Volvo 5.7 GSI occassional hard to start

[mhailey]

My 5.7 GSI with 400 hours just got back from the repair place for a starting problem. The symptoms were that after shutting down the engine and letting it set for 30 minutes to a hour it would take up to 15 seconds for the engine to finally fire off. This is so out of the ordinary for this engine it concerned me. The normal start sequence is turn the key, and immediate start. Then one day it would not fire off at all. I sent it to the shop, which for me is a ferry ride of $250 just to get it somewhere they can look at it.<br />The boat sat for 3 days before they could look at it. Guess what? No codes on the computer, and it started fine. they did find a corroded coil, and they hit me for $600 of repair charges, for troubleshooting labor. <br />Now I get it back on the water and it is still doing the same thing, with the exception that it has never failed to start if you keep turning the motor over long enough.<br />Then yesterday after an on the water shutdown, the engine hydrolocked. I used my kicker to get back to shore, and removed and replaced the plugs, and cleared the cylinders. Started first touch to the starter.<br />Now my major concern. Could this starting problem be a symptom of a bad valve or valves. If so I want it to get fixed on my warranty dime before it goes out of warranty.

 

[motox6]

Re: Volvo 5.7 GSI occassional hard to start

Is this motor injected or carburated?

 

[f_inscreenname]

Re: Volvo 5.7 GSI occassional hard to start

A I/O in Alaska.... WOW Here in what you would call the tropics, Maryland, I winterize in October and I think that is a short season. The main reason I don't live with the rest of my family in Maine. How long is your season? A couple weeks, a month?<br /> To your problem. First, A sticking valve would definitely cause your motor to suck up water (or cracked exhaust manifold) and that aint good. A good hydro lock will kill your motor in one turn of the crank. That problem should be solved first. <br />As for the non starting. I also would have thought about the coil first to but then you sucked up water or did you. A cracked manifold would let water drip into the cylinders and wet your plugs on that cylinder bank making for a hard start. That and you also said it happens when you run it for awhile (nice and hot). Metal (and cracks in metal) expand when heated. Maybe you have a small crack in the manifold that only opens when hot.<br />Like I said the first thing I would do is find out why it hydro locked. If it still did it after I solved that before cranking for 15 mins I would pull plugs, make sure carb is getting fuel and not to much. In the driveway before I went I would look for a loose wire connection . Nothing will drive you nuts like a loose wire. Sometimes it works sometime not, always works when looking for it. What a pain.

 

[mhailey]

Re: Volvo 5.7 GSI occassional hard to start

The 5.7 GSI is fuel injected.<br /><br />The hydrolock was apparently self induced, now that I have done a little research. What happened was I think I shut down the engine too fast. I was at cruise, and saw an Orca I wanted pictures of, and quickly went to idle and then turned the key off. Coasting to a stop and running on deck to take a picture. When I returned I was hydrolocked. <br /><br />The hard to start problem was occurring before the above mentioned hydrolock. I am thinking about possible wet plugs also. My plan is to have the compression tested, and then if that doesn't turn up something I will have the manifolds pulled and inspected. Any other ideas?<br /><br />Also the season is much longer here than in Maryland I bet. My boat is in the water from April through September, but I pull it only because the fishing dies off a bit in the winter. However the temperature rarely gets below freezing, especially on the ocean here in Southeast where I operate. Thank You "Japanese Current"

 

[f_inscreenname]

Re: Volvo 5.7 GSI occassional hard to start

Well hell, prove me wrong. That season don't sound so bad. Next you will tell me it never gets over 78 degrees in the summer. Lucky you. I guess if your not a crab fisherman life aint so bad up there. <br /> Let us know what you come up with. Kind of curious on the out come

 

[mhailey]

Re: Volvo 5.7 GSI occassional hard to start

Well the engine finished the season with no major problems. However I have just pulled it, and taken it to the local shop. Compression check was not great. 200 on 6 cyls, and 1 at 180, and the back right was 160. The manifolds didn't looked cracked, and actually looked OK. So my guess is that I was getting salt water incursion for quite a while in that exhaust valve. Probably the reason for the hard to start when the engine was warm. Also the reason for the hydrolock.

 

[mhailey]

Re: Volvo 5.7 GSI occassional hard to start

I decided to just put the manifolds back on, and wait and see if things go down hill next season. The only problem I have is a bit of a slow start when the engine has cooled after being run for a while. <br /><br />Does anybody have any input on what the compression should be?

 

[Don S]

Re: Volvo 5.7 GSI occassional hard to start

Volvo doesn't give a spec for what the compression should be, except to say the minimum is 100 psi.<br />The rest of their information is the same as Mercruiser and is found in the service bulletin below.<br />You might try doing a compression test as outlined in the service bulletin. this will tell you if you have a valve or ring problem on your lower cylinder. While the 160 is within limits, it's pushing that limit.<br /><br /> Compression Test