Our main engine (AKA auxiliary to some) is a Volvo TMD22P 76HP turbo diesel. The shaft is direct drive through a slightly angled reverse/drive gear transmission to our 18" bronze feathering Max-Prop.  The shaft seal is drip-less.

We had Todd Rickard at Sound Rigging & Yacht Services perform several engine related upgrades when the boat was delivered to Seattle. We wanted to ensure that oil changes would be frequent and hassle-free, so Todd installed an externally mounted oil filter and an external "Reverso" changing/fill pump on the engine room firewall. This arrangement allows an oil change and refill in about 30 minutes with a minimum of swearing.

We wanted the impeller changes to be easy and fast.  Again, Todd installed a SpeedSeal faceplate and quick-turn knobs on the raw water pump housing.  After a couple of impeller changes, and have found this to be very convenient.  A standard impeller-puller does not fit (without modification to the puller), so a simple pair of "bent-tip" needle-nose pliers works well for removing the impeller.

The dual Racor fuel filters buy me some breathing time on fuel filter changes.  Because of the possibility of diesel contamination, we had planned to "invest" in a large Baja Filter ($$$) with extra screens and end caps to catch the problem at the source.

After doing a bit more research and reading, we decided to purchase a $30 ($36 with shipping) "Mr. Funnel" (Model F8C) from Smart Tech LLC . This is a large (5 gals/minute) electrostatically conductive plastic aircraft and marine fuel funnel.  So far, we've only used this funnel when filling the tanks from jerry cans, but it seems to work well.

In 2007, while still in Auckland, Ovlov performed some needed maintenance on the Volvo engine. The turbo-charger was replaced, the "serpentine belt and bearings" were replaced, and all four injectors were replaced as well. The turbo could not be fixed and the injectors were almost less expensive to replace than to get serviced. All is well and she is running smoothly after only a few boat-bucks spent.