I have a 1981 Volvo MD7A. The owner's manual gives instructions for hand cranking. As groundhog says above, you flip the decompression lever, crank it up, remove the handle, flip the decompression lever back and the inertia of the flywheel starts the engine. I am in the process of getting a handle. The one's I have seen have a cam that allows the handle to engage only in the start direction. There is a cam that (is designed to) makes it disengage if the engine would start while you are cranking.

If you are having a great problem starting the 2003, it is probably a sign of a lack of compression - sometimes caused by glazed bores/worn rings, or burnt exhaust valves/seats - and maybe poor atomisation of the injectors. Glazed bores are quite often caused by running the engine to charge batteries or for motor sailing just to keep to a set speed.

I had this very same problem with our 2003 and those were the symptoms.

To start my engine, (before I had it rebuilt last year) it would take about 10 to 15 seconds and sometimes longer. I partially overcame the starting problem by turning the engine over decompressed - later motors did not have decompression levers - for 5 to 10 secs with throttle full and the stop/cold start activated.
I then brought the throttle back to the idle position, put the decompression lever to normal, gave it full throttle, pulled/pushed the stop/cold start, and then it would start after a few seconds.

Now, after the rebuild, I don't need the cold start, and with the throttle to about half, the engine starts immediately.

I would suspect that your engine has low compression, with maybe poor injector atomisation.

When running, all the 2000 series engines I have seen - and there are a great many of them here in the UK - smoke slightly and give off a slight sheen on the water, and leave the stern area dirty!!. Even mine after a complete rebuild.

Even though spares are expensive, it was far cheaper to get our engine rebuilt than replaced with a more modern motor/shaft/prop/beds.

regards,
Philip
Westerly Konsort Duo, Oyster

When I bought my 1988 CS36M in 1988 it came with a 2003 and a hand crank. Both went to the scrapyard a couple of years later where they should have been in the first place. Excuse the small rant. Still have not recovered from this damn engine and it's been a long time.

I have used the hand crank very successfully on my older MD2. It is safe to do and 3rd world often uses manual crankingspecially in isolated places. I have even poured a quarter cuplube oil in the air intake as recommended by a fisherman in Brasil. It works wonderfully but of course I was young and strong.

check out YouTube item mskg_5fHcWQ
The hand crank turns the cam which turns the crankshaft x2.

ALSO SEE YouTube - ‪Hand starting the SABB diesel single in cold weather‬‏

While I have never hand started a Volvo diesel I have hand started an old 2 cylinder Lister a number of times and
1 use the decompression lever,
2 wind it as fast as you can
2 flick the lever.

If cold introduce a piece of burning oil soaked newspaper into the inlet manifold just before flicking the lever.

I never had it kick back.

I'm interested in a 7-8 thousand pound sailboat with an MD7 engine and a non-folding 2 blade prop. I am wondering if the motor is adequate for extreme conditions (wind & current). I aspire to visit Florida via the Mississippi from Minnesota.

I'd say yes. I have an Islander 30 Bahama. It is 8,300 lb, has a Volvo MD7A (13hp) and has a two blade fixed prop. It doesn't have a lot of power to start and stop but it will cruise at 6 knots at 2,400rpm (max is 2,600). I recently corrected a small overheating problem and not the engine starts and runs fine.
Good Luck.
Harbin2

Does the 2003 designation mean the model year or just model? I have one on my Crealock 37.

Also what is the max and cruising rpm for the 2003 Vovo Penta?