Volvo TAMD41B Black smoke

[coopem5]

Upon splashing the boat this year (Cape Dory 30) I found my engines BILLOWING black smoke and the boat wouldn't come up to speed. Not normal at all. I have a twin and changed out the Port Riser, no difference in smoke between the two engines. Any Tips on what could be going on? These are Turbo 200 HP Volvo TAMD 41B's.

I was thinking either a problem with the turbo or the fuel injectors - the smoke is BLACK and thick, not grey. And it's coming out of both engines. I topped off the two tanks last season prior to laying up and added diesel treatment to fend against water and bacteria build up.

Thanks in advance.

 

[lobstercatcher]

I don't think both your turbos would wear out at the same time, So It probably is the fuel that caused whatever is wrong. It very well may be the turbos not turning up. If you can easily run a couple new temporary fuel lines out of a jerry jug with good fuel, it may tell you something. How many hours on the tamd41b

Also the easyiest thing to check that could cause that condition is clogged air filters

 

[F/V First Team]

Yeah, sounds like an air problem, not a turbo or fuel issue. Either you can't get air in to pressurize the system, or you have a leak which lets the pressure escape. If you smoke, light a cigarette and hold it around your air intake manifold along the surfaces that mate up, any escaping air will blow the smoke away. Windex sprayed heavily will do the same. Yay bubbles, and less risk of carcinogens.

Probably an issue with the filters though, that would affect both engines. Might have gotten mice or something on board and packed their nest around there or mud dubbers

 

[Pedlyr]

Do you have aftercoolers? Sounds like they may be dirty.

 

[offshore31]

Same color smoke out of both engines, and they were fine when you put it to bed? It's either fuel or air. Nothing common between 2 engines from an air standpoint, right? No common air box or something like that?

You said 2 tanks, right? Any commonality between the tanks? A couple of good ideas already posted. Eliminate fuel as the problem. And check your air intakes. Mice or some other animal block the air intakes?

 

[traditions]

Both turbos are stuck from sitting would be my guess.remove air filter,and put a socket on the nut on the compressor blade and work it back and forth.I have a old volvo in a truck and the turbo will stick when it sits for a while.No power and black smoke.It doesnt take much to free it up.Hope its that simple,good luck

 

[offshore31]

Traditions

I'm curious on why the volvo's stick when sitting?

thanks
Joe

 

[traditions]

I dont think it would be just volvos.The truck I have doesnt get alot of use, and the turbo has stuck twice.I dont think its the bearings because when I freed it up it ran fine.It may not be his problem,but thats what happened to me.A little condensation from sitting ,especially if the boat has a shrink wrap cover.

 

[Nighthawk]

Both turbos are stuck from sitting would be my guess.remove air filter,and put a socket on the nut on the compressor blade and work it back and forth.I have a old volvo in a truck and the turbo will stick when it sits for a while.No power and black smoke.It doesnt take much to free it up.Hope its that simple,good luck

agree, classic stuck turbo blades, this happens to many engines not just these Volvos. They get a little corrossion built up from a long lay-up, almost always from the exhaust side which is the cruddy side and unless you sealed off your engine exhausts during lay-up, the exhaust side of the turbo is open to the weather through your exhaust. The clearances are very close by design so it just takes a tiny bit of corrossion to freeze the blades in the housing. It doesn't take much resistance to keep them from spinning, remember they are only getting turned by getting blown.......You can usually just pull the air filter and turn the compressor side with your fingers then you are good for the rest of the year

 

[coopem5]

Follow up

I have to thank you guys for your help - as predicted, this was in fact a stuck turbo blade in the port engine. Because it wasn't getting any help from the port engine, the Starboard engine was getting overloaded and was belching black smoke as well. Took 2 minutes to diagnose and fix once I knew where to look.

 

[Nighthawk]

Glad it worked out for you. As we all know with boats the simple and cheap fixes are always welcome because quite frankly there aren"t many of those.

 

[Tristateturbo.com]

Volvo Penta Turbocharger Failure TAMD41B due to Corrosion

Hello,

Justed wanted to make note of the fact we process our fair share of Volvo Penta turbochargers and have a birds eye view of the big problem, cheap manifold that fall victim to corrosion.

It doesnt matter if you have the Borg Warner K26 or K27 they both suffer from the same corrosion related issues due to lack of maintenance.

Another less frequent issue is charge system leaks anywhere from the turbocharger pressure side to the intercoolers, leaks are turbo killers.

Volvo Penta owners should inspected their turbochargers on a routine basis on models that are older than 8 years. If the turbocharger shows excessive corrosion on the turbine side and loose material is present its time to service the turbocharger. In some cases the corrosion decay the turbine housing so bad it will require sleeving and extensive machine work to correct.

Another major issue with Volvo Penta turbochargers is the fact parts not not sold individually and most of the time these turbochargers are not instock from Borg Warner and infact need to be imported from Germany.

Experiencing power loss, Black smoke and excessive oil trails? Call us direct we can assist and provide options.

We offer inhouse turbocharger rebuilding, precision machine shop services, high speed blue printing and anti-corrosion coatings to insure each product we re-manufacture exceeds the factory specifications.

Thank you,
Sean-

Tristateturbo
80 Greenwood Avenue
Midland Park, NJ 07432
888-292-7001 Main
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