New Boat / Project / Volvo Penta / Water / Rust / FML.....

[Poohbair]

So I just picked up my first boat...

It was free... so don't laugh


It is a 21' Bayliner Admiralty w/ a 4cyl Volvo Penta 145A

The boat ran fine when it was parked.... 4 years ago

So I brought it home today, and it wouldn't turn over when I put a battery in it. I drained the oil/water mixture that was in it, Pulled the plugs, and sprayed some PB Blaster in the cylinders.... Let it soak while I split a cord of wood... then went back, and it turned over, but the timing belt wasn't turning... so I played with it a bit, and off came the valve cover, out came the cam, I got all of the lifters free, got the engine soaking in motor oil and ATF... but the big question is, what is the best place to find a new / used / reground / good cam for my Penta 145A????


This is a budget boat project!!



This is when I drug it out of the weeds...

Ready for the 170 mile trip home...

Made it home w/ no problems...

And the bad news after I got home...

I was also told that this boat may be setup for a SBF or SBC, and have an adapter to run the 4cyl Volvo???? Any truth to this, and how would I find out?????


Thanks a ton for any info !!!

 

[RandyJ]

Re: New Boat / Project / Volvo Penta / Water / Rust / FML.....

Lots of marine suppliers who will be happy to sell you the parts. On all the i/o's I've had, always chevy except for my Bayliner cuddy cabin which is a Volvo Aq 125a I pretty much get all of my engine parts from an automotive engine wholesale parts house in Birmingham, AL. Fortunately, several of the guys there know lots about marine engines used on the local lakes and rivers in Alabama. BTW, great looking boat compared to the cuddy I gave $200 for on a galvanized trailer... I put out $500 getting it going but have really enjoyed it and definitely would do it all over. I still have not gotten around to replacing the upholstery after owning it nearly 5 years.

 

[RandyJ]

Re: New Boat / Project / Volvo Penta / Water / Rust / FML.....

Tho' I own an Aq 125a, I'm not familiar with volvo's other than the one I personally own. I do know of guys who went to "pull a part" to get replacement engines... cleaned 'em up and swapped them out. Probably pretty easy to do on the 4 cylinder but I wouldn't have a clue where you could get a bigger volvo engine used.... Different strokes for diff'rent folks. If it were me I'd yank the motor if the outdrive checks out good. Then, hone the cylinders to chek'em out. If clean then new rings and other internal parts as needed... definitely rod bearing and main bearings & cam... and full set of gaskets. Yup, bank on $500 minimum to clean up that motor inside and out. You'll need a water pump impeller, timing belt and probably a belt tensioner too. Other poster could very well be correct at $800. If it's a really nice boat it may be well worth the investment to you. In the end you probably will be just as well off to go out and buy a good running boat ready to go. that's how it usually goes with restorations. If you've got plenty of mechanical experience it can be done... but count on it being an educational experience.

 

[Poohbair]

Re: New Boat / Project / Volvo Penta / Water / Rust / FML.....

Hate to be the one to say this but that engine has to be removed and torn down for a complete overhaul.

I am aware that this is what should be done, however i will probably take the hillbilly / duct tape route and see what happens. Worse case I will end up scrapping the boat, selling the trailer, and call it a day....

 

[RandyJ]

Re: New Boat / Project / Volvo Penta / Water / Rust / FML.....

Yep poobair... been there, done that. Most likely you'll get out of it what you put into it. Without going through that engine you'll probably get it to run but not real well... kinda what I did but I'm proud of my accomplishment with my aq125a... I'm happy with it.

 

[Poohbair]

Re: New Boat / Project / Volvo Penta / Water / Rust / FML.....

Yep poobair... been there, done that. Most likely you'll get out of it what you put into it. Without going through that engine you'll probably get it to run but not real well... kinda what I did but I'm proud of my accomplishment with my aq125a... I'm happy with it.

Im good with that... I don't do "fancy"... I do "cheap but works for what I need it to"...

I would fawk fancy up in a heartbeat!

This boat hasn't seen water other than rain and snow since 2003, so if I can make it work at the river to tow my kids on a tube for cheap, that is all it needs to do!

 

[RandyJ]

Re: New Boat / Project / Volvo Penta / Water / Rust / FML.....

From the pics I've seen of it... look like quite possibly a really nice boat (or could be). Put a little in it this year to get it going... do a little more next year. I pulled my cuddy out of the woods and had to shovel out the leaves. The steering wheel had even rotted into! I had to cut out and rebuild all the engine housing and patch holes under the seats... and replace all the seats. Now, with a little upholstery work it will be a fairly nice old boat that might bring $2k. Bad thing about these kinds of projects is when you get 5 or 10 miles down the river and she croaks... I've got the record for breaking down on this lake more than anyone else! I've had to take the carb apart in the middle of the lake to clean out what looked like sand and just happened to have a screwdriver, pair of pliers, a straw and a paper towel with me... try that with jet ski's buzzing around!!!!

Oh yeah, I almost won't get on a boat without a tool box, extra battery and some kind of secondary propulsion.. at least a trolling motor. And usually don't feel safe without a cell phone and an extra 5 gallons of gas....

 

[sqbtr]

Re: New Boat / Project / Volvo Penta / Water / Rust / FML.....

I'm sure this thread will end up over on the penta forum.

Slappin a new cam in there, even if you could find one, is a temp band aid even if it ran in the first place.

Pull the head at a minimum, there are some other things that should be checked while your at it especially #4 exhaust port.

There are not a lot of 145's out there and off hand I could not tell you exactly what cam is in there I have heard the K grind is the hot set up for twin carb 2.3's

 

[Fireman431]

Re: New Boat / Project / Volvo Penta / Water / Rust / FML.....

If the cam has that much rust on it, you are certainly going to need to open up the carbs as well. Plan on 2 rebuilt kits. They are more than likely Solex side-draft carbs.

Don't be afraid to dump a few more dollars into it than you plan. Boats are not a project that you can get & keep for 'cheap'. If you try to band-aid the thing just to keep it running, you are going to deal with constant breakdowns and that will never be any fun for you or your family. An untrustworthy boat will turn you and your family off from boating for a long, long time.

 

[RandyJ]

Re: New Boat / Project / Volvo Penta / Water / Rust / FML.....

Tho' I agree with the "for cheap" thing. I do lean toward the rest of the guys opinion... peace of mind with a good running engine is worth a heck of a lot. It's a significant investment, but not a huge investment to do an engine rebuild... especially if you've got the ability to do it yourself.

 

[Philster]

Re: New Boat / Project / Volvo Penta / Water / Rust / FML.....

So, when we gonna even address why there was water in the oil?

 

[rbh]

Re: New Boat / Project / Volvo Penta / Water / Rust / FML.....

So, when we gonna even address why there was water in the oil?

YUP, the old poor winterized motor trick.
Its a shame when people put all that effort and money into a block just to find out its cracked internally.

By the way, can you drop that cord of wood in the back of your pick up off up here, I'm a couple short.

 

[Poohbair]

Re: New Boat / Project / Volvo Penta / Water / Rust / FML.....

So, when we gonna even address why there was water in the oil?

It appears as if it ran down thru the carbs.

 

[Poohbair]

Re: New Boat / Project / Volvo Penta / Water / Rust / FML.....

By the way, can you drop that cord of wood in the back of your pick up off up here, I'm a couple short.

I am still about 6 cord short myself!

 

[paperklip]

Re: New Boat / Project / Volvo Penta / Water / Rust / FML.....

It appears as if it ran down thru the carbs.

Uh, ran down through the carbs... and got in the oil? So you are saying the rings are shot?

There's probably no "budget" solution to this motor.

 

[Maclin]

Re: New Boat / Project / Volvo Penta / Water / Rust / FML.....

If you are going to run it in a river with any kind of current you do wouldn't want a bandaided engine in my opinion!

Good luck on your project, and keep your kids safety in mind.