When I bought Sacha, my Beneteau Oceanis 381, five years ago I changed the cam belt on the engine. It is a Volvo Penta MD22L B, basically a Perkins Prima 50 two-litre diesel as used in the old British Leyland Montego/Maestro cars. Most of the parts are the same except for the starter motor and, I thought, the water pump.

Five years on, the original water pump and cam belt rollers have done a lot of hours, and it is also time to change the cam belt again. Volvo Penta dealers wanted around £230 for a water pump – so I got searching on the internet.

A post from a few years ago on the PBO forum sent me off on a search for a pump for a Leyland Daf Sherpa engine. There’s not a lot of stock anywhere, bearing in mind these vehicles were made in the mid-to-late-1980s, but finally I struck paydirt! It came under the part number CP1334E, made by BGA. The cost was £46 including courier delivery! It was identical except for the little spigot which was drilled out for a heater hose. I’ll fix that by tapping and epoxy-gluing in a bolt.
The cam belt kit was easier – it’s from Quinton Hazell, part number QBK459. The rollers, part numbers QTT433 and QTT438, are listed separately, but the whole kit, including rollers, cost £96. A bargain again.

Stu Davies