Anyone familiar with the 4 cyl turbo diesel in a Zodiac?

tworotorturbo · 16 September 2015, 01:34

My new project arrived today. Its a 2000 Zodiac 630 with a turbo Volvo 4 cyl. The wiring is all a mess and I am not sure where to begin. There are two sets of battery cables in the console so I will hook up two batteries and see what happens. All I see on the dash are the usual gauges (RPM, volts, fuel level, and temp), the ignition switch and a kill cord. Anything I should do or check before seeing if it runs?

Does anyone know if these motors are fairly reliable? Easy to fix and are the parts readily available? I am basically trying to decide if I should start planning on an outboard conversion now and strip this diesel out or if I should leave it in and try it out. Speed is not a big factor, but reliability is key.

ncp · 16 September 2015, 04:37

Two batteries? I'd bet on a 24v system.

I'd at least check the fluid levels /color to see what they look like. If the oil isn't a nice dark black or it's milky in any way,change it.

Pull the impeller or hook it up to a hose. No use in shredding it and having to worry about finding the pieces that could lodge in your cooling system and cause issues later.

Fresh fuel or run it off a 5 gallon tank. Remember with diesels you need a fuel supply line and a fuel return line to the tank. Who knows how old that fuel, whether there's stuff growing in there (stuff grows in diesel tanks - use a biocide when not running the boat for a while), or if there's water in there. Change the fuel filter - it's probably a golden brown with sludge. That size Racor filter is cheap even at West Marine prices ($12?).

Volvo parts can be pricey but that's a low hp/displacement engine (good thing) and if it's well taken care of, should be very reliable (though it will never be a really fast boat).

If you're serious about keeping the diesel, spend $25 and sign up for boatdiesel.com. Ask all these questions over there.

beamishken · 16 September 2015, 06:50

In general volvo's are reliable lumps but do require more maintenance than the equivalent outboard I'm not Totaly sure on the exact model but I'd guess either aqad31 (130hp) or kad32(170hp) the 31 might be a bit lacking but the kad 32 is a punchy engine
I'd doubt it's 24 volt more likely a 2 battery setup possibly with a 1 2 or both switch
The way to go is connect one battery first & try a start don't just hook up 2 batteries in series or you might fry something if it's a 12 volt system

ncp · 16 September 2015, 12:34

Ok, give us a picture of the gauges. What's the voltage range on the voltmeter?

beamishken, the US Navy has a thing for 24v systems. All 7m+ diesels are 24v system and I would suspect the 6m range is the same.

zip · 16 September 2015, 12:40

No idea about your boat. I just bought a boat that I know nothing about too.
It looks like you have quite a project there. Good luck.

alpha · 16 September 2015, 15:08

Engine looks pretty clean in photo.
I would check fluids, change racor, prime the fuel,turn on the hose and fire it up.

beamishken · 16 September 2015, 22:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by ncp

Ok, give us a picture of the gauges. What's the voltage range on the voltmeter?

beamishken, the US Navy has a thing for 24v systems. All 7m+ diesels are 24v system and I would suspect the 6m range is the same.

No problem just urging caution rather than jumping in & potentially damaging something

tworotorturbo · 16 September 2015, 23:53

Thanks for the info guys! Ok so I see two sets of battery cables and one switch (1,2, both and off). The gauges are all new but I cant rely on them since I have no idea if they are even hooked up correctly (but the volt gauge works). One negative battery cable is not connected to anything and goes nowhere. I hooked up a battery to the other cables and got some power. The gauge lights turn on and I hear a slight pulsing from the engine bay. Power trim works. When I turn the key, the starter does not engage but the dash lights/gauges lose power.

Im going to clean up the rats nest of wires and see if the starter gets power.

alpha · 17 September 2015, 03:54

Black cable that goes nowhere is likely cable that connects your 2 battery
Negative posts.

tworotorturbo · 17 September 2015, 22:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by alpha

Black cable that goes nowhere is likely cable that connects your 2 battery
Negative posts.

You are right. I looked up how dual batteries are wired and felt like an idiot..

I got both batteries hooked up today and tried starting it again and it cranked over.

Here are some close up pics of the corrosion. What do you guys think? From my background working on some cars, it looks horrible to me.

MASATS · 18 September 2015, 21:40

Typical corrosion. Wire brush and some paint will make it look better. If it's functional change the part or bolt or whatever. It's a good engine for that boat. It's likely low time and if improved and maintained it will last for a long time.

tworotorturbo · 19 September 2015, 18:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by MASATS

Typical corrosion. Wire brush and some paint will make it look better. If it's functional change the part or bolt or whatever. It's a good engine for that boat. It's likely low time and if improved and maintained it will last for a long time.

Thanks. As much as I want to pick up a new Suzuki 250 and mount it on a bracket, I will leave the diesel engine in there and give it a try. I know for sure that the trim seals are leaking on the outdrive so I wanted to have some reassurance that the motor was worth keeping if I go ahead and start to open up the checkbook for rerigging everything.

I will update here once I get this thing on the water!

zip · 19 September 2015, 18:52

Wing has tubes, but if you are looking to save some money, maybe Todd?

A 250? Seriously? That's a hell of a lot of motor for that boat. What's maximum rated hp for that vessel?

RyanPratt · 19 September 2015, 19:52

I built a 640 and put a 250 Suzuki on it and it was not to much power at all. She ran around 46 knots. The boat had the same diesel and we pulled it and built a 32" extension and all was well in the land.

zip · 19 September 2015, 21:09

That's fast!

tworotorturbo · 19 September 2015, 21:58

46 knots? I will start pulling this motor out now

Ryan, if you weren't on this forum, I would probably be completely satisfied with my Avon SR4. Watching your builds makes me want bigger and better.

I wanted to try twin Honda 90s since I have one already, but figured it might be too heavy and not enough power. The zuke 250 weighs the same as their 200 so why not.

zip · 19 September 2015, 22:06

I hope everything works on my boat cuz purchase price pretty much tapped me out. Couldn't afford a repower. Wicked sick right now, but hope to be on the water next weekend.

RyanPratt · 19 September 2015, 22:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by tworotorturbo

46 knots? I will start pulling this motor out now

Ryan, if you weren't on this forum, I would probably be completely satisfied with my Avon SR4. Watching your builds makes me want bigger and better.

I wanted to try twin Honda 90s since I have one already, but figured it might be too heavy and not enough power. The zuke 250 weighs the same as their 200 so why not.

Its a great boat either way only driving force is speed, which most people dont need. My personal boat im building im doing a single 300 so i burn less gas than twins, and have more room on the stern to get in and out of the water.

ncp · 19 September 2015, 23:51

tworotorturbo, 46 knots?? How often could you use that speed unless you're deep in the bay?

I was in a friend's H733 today and it was pretty nice offshore (way offshore... Then south into Mexico). Even though he can do 53 mph with his twin Yamaha 150 4-strokes, guess where we cruised? 29 mph.... Right where I ran the Willard which had a top speed of 36 mph.

zip · 20 September 2015, 00:03

Guessing you were with JP? What were you guys doing down there?
I would love to be able to cruise at that speed. Maybe when you get a chance you can give me some tips on the finer parts of the tilt/trim switches.