Aq170A/270

Discussion in 'Inboards' started by Bobby Johns, Jun 29, 2020.

  1. Bobby Johns
    Joined: Jun 2020
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    Location: 24740

    Bobby Johns Junior Member

    Hello all,
    I have a 1971 Chrysler sport crown tri-hull in the process of being restored. It has a Volvo Penta B30 AQ170A/270. I'm looking for any help and advice regarding the engine. For some reason, there isn't a serial number tag to help identify any special modifications done to the engine. In the event that the rebuild is a no-go is there a updated engine that would work with this 270 outdrive? Any recommendations or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

    Thank you,

    Bobby
     
  2. bajansailor
    Joined: Oct 2007
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    Location: Barbados

    bajansailor Marine Surveyor

    Welcome to the Forum Bobby.
    I don't know anything about these old Volvo Aquamatic engines and their outdrives, but I would be surprised if it is still worth re-building after 50 years.
    There again, you might have a gem which has been hardly used over these 50 years

    There should be a lot of useful advice available on this Forum; you could also try the Practical Boat Owner section of the YBW Forum in the UK. There are some very knowledgeable Volvo experts on there who would almost certainly be able to help you.
    https://forums.ybw.com/index.php?forums/practical-boat-owners-reader-to-reader.13/

    You could also let this thread become a restoration thread for your boat - everybody on here loves threads like these, especially if you post some photos of your rebuild as well.
     
  3. fallguy
    Joined: Dec 2016
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    fallguy Senior Member

    I have a used engine sitting in the shop that would work with the 270.

    ..the 125 I think...

    in Minnesota

    was not put up correctly for storage, but climate controlled...

    I paid $650 for it.

    It ran and had decent compression when I bought it. I could crate it for you and you could pay freight to WV and a couple hundred bucks.
     
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  4. Bobby Johns
    Joined: Jun 2020
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    Location: 24740

    Bobby Johns Junior Member

    Fallguy,

    Thank you for reading my post and the 125 engine. I'm greatly appreciative. The 125 is definitely an option, but I'm trying to stay with the 170.
    Thank you,

    Bobby
     
  5. Bobby Johns
    Joined: Jun 2020
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    Location: 24740

    Bobby Johns Junior Member

    Bajansailor,

    I appreciate your response. I'll check out the link. Thank you! What thread group would be the best place for the restoration photos?

    Thank you,

    Bobby
     
  6. bajansailor
    Joined: Oct 2007
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    Location: Barbados

    bajansailor Marine Surveyor

  7. brendan gardam
    Joined: Feb 2020
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    Location: east gippsland australia

    brendan gardam Senior Member

    The b30 is a terrific engine. I have had 2 of them. As long as the head is not corroded they will last forever. Very simple and robust. I don't like the triple carb setup. It is a pain to look after. I made an adapter for mine and fitted a 2 barrel stromberg. You could match up the later v6 to that ratio leg i think but if the b30 is good i would be keeping it. The b20 which is the same with 2 less cylinders was popular as a rally engine. They souped them up to 270 hp .
     
  8. brendan gardam
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    Location: east gippsland australia

    brendan gardam Senior Member

    When you get the head off have a look at the coolant passages. They corrode in salt water and the head gasket can't seal properly. It's pretty easy to spot.
     
  9. Bobby Johns
    Joined: Jun 2020
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    Bobby Johns Junior Member

    Thank you for your response! The B30 is at the shop as of Monday. We'll see what they say. What V6 could I swap? Bobby
     
  10. brendan gardam
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    Location: east gippsland australia

    brendan gardam Senior Member

    You could put a volvo / mercruiser v6 in. They are both based on chev engines. The 270 gear ratio is the important factor. You need to make sure it is suitable for the v6.
     
  11. Bobby Johns
    Joined: Jun 2020
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    Location: 24740

    Bobby Johns Junior Member

    Help: apparently missing the serial number tag and there are 6 different repair kits for the 1971 AQ170A. Can I determine the serial number by any other means? Any and all suggestions greatly appreciated. Thank you
     
  12. brendan gardam
    Joined: Feb 2020
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    Location: east gippsland australia

    brendan gardam Senior Member

    I can't help. I didn't know the b30 had more than one variant.
     
  13. Magnus W
    Joined: Nov 2017
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    Magnus W Senior Member

    The 270 is an old drive but a good one. Many of the Volvo engines of the era can be made to fit, I suggest looking for any of the B23 or B230 based engines, preferably the 151 which is a 2 valve 2,5 liter inline four. Much lighter than the 170 and WAY more easy on fuel.

    The 170 is a good engine but a gas hog – very smooth running. If not in good shape they tend to run hot so the cooling system must be 100. If they run too hot it's common for the head gasket to develop leaks (it's a looong head) and it's not uncommon to find cracks in the head upon inspection. Some parts are hard to come by, like exhaust manifolds, and some are just plain silly expensive, like the circulation pump (no, unfortunately not the same is the B20 based engines).

    Even here in Volvo land people (in general) pull a tired 170 not to put it back but that's mainly for fuel consumption reasons. Swapping in an AQ151 gives you less weight, less hassle and about the same power and a certain 25 per cent fuel consumption reduction (maybe even close to 50 if tuned and operated properly). And if so inclined, some fuel injections systems from Volvo cars are easily adapted for the marine engines giving even more benefits.
     
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  14. brendan gardam
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    Location: east gippsland australia

    brendan gardam Senior Member

    i disagree about the fuel consumption, i owned 2 b 30 and i don't remember them being heavy on fuel. 1 was in a 21 ft deep v and the other was in a 24ft deep v, both very heavy old glass boats. i fitted ww stromberg 2 barrel carbs off holden v8s, made new motors out of them compared to those crap triple solex carbs. also had 2 b20s with 100 series legs, great outfits too.
     

  15. Magnus W
    Joined: Nov 2017
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    Magnus W Senior Member

    Well, I suppose what constitutes as thirsty is very much related to point of view. The difference between the AQ170 and the AQ151 is however pretty much in the ballpark I stated earlier.

    Personally I really like the B30, quiet and smooth as silk. The next Volvo six, that replaced the B30, was a V6 developed together with Peugeot och Renault. Fortunately this engine never made it over the fence to Penta because if an engine can be a pig, this is the one – thirsty as a V8 but without any of the potential power benefits, prone to over heating which almost inevitably results in the barrels sinking making the engine pretty much junk and so on.
     
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