Volvo 3.0GLP long warm-up and Idle stalling

[AGuru]

Hi all. I am new to this forum. I've read as much as I can but nothing specific to this symptom. Any help from the members here would be appreciated. On a cold start, our engine will stall if I put it in Fwd or Rev at idle. The only way to make it work is to wait until the engine has warmed up to curising temp of approx 175 degrees. It doesn't matter what temp rage it's in while warming up, if it's not at cruse temp, it stalls the moment it is placed in gear at idle. Or stalls as soon as the engine is loaded at idle. Believe me, it's a long 15 minute wait before I can get it into gear without stalling. The boat is 2008, Fourwinns H-180 boat with a Volvo Penta 3.0 liter engine. The engine has a 2 barrel Holley carb. It has a total 21 hrs on which is not much. It ran fine when new. Last year, the dealer rebuilt the carb under warrany. However, now that we have used it for it's second season, it has been degrading over time and getting worse. Other info that might be useful is the idle speed in gear is 1000 RPM (under load) In neutal (no load) it's approx 1400 RPM Which seems a bit high.

 

[zbnutcase]

Re: Volvo 3.0GLP long warm-up and Idle stalling

Sounds like it still has carb issues. And that idle speed is way too high.

 

[AGuru]

Re: Volvo 3.0GLP long warm-up and Idle stalling

I was also thinking the float level might be out or the idle mixture needs adjustment. Or both... Anyone out there experienced this symptom with a similar carb engine? confused:

 

[seventeen2]

Re: Volvo 3.0GLP long warm-up and Idle stalling

Hello there,

I dont know if this is any use to you but i have been suffering the same experience as you and did manage to solve it.
I have twin 3.0 glp-d vovlos in my boat, that were fitted brand new in 2007, along with sx drives.
I would have exactly the same problem as you, and would be a the dock for 15 mins trying to warm up the engines as they would stall as soon as you would put them into gear, although this would affect both engines.
I would even put the drives into gear whilst the boat was still tied to the dock and found you could catch it if you gave it a little gas.
Once the boat had been out for a run the problem wasnt as bad but the engines would still "bog" down when putting them into gear.
The problem got so bad that i was too frigtened to use the boat for fear of hitting another boat in a crowded marina.
I tried changing the plugs and cleaning the filters, adjusting the tickover etc to no avail.
This winter just gone i removed the fuel tank to repaint it and the surrounding bilge area.
I found about 3 gallon of water and muck in the bottom of the tank, rust etc,
My problem was found to be the rubber seal on the filler neck was missing allowing rain and washing down water to flow directly into the tank, along with the usual condensation that build up.
The tank was cleaned out and the fuel was used by my father in his car, which started to suffer the exact same symtoms.
To cut a long story short it knackered the injection system of the car and he had to replace the car!
I have since had the boat put back in the water with roughly 140 litres of fresh fuel in it and the boat now runs perfect without a hint of stalling.
I think that these engines may be very sensitive to water in the fuel as i suppose any engine would, i just think its a striking coincidence we have the same engines with this fault?

I hope you manage to sort the problem and can appreciate how frustrating it is to have this problem.

PS....Idle speed should be 650 - 750rpm in gear. Not sure what it is in neutral, but dont rely on the tacho on the dashboard, not the most reliable reading in my experience.

Kind Regards
Danny

 

[Don S]

Re: Volvo 3.0GLP long warm-up and Idle stalling

The newer 3.0L engines are adjusted lean, to make sure all the guvment regulations are satisified. That adjustment also causes them to idle poorly, have very poor cold running abilities, lots of stalling when cold, and dieseling.
A richer mixture will cure 90% of the problems.

 

[AGuru]

Re: Volvo 3.0GLP long warm-up and Idle stalling

Hi Danny. Thanks for the interesting reply. Your symptom with your two engines is exactly the same as mine. I never thought about the poor quality of the gas being my problem. But I will check it this weekend. I should point out, and this is probably why I never suspected the gas, my boat is not that old being a new 2008 model delivered to me in June 2009. At the moment it only has 21 hrs on it. When I am not using it, I store it in a dry boathouse. It has never been rained on and I seem to remember the gas cap seal being in good shape. I always keep the tank topped up and I keep it supplied with gas stab and E10 stab. But that doesn't mean it's not the gas, I just never checked it. But like I said, I will check it as soon as I can. If it's not a fuel quality problem, I will check out what Don S suggested. I will set the mixture adjustment and float level. But before I do that, I will need to get myself a vacuum gauge. Holley has a well written instruction sheet on tuning my carb so I think I am all set. I will keep you posted on my results. Thanks again for all the help. I sure appreciate all the great feedback. Great forum!

 

[AGuru]

Re: Volvo 3.0GLP long warm-up and Idle stalling

Danny, I forgot to mention that I will also take your advice and adjust the idle speed. It's currently set way too high. Do you think I can rely on the tach in the boat or should I use a hand-held diagnostic type tach?

 

[seventeen2]

Re: Volvo 3.0GLP long warm-up and Idle stalling

Hello there,
I hope you can trace the source of your problem soon, I can appreciate it must be frustrating.
My engines seem fine now I have changed the fuel and our circumstances seem worlds apart as my boat is kept on a mooring all year round and i doubt the tanks have been cleaned for years, but the symptom you describe seem exactly the same as I had.
The post by don is interesting and is something I will look at, as I am aware that you guys over there has more stringent emission laws than here in the uk?
I would personally use a laser type tacho, one where you point it at a rotating object to gauge the true rpm, as my gauge at tickover states that the rpm is about 500rpm, but when tested with a gauge it was nearer 900rpm!
As stated, the specs are only given with the drive in gear and needs to be 650-750 rpm, I cannot seem to get that low without the engine struggling when putting into gear and can only get to about 790-800rpm, but I guess thats close enough, as I doubt things havent even run in at 55hrs?
Also something that ive noticed is that over the winter lay up, things get quite cold and damp over here, and every spring I have to clean the plugs and "scratch off" the rotor and cap, Im not sure of your temperatures over there but if it was ok last season, but not know, its definatlely something i would look at.

Please keep me posted if you find the probelm!

Kind Regards

Danny

 

[AGuru]

Re: Volvo 3.0GLP long warm-up and Idle stalling

Hi Danny Thanks for the tip on the use of the tach. I didn't tell you this earlier but the defining moment, when I realized I have to fix it, came a few weeks ago. You mentioned that your problem was so bad that you couldn't trust your boat, well this story might vindicate your feelings.... My wife and I were docked at a fairly tight marina and spent about an hour and a half having lunch in town. The boat cooled down and when we got back in, a good samaritan offered to push us off the dock. Without thinking to check if it would idle in gear, we took his offer. Big mistake. So there we were, floating around in the channel with the boat stalling every time I tried to put it in Forward gear. Picture this, I'm working the controls with my wife trying to keep us in the channel using a single paddle. She was fighting the current, dogging traffic in the channel and trying to control her firery temper. Which of course, I was the subject of! Talk about frustrating. While we were out there making a spectacle of ourselves, another group of "good samaritans" observing us, gathered at the dock. With arms flailing they began shouting instructions our way - "PUT THE BOAT IN GEAR," they were yelling. Talk about embarrassing. I thought that was it, this boat is going to get fixed. ... We are in Canada and our winters can get pretty cold. I keep the boat in our boathouse year round. It's a dry boathouse with a marine railway to move the boat in and out. I take the railway out of the water in the fall to protect it from the ice and I winterize the boat on it's cradle in the boathouse. When I'm done, it's good until the spring boating season. Right now I have the railway out of the water so I can only check the condition of the gas in the tank. If it needs a carb adjustment, I won't be able to put the boat in the water and adjust the carb until next April. But this weekend, I can find out if I have any water in my gas and report back.

Best regards
Anthony

 

[AGuru]

Re: Volvo 3.0GLP long warm-up and Idle stalling

Danny, my gas is good quality so that's not my problem. Now I'll have to wait until the spring boating season to get it back in the water and adjust the carb idle jets. I'll bet Don S is right, it's too lean on idle.

 

[sergio marti]

Re: Volvo 3.0GLP long warm-up and Idle stalling

Hi
I have 2 volvo penta 3.0 GLP-j new installedd in 2007.
Your problem in cold is normal these engines must be warmed up for running at idle it happens the same to me when they are cold. Refering to manual you should start your engines in neutral and with the accelerator (in neutral) about 1500rpm and as soon engine starts you should take it inmediately to 1000 rpm and leave it there about 10min. When they are almost warmed up you can take accelerator to 0 and leave it in idle speed, (engines shouldn't stall) but idle speed when warmed up should NEVER BE OVER 800 RPM AT IDLE SPEED ONCE WARMED UP if not you will be having really big transmission problems. The reason is that shifting gears over 800 will seriouslly damage transmision. I had same problem but never reallised that was harmfull. Now my engines idle spped is 650 more or less and when shifting gear they come down to 500 -550, they seem to stall but they dont. Any way if they stall at those rpm you can take the idle speed upper but never over 800!
to do this is quite simple, only play with idle speed screw in 1/8 turns till finding the point with engines warmed up
hope to be helpfull

 

[seventeen2]

Re: Volvo 3.0GLP long warm-up and Idle stalling

Hello Anthony,

Sorry for no reply, have been away.
All valid points on here and in a way glad that your fuel is ok, it saves the task of emptying tanks etc!
I would def go with a carb issue next, as after regoing over your notes the carb has been rebuilt?
I hope you are able to sort it, but it probably is something quite simple!
The fuel issue was my problem with it as the engines were retro-fitted into the boat so god knows how old the fuel in the tank was!
Good luck!

kind Regards
Danny

 

[AGuru]

Re: Volvo 3.0GLP long warm-up and Idle stalling

Hi Danny, sorry for the late reply, I have also been away. Thanks for your reply. Yes, the carb was rebuilt by the dealer as a warranty claim last year, just before we put the boat in storage for last winter. When we took it out in the spring of 2010, it ran fine. Now that we are at the end of boating season, we've noticed a steady decline in the idle performance when starting from cold. Put differently, it's starting to do it again. I think Don S is probably correct in his assessment that the idle mixture is too lean. Next May, I will get a vacuum gauge and try to adjust the the idle mixture myself. Hopefully, I will solve the problem...... At this point, I am kicking myself for not spending the extra $350.00 for the fuel injected V6 engine when we bought this boat. I will never again buy another carburated engine!

Regards
Anthony

 

[AMetzger]

Re: Volvo 3.0GLP long warm-up and Idle stalling

Gang- chalk me up to having the same issue with the same engine-- a 2004 Volvo 3. GLP. I logged on to specifically ask the question about it stalling at cold starts when trying to put into gear.

And, I too had someone suggest that I try putting the engine into gear as the boat bounced along the shorline near the launching dock right after we launched it.

Also struggling with the it dieseling about 1/4 of the time.

Thanks for the suggestions on a fix.

 

[CobiaXL]

Re: Volvo 3.0GLP long warm-up and Idle stalling

Hi Danny, sorry for the late reply, I have also been away. Thanks for your reply. Yes, the carb was rebuilt by the dealer as a warranty claim last year, just before we put the boat in storage for last winter. When we took it out in the spring of 2010, it ran fine. Now that we are at the end of boating season, we've noticed a steady decline in the idle performance when starting from cold. Put differently, it's starting to do it again. I think Don S is probably correct in his assessment that the idle mixture is too lean. Next May, I will get a vacuum gauge and try to adjust the the idle mixture myself. Hopefully, I will solve the problem...... At this point, I am kicking myself for not spending the extra $350.00 for the fuel injected V6 engine when we bought this boat. I will never again buy another carburated engine!

Regards
Anthony

Sounds as if the choke isnt working properly

 

[redjmp]

Re: Volvo 3.0GLP long warm-up and Idle stalling

You have to remember that the E10 gas has 10% ethanol and that is an alcohol which can easily mix with an equal or even greater amount of water and dilute your gas even more causing lean out conditions. It is great for the gas stations as any water that gets into their storage tanks will mix with the gas and can be sold for profit instead accumulating on the bottom where it would need to be drained out. So who knows how much water is already in it when you fill up? Its also very bad for fuel lines and any other rubber bits in the fuel sytem as the alcohol attacks and breaks down certain compounds which then clog your filter...

 

[bwoodone]

Re: Volvo 3.0GLP long warm-up and Idle stalling

Hi

My 1998 Larson 186 with 3.0L Volvo GL has this problem. I rebuilt the carb 3 yars ago which addressed flooding problems. First 2 yrs it ran fine now towards the end of last summer it started doing all of what you describe - both at the dock then sometimes loading up/bogging etc once underway. Will try to enrich the fuel mix - any other suggested remedies for next spring would be greatly appreciated!

Like Anthony I too wish I had the 4.3efi or better yet 5.0L. I really like my boat though - anyone know what I'm up against cost and feasibility wise to re-power? Or anyone know of any bolt-on horsepower for these engines?

Thx!

 

[Don S]

Re: Volvo 3.0GLP long warm-up and Idle stalling

Welcome to iboats

You really need to start your own thread, this one has so many hijacks it's impossible to tell who is answering which question.