Volvo 125 AQ idles fine, dies when put in gear, any suggestions?

[PastorChad]

Re: Volvo 125 AQ idles fine, dies when put in gear, any suggestions?

I was just trying to help you figure out if the drive had a problem.

so tell me how to check that. I am eager to learn.
Thanks for your help.
Chad

 

[dennis461]

Re: Volvo 125 AQ idles fine, dies when put in gear, any suggestions?

Check the easy stuff first.
Points still in good shape?
Carbureator should be re-cleaned; could be gummed up or corroded, aluminum body carb can look pretty bad if the boats not coverd good when sitting.

If the drive is a problem, bad bearings or such, what does the oil look like?

 

[2stroke1971]

Re: Volvo 125 AQ idles fine, dies when put in gear, any suggestions?

I had a similar problem with my 85 aq125/270.... when I first got it, it really HATED that zone right when shifting into gear...it would bog down, and the only way to keep it alive was to pump the throttle back and forth continuously until it gained some RPMs and then it would do ok. I mean like as soon as I put it into gear, on with the pumping. That was ridiculous of course.

Mine had electronic ignition, so no points or dwell. Rebuild the carb. It is a very simple unit. Adjust the pump as previoulsy described. I think mine ultimately turned out to be an ignition problem. After rebuilding the carb, it sure ran better, but still had the same symptoms....After much frustration, I did several things all at once and I dont know exactly what did the trick, but I will say that now it runs like a top, and is not even cold natured anymore.

I soldered all new heavy duty connectors on the alternator wiring...the big wire that runs from the alternator to the starter was really crappy. That alone can give you fits. New plug wires, and a new coil. I used an Accel super stock unit to replace the original one. The plug gap is critical on these motors as well...its pretty small, (now I am actually using some Bosch multi lead plugs. No listing of course, but they work nicely.)
After that, it was nice.

 

[PastorChad]

Re: Volvo 125 AQ idles fine, dies when put in gear, any suggestions?

Chad,

What happens when the drive is in neutal and you spin the prop? What happens when the boat is in gear when you spin the prop? (Out of the water and with engine off of course!)

When you say it dies when going into gear, is this in the water? or on the trailer with muffs?

Does it start ok in the water?

Maclin,

I took your advice and went out to spin the prop by hand. When I turn it in neutral it seems to have a slight drag to it and makes a slight noise. when i turn it in reverse it seems to turn slightly more freely and without the noise. I put the boat in gear (engine off of course) and try to turn the prop by hand and it acts the same way in gear as it does in neutral.

From that little bit of information does that tell you anything. I am starting to think the thing that makes most since is maybe there is a bad bearing which is causing a higher load to be put on the engine when put in gear, thus making the motor die. That is the best guess at this I can make given that I have tried many of the other suggestions and nothing else seems to help. Please share your thoughts.

Thanks
PastorChad

 

[Maclin]

Re: Volvo 125 AQ idles fine, dies when put in gear, any suggestions?

The way you describe what happens from the manual prop action in gear and in neutral does not normal to me. I am pretty sure the prop should not turn the same manually when it is in gear as it does in neutral. Also, in neutral the prop should spin either way with no drag or undue noise. It is possible that your mechanic may have the best idea about what is wrong.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Volvo 125 AQ idles fine, dies when put in gear, any suggestions?

I think I would try to shift it at the drive with the shift cable unhooked, and see if it behaves differently regarding spinning the prop manually. I believe that is fairly simple to do on your drive, I know it is on mine and those model VP's are all similar. I can go out on mine and do this but am not real comfortable walking someone else thru the process. I do not know if you have downloaded any of the manuals yet for your drive, available from links in the stickies posts at the top of this forum.

Maybe the more seasoned veterans here will chime in soon.

 

[Mullin]

Re: Volvo 125 AQ idles fine, dies when put in gear, any suggestions?

FYI, mine spins the same as yours in neutral. Both directions.
In Forward gear it spins clockwise just the same as in N, but will not spin counter-clockwise.
In Reverse gear it spins CCW but not CW.

Free to spin in the direction the gears are driving it, but not against.

 

[PastorChad]

Re: Volvo 125 AQ idles fine, dies when put in gear, any suggestions?

I have ordered a repair manual for it. When I get the manual I will try your suggestion of unhooking the cable. Thanks for your input. Will post another update after I take the next step.
Thanks to all who offer some input.

 

[PastorChad]

Re: Volvo 125 AQ idles fine, dies when put in gear, any suggestions?

SUCCEESSSSSS!!!!!! This evening I took the boat out to my local pond and dropped it in the water (on the trailer of course) and ran it in neutral for about 15 minutes. My neighbor had suggested a somewhat simple thought. Maybe I had bad gas and just needed to let the old gas run through. :facepalm:

So I bought some fresh gas put some fuel treatment in the tank. Ran it for about 15 minutes in neutral, then tried to put it in gear. And it died again. Ran it for another 5 minutes - pushing it full throttle and it acted like it wanted to run. It sputtered a bit and died. Started a 3rd time, ran for about 2-3 minutes, then tried again, and it worked. I kept it running in gear on the trailer for about 10 minutes. put it in neutral, then shifted it back in gear and everything seems to be working great. I took it off the trailer and did a little spin around my very small local fishing lake and it ran perfect without a hitch. What did I learn from this? Don't overlook the simple things. Thanks to all who gave me advice. I am glad to know about this website and that so many others are out there willing to help. Blessings to you all.

 

[Maclin]

Re: Volvo 125 AQ idles fine, dies when put in gear, any suggestions?

Good deal!

 

[TrianaNorway]

Re: Volvo 125 AQ idles fine, dies when put in gear, any suggestions?

I have exactly the same problem with my Volvo Penta AQ131A. The engine idles fine in neutral, but dies in gear. We have not rebuilt the carburetor, but had the mixture screws adjusted according to the maintenance guide. We have not used the boat after this.

Today, I found this thread, and figured out that I may have a fuel problem as well. I have not changed the fuel filter before (it may be as old as 10 years ...). So I opened it, and, as seen on the picture, found the fuel inside orange with an amount of water.
On the bottom, some dirt as well:



Does anyone know why the fuel is getting orange? Is it rust? Now, it's obious that I need a new filter, and maybe get rid of the gas from last year ..? Hope I do not have to renew the tank.

Greetings from Norway!

 

[Don S]

Re: Volvo 125 AQ idles fine, dies when put in gear, any suggestions?

Welcome aboard TrianaNorway, you really need to start your own thread, even if it is a similar problem.

 

[TrianaNorway]

Re: Volvo 125 AQ idles fine, dies when put in gear, any suggestions?

Welcome aboard TrianaNorway, you really need to start your own thread, even if it is a similar problem.

Sorry! It's the opposite in forums over here:facepalm: