Volvo Engines Overview

Volvo CE are an international leading manufacturer of construction equipment and produce a number of diesel-powered engines.

With over 14,000 employees, Volvo CE are one of the largest companies within the industry and produce a range of powerful engines along with a variety of construction vehicles.

With the company being so large and well known, it comes as no surprise at all that their engines are very robust and incredibly reliable…but what makes this company so highly regarded and what goes into the construction of their diesel engines?

The Efficiency Of A Volvo Engine

Over the years, Volvo has managed to maintain one of the top positions on the market for their construction equipment and diesel engines.

Volvo engines have continued to be modified and adapted to keep up with the evolving technology and changing emissions.

With the increasing concern of global warming and pollution, Volvo have remade their engines to produce far less emissions to help combat the high pollution levels.

By 2030, Volvo Engines are aiming to reduce their CO₂ emissions by 50% across their own operations and a 30% reduction in emissions for their own product use. This is just a steppingstone to their final target of becoming a complete net zero gas emissions company by 2040!

These engines are put through their paces during the production line. Once they have passed the required tests, they can then be put on the market for purchasing.

One of the biggest requirements for these tests include the fuel efficiency – Engines which are 75 horsepower and higher must meet the legislative requirements for delivering improved fuel efficiency which is passed through a combination of in-cylinders as well as external solutions and selective catalytic reduction technology.

This specific test has been meticulously tested over a period of more than 100,000 hours, which includes engine test benches and multi-application field testing in prototypes such as articulated haulers, excavators, and wheel loaders. All of this will be completed before the engines can be sold or placed into their machinery.

The Reliability Of A Volvo Engine

Whilst Volvo engines are robust, hardy, and reliable, they still need specific care and attention to ensure that they remain working at their peak performance. Therefore, these engines should not go any longer than 12 months or 1000 hours without an inspection.

This inspection will include:

• An inspection of the drive belts, belt tensioner, and idler wheel
• A clean or replacement of the fuel pre-filter, draining water / contamination

Furthermore, every 24 months, or 2000 hours, your engine will needs the following:

• Air filter, AdBlue / DEF tank breather replaced
• Air filter compressor replaced
• AdBlue / Def filter, pump unit replaced

Finally, every 6000 hours will require your NOx sensor pre/post SCR to be replaced.

By following this recommended servicing schedule, you can ensure that your Volvo diesel engine will remain in tip top condition for the duration.

Unfortunately, everything comes with an expiry date, including your Volvo engine. Whilst we have stated above, the length of time it should take before your Volvo engine should be serviced, it becomes slightly more complicated when it comes to discussing their expiry.

Some Volvo engines may make it to 10,000 hours and begin to troubleshoot, whereas other engines can still be going at 15,000 hours. This can all depend on a number of factors and should all be considered.

Firstly, the level of care given to the engine and the machinery it is in will majorly contribute to the lifespan.

If your vehicle is under a strenuous amount of hard labour in challenging terrain and conditions, there is a higher chance that the lifespan will be far shorter than a machine which working in good conditions on light jobs.

However, for these engines to malfunction so early on will have to have been put through some seriously challenging manual work considering the tests they are put through…such as working 3,500m above sea level.

This show test demonstrated just how well the Volvo combustion engines would cope working in conditions where the oxygen was sparse, the air was thin, and the atmospheric pressure was low.

Another test involved working through extreme heat and this showed how well the engines would cope without overheating.

The Volvo Diesel Engine

Since 1832, when Volvo was founded, they have continued to make a number of different diesel engines for construction and agricultural machinery as well as making their own commercial vehicles which include front wheel loaders and excavators.

Volvo are going to continue to expand throughout the years and further develop their engines with there being no signs of this well-established company slowing down or reducing their production lines any time soon.

Over the next coming years, it is likely that we will see more engines being released as well as improvements on their current available engines.

The future is constantly changing and adapting for the better but construction and agricultural machinery will always be required. In time these engines are expected to produce very few emissions from their exhausts and reduce the amount of pollution being released into the atmosphere.

Browse our range of used and refurbished Volvo engine parts on our eBay shop.