would reset at about 750-850ish. Also, if I put her in gear and took her out a few times, just engaging and disengaging and staying at a dead idle, it would work it's way back down to where I set it (800ish). This is making me think it is possibly a cable issue. It is a brand new boat, but there was a big issue when I first bought it, that resulted in a hose clamp comming loose the first time I took her out, and the entire engine compartment was salted with sea spray. The engine didn't submerge, but it did get sprayed. That is a completly seperate (long) story that I don't really want to get into, but it is making me think the manufacturer owes me a new shift cable, at least.

I have to say, VP has been great for replaceing everything that went wrong or could go wrong under warranty. I decided not to lemon the boat due to the possiblity of losing money fighting the case, not having a boat to run around and because it has a wrap around warranty for 5 yrs. These guys working on the boat are the problem.

 

[borz170]

Re: 2007 Volvo Penta 3.0

More information I forgot to mention:

The boat went into the shop for various warranty work, including replacing the gimble bearing and the U-Joint that went bad due to a faulty trim switch that caused the drive to tilt up without my knowledge(long story) which resulted in me running the boat at a higher rpm level than aceptable when the boat is fully trimmed up. It resulted in a slightly torn bellow and the destruction of the above mentioned parts. VP didn't fight me at all and covered it, even though as the operator of the boat, I should have caught it.

The dealer was also paid by VP to take care of corrosion on the lower unit and stern drive. They took care of corrosion on just the outdrive and missed the worst spot on the gimble housing. They will know have to take the drive off again to fix it. They didn't even take the prop off when they painted the drive adn overspray resulted. I don't care about the overspray, at least if i did it myself, but this is just an example of their sloppy work.

We had a tropical storm in august and that is when the drive began to have a mind of it's own. The trim pump would intermittently go up, past the point of full trim until it quit running (5 seconds). Thiw would occur about every 5 minutes or so. I just ignorred it because of the warranty and because of the previous problems. I found out why it was occurring. They soldered a new trim switch into the shift lever, and forgot to trim off the excess wire threads that didn't make the connection. This facilitated the ability of a water drop completing the circut. I found this out when I went behind them.

VP replaced the trim motor, under warranty.

The dealer replaced the carb, then "sea trialed" the boat "extensively" to determine that it was properly fixed. They tested it so extensively that they overlooked the miss that occurred over 3600 rpms.

They wanted to complete the 100 hr service by adjusting the valves and changing the oil. This boat runs synthetic oil and needs a change every 200 hrs. This would cost $180. It's funny how all that was left on the 100 hr service were two things that didn't need servicing. They forgot to mention the plugs, cap and rotor, plus a bunch of checking on other minor detail things.

Wouldn't you think to possibly go by the book when you perform a service? How about checking the d-cap prior to adjusting a new carb? Two screws and a phone call to the customer is all it would have taken.

Sorry to blog, just a bit anoyed. I set up an apointment with the dealer tomorrow for a sea trial. I an still debating over my strategy for handling this situation. My wife and I are planning on going camping with the boat and our dogs, so I was thinking on the following:

1. Sea trial with dealer
2. Explain my discontent as diplomatic as possible, and that is hard for me. They have had the boat for over 2 months, and now that the weather is nice they are having me bring it back. It won't happen again.
3. Leave the boat for the remainder of the day so they can diagnose and order parts, then pick it up at 4:30.
4. Drop off boat Monday and give them a time frame of until Friday Night to complete.

Thoughts?

 

[borz170]

Re: 2007 Volvo Penta 3.0

The mechanic and I sea trialed the boat today. He tried to reset the idle on the trailer at the ramp and was unsuccessfull at bringing the engine down to 800 (where he set it) after putting it in gear. It would idle fine at 800, then as soon as you went into gear, advanced to about 2500 or higher, brought back out of gear to idle speed, it would jump right back to 1300. This was the same when we ran it around the river for a few minutes. He plugged the hose that goes to the PCV valve and the idle would drop. He said that was probably the problem. He also pointed out the noise that was supposed to be the valves. I don't have that much experience with valves, but it sounded fine to me and a few other experienced mechanics. Still, he insisted that it needed a valve job and stated that it was in the maintenance schedule. I informed him that neither VP or mercruiser mention it anywhere in the manuals so it had to be covered under warranty. He balked at this, so I had to go to his boss.

The general manager was informed of the issues and agreed to cover the valve job regardless. He determined that it was in need of a valve adjustment because it was never "set up" correctly by the original dealer. I guess he is referring to a proper PDI.

Both mechanics mentioned that the prop was wrong big, being a 21 P and that 4400 rpms was too low at WOT. This is the same prop that was installed by the VP and mercruiser. Thoughts?

 

[Don S]

Re: 2007 Volvo Penta 3.0

Is this a Volvo Penta dealer you are dealing with?
I have went through many PDI's and never once was "Adjusting the valves" called for in anything. But, getting the idle speed right was part of it.
Did they disconnect the throttle cable from the carb and see if the carb could then be idled down? It just sounds to me like something really obvious is being missed.

Idle rpm for your engine is 650 to 750 rpm in gear.
WOT rpm is 4200 to 4600.

Have no idea why your mechanic is saying the prop is to big, that's BS, it also has nothing to do with the idle problem. Neither does a minor valve noise.

There is also NOTHING in the maintenance schedule about adjusting valves on the 3.0L.

 

[borz170]

Re: 2007 Volvo Penta 3.0

Is this a Volvo Penta dealer you are dealing with?
I have went through many PDI's and never once was "Adjusting the valves" called for in anything. But, getting the idle speed right was part of it.
Did they disconnect the throttle cable from the carb and see if the carb could then be idled down? It just sounds to me like something really obvious is being missed.

Idle rpm for your engine is 650 to 750 rpm in gear.
WOT rpm is 4200 to 4600.

Have no idea why your mechanic is saying the prop is to big, that's BS, it also has nothing to do with the idle problem. Neither does a minor valve noise.

There is also NOTHING in the maintenance schedule about adjusting valves on the 3.0L.

I am very glad you are responding to me, thank you for your help. I didn't see any info on the valves either. Anyways, it doesn't matter because they are going to do them for free. Yes, it is a VP dealer but they don't sell boats. They are a subcontractor that works under the dealer's license of the boat yard that contracted them to work on OB's and stern drives. The mechanic reports to the yard foreman, who reports to the general manager. If a warranty issue is presented, they have to go through a seperate warranty guy who takes care of all warranty issues throughout the yard. He has to speak to VP, Larson, Yamaha, etc. Lots of cooks in the kitchen, and it is really getting anoying. I decided to cut out the middle man and went straight to the general manager. At least I gave the mechanic a chance to right it, for their work has been sloppy and slow. As you can tell, I am agrivated.

These guys are telling me things that are not documented in my manual. If they differ from my manual, they must put it in writing and send it cc to VP prior to doing the work. I have to cover my end and have had to for a year.
I am going to go back tomorrow for the valves and for them to get it idling right.

I was out this weekend and discovered that when the boat starts up and warms, it will idle in range. I mentioned earlier that the idle will not come down to range after plaining out then going into neutral. It hangs up at 1300, then drops slightly. Even this is not consistant. One thing that is consistant: If the idle is sticking at 1300, if I shut the engine off for 5 seconds then restart, it goes right to 800.

These guys also told me that this 3.0 engine is not powerful enough to tear up that SX drive. They said i could shift at 1300 all day long without a problem, even though it SLAMS into gear. It is now to the point where it clunks into gear at anything over 800. For a year I have been shifting at 1000-1100 going against the advice in my manual and going by the dealer's advice.

 

[Don S]

Re: 2007 Volvo Penta 3.0

You need the throttle cable adjusted to put a slight amount of preload tention on the carb linkage to the idle possition. It also needs the caps taken off the idle mixture screws and get the mixture right so it will idle at 650.

These guys also told me that this 3.0 engine is not powerful enough to tear up that SX drive. They said i could shift at 1300 all day long without a problem, even though it SLAMS into gear.

Contact Volvo and tell them that. Then watch the fur fly.

 

[slasmith1]

Re: 2007 Volvo Penta 3.0

There are alot of volvo dealers in Florida open the phone book and call a different one and have them fix it correctly.

From the what you are saying about these "mechanics" I would not let them change my shoelaces.

 

[borz170]

Re: 2007 Volvo Penta 3.0

There are alot of volvo dealers in Florida open the phone book and call a different one and have them fix it correctly.

From the what you are saying about these "mechanics" I would not let them change my shoelaces.

Yes, that is the obvious answer, but there is family involved and I want to give them the chance to make it right. If we aren't fixed by Friday, I am going somewhere else.

 

[Don S]

Re: 2007 Volvo Penta 3.0

I noticed you have a post about getting a SS prop, so let me say this. You put a heavy SS prop on there and start shifting at those rpms and you won't have a drive very long.
Family or not, don't let them destroy your drive for you. About the time you start chipping teeth on the pinion gear in the lower, you will begin to understand.