Shoddy Work by a Diesel Engine Shop in Jacksonville

[IronWalt]

I need some advise here:

I had contracted a shop here to overhaul my Volvo MD2B. Upon taking delivery I started having issues with the oil system. After running for an hour or so oil pressure goes down from 40 psi down to 15 psi. I started finding fiberous material and metal shavings in the oil screen and in the filter.

Upon the advise of our local mech, I have changed the oil and filter to out the engine. After doing so, I am now getting zero oil pressure. Everything is tightened down and there is plenty of oil in the case.

What would you do? It has been over a year since we took delivery of the supposedly "rebuilt" engine. Yet we are still dealing with the issues of shoddy sloppy work.

[JimsCAL]

Zero oil pressure is not good to say the least. If you continue to run the engine you will destroy it.

Have you contacted the shop? If they won't stand by their work, your only recourse may be to take them to court. And on a rebuild I suspect any warranty they gave you is long expired. Not a good situation.

[IronWalt]

I shut it down after about 20 seconds. The oil pump on this engine is above the oil level. I am thinking that perhaps some of the fiberous contaminant has clogged up an oil line somewhere.

[Rick486]

Could the sender be bad? I have seen this on an earlier Perkins 4-108. Bad oil pressure sender.

[Minnewaska]

Metal shavings visible to the naked eye? Seriously not good. I'm surprised that the local mech would only suggest you change the filter and oil. You are going to need a better mech.

[IronWalt]

The local mech stated that if he were me he would pull it out and replace it with a Yanmar that we could get parts for. I tend to agree but am the poor sap who has already invested in thousands in a crappy rebuild job.

On that note I would advise anyone to keep shopping if they get an offer of services from Florida Diesel Engine Exchange.

I do need to obtain a mechanical oil gauge and try that. You may be right.

[JimsCAL]

Could be the oil pressure sender port that's plugged with debris. But it sounded from your first post that oil pressure was reading fine, then dropped and this would happen each time you ran the engine. That would indicate the pressure sender was fine.

[shogan50]

Any chance you took photo's? It sounds pretty serious, but a small amount of metal debris on a brand new rebuild isn't always indicative of a problem in and of itself, at least in a car or aircraft engine. You need to determine the cause of the lost oil pressure. Possibilities include broken pump or pump shaft, plugged pickup tube or shot main bearings? The first is usually instantaneous. The last two will often present like yours has.

[jimd333sail]

Try hooking up a direct reading guage and crank engine without starting to see what you get. I believe you should get between five and ten psi with most engines before it lights off.

[shogan50]

good point. My old tired 7a would develop 40 PSI just cranking it with the starter, with or without the compression release. Also, just a thought, what oil was in it and what oil is now in it?