Volvo TAMD 255hp

[jeemboNC]

I am considering a 40' trawler (25,000 lbs) with the original twin 255hp Volvos. I am much more familiar with the Ford Lehmans and the Perkins (and would prefer lower power and no turbos), but this boat is in pretty nice shape. Anybody know anything about their economy at lower power settings (i.e. 8 kts)? Durability? They are 20 years and 1900 hours young. Thanks.

[lazeyjack]

what series are the engines?
the hours are nothing, but you need to be sure of the coolers, engines pleasure boats usually rot out before they wear out
ask em if they will let you check the filters, that is, remove the oil filters, cut in half with a saw and open the filter paper out to check for metel deposits
here is a good link, give us the model and I will find your fugures , you will use abt 2 gals /hr for every 50bhp so if at 8knots you are using 100hp per side you will be burning 8 gals roughly, that is imp/gals
http://boatdiesel.com/index.cfm?cfapp=31

[jeemboNC]

I don't yet know. I think the 40 series, but will find out today. They look okay and are started once a week, but unless they get them to temp that is worse, right? Are parts readily available? Abnormally pricey? Re fuel burn, the boat weighs 25,000# so 8 kts should need only ~50hp total. That means each engine is barely running and there are some that admit really poor fuel burn at these low power settings. True?

[lazeyjack]

cold running is a killer for brand new engines, as is running at idle for long periods, but I wont comment further til you find out the model

[jeemboNC]

I got the model - TAMD60C - the bigger bore engine. Apparently he fires them up every week for 30 minutes and brings them up to 155 degrees. Seems too cold to me. They smoke a little upon start and still smoke a little later. My sense is that they need to be run hard and cleaned out. And, the oil (Rotella) has not been changed in a 17 months since in his mind he has only put ~80 hours on it. The dipstick was classic diesel black. I saw ~35 psi oil pressure on one engine and ~50 on the other, but the gages may not be very accurate. They seemed to take the throttle (as much as we did at the dock tied up and in gear), and the shifting clutches seemed smooth.

Thanks for the input. I like the boat but want to know what I am getting in to. Would I be better off with twin Ford Lehmans in a boat that I will rarely exceed 10-12 knots?

On another note, I got an earload on how unsatisfactory the 6V53 turbo Detroits are. True? Jeembo

[lazeyjack]

I WAS TIME SERVED cUMMINS, BEFORE i STARTED BUILDING YACHTS, i KNOW NOTHING ABT REP OF V 6,53, usually one believes half of what ones sees and NOTHING of what one hears, from disgruntled people
Your eng probably
tamd60c flywheel hp 250,max rpm 2800,fuel pump psi 14-21,turbo psi 24.6,exhaust pressure 1.4. valve setting intake 0.40mm{0.016} exhaust 0.45mm {0.018}.fireing order 1 5 3 6 2 4 .corresponding cylinder on which valves will rock 6 2 4 1 5 3.sorry i dont know the torque range. hope this helps
i would insist upon a filter section as I advised,
yes they are running cold, if thats what they are reading, you would need an electronic probe to read the true reading,
It is very hard to advise without being there, search the forums(not here) just google the model and all sorts come up
All these engines are old tech now, thats not to say they are bad, I would search around for a baot with 6BS OR 6 C,S Cummins, not cos I,m biased but becuz these are very good engines
http://boatdiesel.com/index.cfm?cfapp=31 excellent place

[jeemboNC]

thanks LazeyJack - negotiations have stalled, but your input will help a lot if I go forward.. Jim

[FAST FRED]

Any Ideas on how Cummins "modernized " the pickup truck engines to meet Tier 2.?

As a fantasy I contemplate getting a couple of Cummins from the breakers yard , getting the Vessel approved with the Tier 2 electric crap, and swapping cylinder heads and ?? and going off cruising with a mechanical engine I can trouble shoot and repair.

In shore the electric crapola might be worth the better fuel burn , but I'm reluctant to trust it further than I can swim, towing the boat with a line in my teeth..

FF