Preventive engine maintenance is essential, especially when you’re preparing for a long trip, like we are. We plan to sail Nalu from her current home on Samos, near the Turkish border, to the Netherlands. This is roughly a 3500 mile trip, and we’re going to need our engine as much as we will our sails! We’re big fans of preventive maintenance, and – I noticed an issue too, I think …

Are we a few RPM short?

During our recent stay in Greece aboard our new-to-us Amel, I noticed a possible issue with our Volvo Penta TMD22A (80 hp) engine. We used the engine in varying sea conditions and I noticed the engine wouldn’t exceed 2700 RPM, whereas other owners with the same boat and engine reported reaching 3200 RPM. This issue also became apparent during mooring, especially in windy conditions, so I suspect a lack of power from our engine.

At first, I suspected the turbo might be the issue, especially since the previous owner thought you should never push an engine … (you actually need to go full throttle for a few minutes after every couple of hours – check your engine manual for instructions).

Removing the turbo

A good friend of mine, with extensive experience as an engine mechanic, suggested observing the exhaust while accelerating. A dirty turbo often results in excessive smoke. We hadn’t seen any smoke so far, and we didn’t during this test either. While that didn’t mean our turbo was in top shape, it clearly wan’t so bad it was causing our issue. The lack of smoke pointed us toward another potential issue: a problem in the fuel system.

Fuel System Check & Upgrade

I removed the fuel pump and the four injectors for servicing. We took them back to the Netherlands with us for further inspection and repair:

In addition to the above, I plan on installing a new diesel filter. Adding redundancy in the diesel line will help prevent clogs and ensure cleaner fuel delivery. I’ve opted for a switchable filter so we can change the filter while the engine is running.

Why Investing in Older Engines Makes Sense

Despite being over three decades old, our Volvo Penta engine has fewer than 5000 operating hours. With proper care and maintenance, older engines like this can perform reliably for years. Given our upcoming 3500 nautical mile journey to the Netherlands, it’s very important to make sure the engine is in top condition before we leave.

To be continued!

We didn’t film much when we spent our first weeks on board Nalu, mainly because we weren’t sure we’d be sharing any of it. We’ve since decided that we will – hence this post. We plan to fly back to Nalu by the end of January / beginning of February for a week, and we’ll make sure to have our phones and GoPro at the ready ;) We’ll also let you know how much the overhauls of the parts cost (spoiler: a lot!) and what issues were found (quite a few!).