Volvo Penta VP700 -78 renovation.

[Per]

Hi
Just wanted to share some pics from my latest project.
Take a look here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/kvicken34/RenoveringVolvoPentaVP700

This engine had two siezed pistons and was missing a carb, other than that it was in very good shape.
I desided to do a heavy cleanup of the ports while it was apart.
The wheather is still a bit to cold to permit a test start but ive prepared a test stand so that it can be run on the hose whitout lower unit.
Time will tell if it works or not!
The last one I did turned out very good but were more bottom end grunt than top end performance, this motor was given some more exhaust duration (and wider ports)
As well as more free flowing intake (duration and area).

Production of these engines stopped -79 when Volvo dropped the outboards.
Part are still quite easy to find except for pinion gears and oversized pistons, I think I bought the last decent second hand one in sweden:D
Hope it won't sieze again:)

Thanks for looking

//Per

[Mark75H]

Thanks Per. I like 3 cylinder outboards and I like rotary valve 2 strokes

[Per]

Added a short video in the Picasa link in the first post.
The last pic is not at pic but a video...

I was very pleased with how easy the engine started, it idled pretty much perfect but of course it remains to be seen if it works on the boat.
Fuel is alkylate based 95 RON with 4% oil.

Its LOUD without the LU:D

[Aeroliner]

Very nice restoration work.
Alan

[Per]

Finally things are moving in the right direction, this is a short movie from my first tests of the boat with the engine that started this thread.

Just cruising have a very young passenger...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfrttFpzzTo&feature=youtu.be

[Fastjeff57]

Great photos! (Often wondered how they got a rotary valve to work on a three cylinder.) Interesting to see that, like the old Merc triples, it has two carbs for three cylinders.


Jeff

[taatto]

Nice work!
I try to fix normal vp700. -76. Per, how your engine have worked? And how much it rew? It sounds great in that video. Do you have more videos?
Sorry my bad english, I Speak Finnish better..

[Mark75H]

Your English is good!

[Per]

Nice to hear from more people working on these engines!

It worked very well until the Power head came loose during the first half of Roslagsloppet last year. I noticed it to late and two cylinders got scuffed again. Luckily it was the std bore cylinders! I have recently bought two nib pistons and an new head gasket so it will be fit for fight again next summer.
This is actually a bit embarrassing since it was the second time a power head has come loose for me, don't forget to put on nylock nuts and Loctite EVERYWHERE you can

Revs were lower than anticipated, round 5500 but than again the engine was barely run in and the jetting was probably a bit on the rich side. I will actually give it some extra exhaust duration now that it is in pieces hope that helps the revs a bit.

This spring I went to a classic racing meeting in Herräng a bit north of Stockholm. I had to use my spare engine which is almost stock and the mid section on that engine was tired to say the least, when we got back to shore after the ride a lot of bolts and nuts were missing and the lower unit was only held in place by 3 of 6 studs. I ended up scrapping the middle section when I got home...

Right now the boat is rigged with a OMC 56CI from 92 with 47knots it's still no rocket but I will get there in the end:rolleyes:

One of the conclusions from running the OMC engine on the boat is that the lower unit on the Penta is not really suitable for running at the elevation required for it to work well on a Cat, the skeg is quite small and very thick.

I have more video on my computer, if it makes it to YouTube I will post a link here.

taatto
I don't speak any Finnish but if Swedish is ok you can always call, I'll PM my number if you are interested

[pdt]

in the uk we just cannot find spares for these engines, its like trying to find rocking horse poop. ha ha

you are correct that they stopped in 1979, but also in 1979 quwait (middle east)bought nearly all the Volvo penta 60 and 70 hp engines and they stayed in crates not used at all.
I think they were getting ready for huge military evacuation and planned to use these engine, but we all know what happened there !!!!!!!.

loads of them re-surfaced as old stock brand new engines during the 1990's, but no spare parts back up.
here is a pic of mine, it was a very powerfull engine for its size back then and would leave a omc or mercury in its wake.
sounded like a much bigger enegine ,easy to start, but no power trim etc.
fantastic well built engines though.
47mph on the back of my dateline bikini 15, same as a few other boat under different names. prop was 19 pitch I think.
the only trouble with Volvo was the decals faded very easy if left in the sun.
great to see a restored one, and good to know you can get parts for them too.

[Per]

Nice ride pdt!
I had heard about those quwait engines before but thought that it was only a rumor...

I just realized that there is actually one video of the boat from herräng already on YouTube, this is from the second "start" after our coffee break in Älmsta.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJnJ_XKzcms

[pdt]

yeah there was loads of them that came to uk in crates back in the early 90's.
All brand new in their crates and they were nice strong sounding engines, just no spares back up.
I paid over £100 just to get a impellor for mine, nothing else seemed to fit and it was in the days of no internet so shopping around for one was not going to happen.
I had to write off to a fella down in cornwall who had spares sitting in his shed.
he must of earned a fortune from people like me..
that engine was fantastic, easy to start and very reliable.

[taatto]

Per: Thanks that ride. ;) Very good video, I like!
Sorry, but my swedish is very bad. E-mail in english maybe easier?

I bought my VP700 year 2010, but I started to repair it last summer. My plan for that motor was to put it in old SE(f-4) cat. With mercury 1.87 gearcase and external trim.
But today I took head off and saw broken piston in 2. cylinder. Maybe there is something else broken too. Cylinders seems to be fine.
Thanks for your help.
-Taatto

[Per]

pdt: Not that it matters to you anymore but one can actually use a OMC impeller and just enlarge the hole slightly, I have the number in my work shop manual if anyone is interested...

I guess all those engines are gone by now?

taatto:

Your project seems very interesting, do you have any pictures of the boat or engine parts that you plan to use? If so please post them here, if of course you don't plan for a new thread about your project:)

If you need a pdf work shop manual and parts list I would love to help. just PM your email address!

Also take a look and see what's broken, I have some spares and I got some good connections when it comes to parts. lets hope that you have the old style pistons, they are easier to find...

[taatto]

Yes I could post pictures.

Thanks Per, but I have repair manual and parts list typ 391/390.

I need maybe crankshaft, one piston and cylinderhead. And yes there is those old pistons. Engine is actually -75. Block is marked A.

I wrote more when my wife come home. She helps me to write ;)

[Fastjeff57]

That was one interesting engine--very creative. Shame none of the other manufacturers didn't copy some of its features.

Jeff

[pdt]

the impellor on my engine was a lot deeper than any omc impeller ive ever seen.
Not as large in diameter as a evinrude /Johnson 70 but almost twice the depth.
somewhere I still have one in a bag somewhere, ill have to try and dig it out, if I do find it I will take a photo of it. ha ha

I did like my Volvo, if I could of got spares easy and cheaply I would probably still own it now.

[Per]

the impellor on my engine was a lot deeper than any omc impeller ive ever seen.
Not as large in diameter as a evinrude /Johnson 70 but almost twice the depth.
somewhere I still have one in a bag somewhere, ill have to try and dig it out, if I do find it I will take a photo of it. ha ha

I did like my Volvo, if I could of got spares easy and cheaply I would probably still own it now.

Maybe the changed pump on engines going to such a warm place? the engine has no thermostat so there must be another way of dealing with different water temperatures

OMC part number 377230 (maybe with some pre or suffix) works just fine once you enlarge the hole slightly. A shame you didn't knew about it back in the days:)

[pdt]

no mine was nothing like the omc impellers, its around 2 inches deep, not the 1 inch of omc stuff.
it was more like what you find on the large inboard types.
I think it had around 8 vanes to it as well, ill try to find it and measure it up, but I do know that nothing from merc or omc would go anywhere near it.
I had a friend in a boat dealership at the time and he tried to match it near to anything in his shop but nothing came close to it.

probably be able to find one nowdays with the iunternet and a few places now do impellers from your own sizes as well, but back in late 80's early 90's it was a bit different.
knowing what I know now I would just go electric pump with it.

[Per]

Spent the last weekend at my brother's place, the plan was to resurrect the engine that got damaged in the Roslagsloppet last year. We didn't really finish the project, some wine and talking a lot of BS got in the way, but that's OK since the main idea was to meet and have good time!

After posting a question about how to fix my suspected fuel problem going through turns I decided to add another fuel pump, VP was helpful enough to add a boss on the crank case just in case someone would like to do such a mod.

The other thing I did was to add a hole in the pistons right where the bridge in the exhaust is, I figure that it might be a good idea!

55721
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[23e]

Hi! I bought volvo penta 550 last weekend and im planning to put it to my hardtop boat. Ive tried to find whats the difference between 550 and 700 but i havent found anything. Does someone know is there something else than carburetors? There isnt much information from these könig engines at the internet so thats why ask from here. I have vp 350,400 and 600 also and from those engines theres lots of more information