'03 Chaparral 180SS Penta 3.0 GS & SX-M (2.18 gr) presentation & 1st major issue

[Oda112]

'03 Chaparral 180SS Penta 3.0 GS & SX-M (2.18 gr) presentation & 1st major issue

Hello everyone!
Me and my wife recently bought this semi-project Chaparral a few days ago. I am going to post a few pictures as I clean it up, for now I'll just link the initial ones from the facebook ad. The story of her life after 2011 is that it sat for 7 years uncovered after a divorce, the previous owner bought it in 2017 and took it out a few times but not enough to justify the amount of money they had to spend on maintenance and fixing it up so they decided to sell her.
After we got her me and my wife were a bit too excited about owning our first boat so we decided to put it in the water as soon as we got home. It has issues starting, according to the previous owner it had a rebuilt carb put in in 2017 but it was never tuned up correctly so it needs someone to move the accelerator bracket just a tad to get it to stay running at idle and it also needs a nudge to keep it going those first few seconds after it's put in FWD or R. If it doesn't die immediately after it engages R or FWD then it is good to go. Even with someone helping while I was backing it up we still took a loooong time at the slip having to restart all the time as it was dying out as soon as it engaged R. Luckily there were 4 lanes at that place so we others were still able to get their boats in&out. Anyway, after it ran for awhile all was fine and I could get the rest of the crew in and we were moving. The motor ran fine, according to the runtime gauge it is at 87 hours. The trim and voltage gauges were not working and for some reason the RPM gauge showed an idle of 1500 to 2000 rpm which is incorrect. I think it definitely idles higher than it should but it's definitely not 2k. I'll come back to that gauge later.
As we were cruising along at about 25 to 27mph at around 3500 to 4000 rpm (according to the rpm gauge) against the receding tide I felt 3 jolts, each slowing us down considerably until the boat stopped after the 3rd one and the engine rpms went crazy (over 4500) while the shift handle was still in FWD. All of this happened in about 3 seconds. I immediately took it out of gear and put it in neutral, let the engine calm down, checked the depth gauge which at this point was fluctuating between 2ft and 8ft. It was previously showing values of 10 or higher and I was planning to turn around soon but I didn't get the chance to do it. After the motor went back to idle I tried engaging R, felt another thud, not as bad as the previous 3 ones. After that thud the motor started revving at 4000+ so I immediately backed off and put it in neutral. At this point any attempt to put in FWD or R yielded the same results, no movement from the prop at all, just the revving. I'm thinking I hit the bottom of the river because when we were trying to turn the boat back towards the slip we were able to see the bottom in some areas, it was less than 3ft under the water line. I thought I had trimmed up enough before all of this happened but I was nowhere near close to a safe level and because of the defective trim gauge I had no feedback on it.
After this we decided to call seatow since we were about 2 miles away from the slip but they quoted us 1000$ or more depending on the distance they had to travel from their dock. Our contract with them wasn't going to take effect until the next day so we were SOL on that one. Luckily about 30 minutes before it got dark, as we were paddling towards the slip two really nice guys in a small tracker boat saw us and towed us to the slip. It was dark by the time we got out of the water and had secured the boat to its trailer.
Now, the next day (Memorial Day) found me opening the shifter mechanism cover, checking the shift cable (it was misaligned but not by much) and the removing the cover to check on the shift clutch (sliding sleeve). With the link rod removed, shifting manually (before removing the selector unit) the prop would spin freely in FWD & R. After removing the selector unit and visually inspecting the shift dog and FWD&R gears I couldn't see any abnormal wear. Moving the clutch manually up and down as far as it would go didn't help engage the prop, it would still spin freely. I noticed that when I spin the prop there's no movement of the clutch itself, as far as I could tell from studying the schematics it is splined to the shaft going towards the lower unit. I'm thinking there might be a mechanical disconnect somewhere in the lower unit, maybe one of the splined sleeves or a gear or even a broken shaft. I messaged muc earlier today and he suggested I post this here. I was going to wait until the boat was in better shape to present it to all of you but I'm kinda stuck on this and before I pull the lower unit I wanted to see if anyone had any idea of what could cause this.
A few other things I forgot to include are:
-I drained the gear oil, it was dark but not frothy or filled with metal shavings. It had a few very small metallic looking pieces on the drain plug magnet but they were less than half a mm thick
-took the prop off and I can spin the shaft with the same results as when the prop is on, the cone clutch isn't moving when it's in the N position or when it is engaged up or down on its shaft.
-I didn't smell burnt rubber so I don't thing it's the engine coupler that went bad + if I try to spin the gears themselves I can't, they're solid because of engine compression (I think)
-stern drive is an SX-M, Prod no: 3868896, 2.18 GR @ 4202065414
-motor is a 03 Volvo penta 3.0 GS, I'll look at the serial when it stops raining and I can take the cover off the boat.

I would appreciate any pertinent advice. Initially I was going to buy all the tools to do a clutch repair like the user "nobama5555" did in his Youtube videos but I don't think it's my clutch that's bad. It doesn't look glazed or too worn.
I hope you all have a great day and thank you for reading!

 

[alldodge]

Thanks for the details but this is down right painful to read due to paragraphing, Got rid of some wording to help others read

After we got her me and my wife were a bit too excited about owning our first boat so we decided to put it in the water as soon as we got home.

It has issues starting, according to the previous owner it had a rebuilt carb put in in 2017 but it was never tuned up correctly so it needs someone to move the accelerator bracket just a tad to get it to stay running at idle and it also needs a nudge to keep it going those first few seconds after it's put in FWD or R. If it doesn't die immediately after it engages R or FWD then it is good to go.

87 hours. The trim and voltage gauges were not working and for some reason the RPM gauge showed an idle of 1500 to 2000 rpm which is incorrect. I think it definitely idles higher than it should but it's definitely not 2k.

we were cruising along at about 25 to 27mph at around 3500 to 4000 rpm (according to the rpm gauge) against the receding tide I felt 3 jolts, each slowing us down considerably until the boat stopped after the 3rd one and the engine rpms went crazy (over 4500) while the shift handle was still in FWD.

All of this happened in about 3 seconds. I immediately took it out of gear and put it in neutral, let the engine calm down, checked the depth gauge which at this point was fluctuating between 2ft and 8ft. It was previously showing values of 10 or higher and I was planning to turn around soon but I didn't get the chance to do it. After the motor went back to idle I tried engaging R, felt another thud, not as bad as the previous 3 ones. After that thud the motor started revving at 4000+ so I immediately backed off and put it in neutral. At this point any attempt to put in FWD or R yielded the same results, no movement from the prop at all, just the revving. I'm thinking I hit the bottom of the river

Now, the next day (Memorial Day) found me opening the shifter mechanism cover, checking the shift cable (it was misaligned but not by much) and the removing the cover to check on the shift clutch (sliding sleeve). With the link rod removed, shifting manually (before removing the selector unit) the prop would spin freely in FWD & R. After removing the selector unit and visually inspecting the shift dog and FWD&R gears I couldn't see any abnormal wear. Moving the clutch manually up and down as far as it would go didn't help engage the prop, it would still spin freely. I noticed that when I spin the prop there's no movement of the clutch itself, as far as I could tell from studying the schematics it is splined to the shaft going towards the lower unit. I'm thinking there might be a mechanical disconnect somewhere in the lower unit, maybe one of the splined sleeves or a gear or even a broken shaft

-I drained the gear oil, it was dark but not frothy or filled with metal shavings. It had a few very small metallic looking pieces on the drain plug magnet but they were less than half a mm thick
-took the prop off and I can spin the shaft with the same results as when the prop is on, the cone clutch isn't moving when it's in the N position or when it is engaged up or down on its shaft.
-I didn't smell burnt rubber so I don't thing it's the engine coupler that went bad + if I try to spin the gears themselves I can't, they're solid because of engine compression (I think) -stern drive is an SX-M, Prod no: 3868896, 2.18 GR @ 4202065414

Your drive is broke and needs to come apart, at least how I'm reading it. It hit the bottom of the river and something snaped

 

[muc]

Welcome to iBOATS and welcome to boating.
First ---- do you have insurance on the boat? If so contact your agent and get this underwater strike on record. You don't have to start a claim but you do want to get it on record. This could be an expensive problem because a new drive from Volvo is over $9,000.00. More then likely this problem will be way less then that, but boat and towing insurance can be a VERY good investment.

My first guess is that you have sheared the splined sleeve that connects the upper shaft to the lower shaft. You will need to remove the lower half of the drive from the upper half to check this. It will be part # 1 in this link.

http://www.volvopentastore.com/Lowe...on_id.144831368--store_id.366--view_id.782035

The next link will take you to Volvo's list of manuals. (Use your serial number to search and you will get the best results.) You can download a free copy of the correct operators manual for your engine package. The operators manual will list all the normal maintenance that should be done, so you can take that into account as you do this repair. Also you will find the link to purchase the workshop manual for your drive. You should purchase this manual or find it online. But this is something you should read before attempting this repair. Only use Volvo manual #7743008 don't use any of the aftermarket manuals --- they aren't worth the paper they're printed on.

https://www.volvopenta.com/marineleisure/en-en/for-owners/your-engine/manuals---handbooks.html


Here is a list of the parts I'm guessing you will need.

3852268 Splined sleeve 1 $66.70 *** $66.70
3852866 O-ring 1 $4.70 *** $4.70
3852959 O-ring 1 $2.53 *** $2.53
3855081 O-ring 2 $1.78 *** $3.56
3852045 O-ring 1 $1.03 *** $1.03
925093 O-ring 1 $1.50 *** $1.50
Total cost (USD): $80.02

 

[Oda112]

Welcome to iBOATS and welcome to boating.
First ----

Thanks for the response! I didn't buy insurance for the boat yet, I think I'm covered for basic stuff through my auto insurance, I'll have to look into that. I'm the warranty usually with both our cars and pretty much anything else mechanical or electrical around the house.

I got that volvo manual yesterday, it's a really good one, I think you might have recommended it on another thread. The previous owner included the Volvo penta 3.0 gs manual. It doesn't have any info on carb tuning but I'll look for that elsewhere.
I read that the seloc manuals aren't very helpful so I'll stay away from those.

I'm hoping you're right, I was also suspecting a broken coupling. I guess I'll find out when I take unbolt the lower unit.
Once this is fixed and tuned properly it will definitely get the right maintenance. I'm a firm believer in preventative maintenance and applying that to my vehicles has gotten me many miles of reliable transportation so the boat is going to get the same treatment once it's fixed.

alldodge Sorry about the poor paragraph alignment, I was typing away and hit sent before making it more palatable for other readers. For some reason I don't have an edit button under my post but I'll keep that in mind for my next ones.

 

[Oda112]

muc do you think this would work too, instead of ordering the o-rings individually? https://www.marinepartssource.com/volvo-penta-sx-gearcase-seal-kit-volvo-penta-3855275
From the pictures they have of the kit it seems like there are only 4 o-rings as opposed to the 5 you referenced.

 

[muc]

muc do you think this would work too, instead of ordering the o-rings individually? https://www.marinepartssource.com/volvo-penta-sx-gearcase-seal-kit-volvo-penta-3855275
From the pictures they have of the kit it seems like there are only 4 o-rings as opposed to the 5 you referenced.

That kit is missing 3 of the o rings you will need, it has the water tube seals that should be reusable and prop shaft seals and bearing carrier o ring that you will only need if your prop shaft is bent.

You should check the prop shaft to see if it’s bent. What does your prop look like?

Use only Volvo gear lube when you refill the drive. The clutch and cones have been stressed and you want to give them the best chance at being able to grip again.

I mentioned the operators manual so you would look at required maintenance and see that now would be good time to pull the drive, inspect the u-joint bellows and check engine alignment. Volvo’s alignment tool is nice to use, but kind of expensive for a once a year use. Might want to check the EBay for a cheaper version.

 

[Oda112]

That kit is missing 3 of the o rings you will need, it has the water tube seals that should be reusable and prop shaft seals and bearing carrier o ring that you will only need if your prop shaft is bent.

You should check the prop shaft to see if it’s bent. What does your prop look like?

Use only Volvo gear lube when you refill the drive. The clutch and cones have been stressed and you want to give them the best chance at being able to grip again.

I mentioned the operators manual so you would look at required maintenance and see that now would be good time to pull the drive, inspect the u-joint bellows and check engine alignment. Volvo’s alignment tool is nice to use, but kind of expensive for a once a year use. Might want to check the EBay for a cheaper version.

Opened the lower unit up today muc you were bang on. The coupler did its job saved the rest of the parts from operator dumbness. The stress marks on the coupler are interesting, the splines on the inside twisted 25 to 30 degrees but luckily didn't damage the shafts at all.

Unfortunately I realized the upper gear housing is cracked. I didn't catch that before, thought it was just oxidation. Luckily there's no leakage of oil, the unit is still sealing properly but I'm thinking it could be a problem further down the road.
The trim sensor has both wires going out of it sheared off, no wonder it's not working. The sensor unit has 3 stubs coming out of it but only two are populated with wires. They broke off at about 2 inches from the unit. Do you think I could reuse that unit with maybe new wiring?

I ordered all the parts needed for this repair and general maintenance, all OEM stuff. I also got a carb rebuild kit. The only think I couldn't figure out yet was the shift cable. I couldn't find in the parts diagram but I would presume it differs based on the boat make. I'll get up on the boat as soon as the weather allows it and take a look.

 

[muc]

Don't worry about the crack, it's cosmetic.
Trim sensor isn't repairable. You will need a new one. It also will come with 3 wires and you will only use 2 of them.
Shift cable is ordered based on length. Your old cable will be marked within 2 ft. of either end.
Looking at the pictures --- I was wrong about reusing the water tube seal. You need a new one.

 

[Oda112]

Don't worry about the crack, it's cosmetic.
Trim sensor isn't repairable. You will need a new one. It also will come with 3 wires and you will only use 2 of them.
Shift cable is ordered based on length. Your old cable will be marked within 2 ft. of either end.
Looking at the pictures --- I was wrong about reusing the water tube seal. You need a new one.

Thank you for all the good info and good news! I owe you a few beers. I was a bit worried about that crack. I ordered some sx grey paint and I'll touch it up after repairing it with some good ole bondo.

The sensor is definitely not repairable now, I was getting readings between 505 and 670ohms (book says 11+- 1) after cleaning the two wires as much as possible so I decided to open it up.
The red cable going into the unit was rotten, so was about 8 inches of the part going towards the transom. This unit has not been functioning for a few years at least IMO.
I think the failure cause was improper zip-tying, it didn't have enough slack to move freely when the sterndrive was moved all the way to port and that snapped both cables.

The 3 wire version working too instead of the 2 wire is great news. The 2 wire is about 80$ on ebay, the other is around 50. I'm going to see if the cheaper unit works and if the boat behaves further down the road I'll buy the OEM unit.

The newest issue I discovered is the RPM gauge, it's stuck at 2k even though the boat is not powered up. I looked under the instrument panel and it's a rust fest in there, I'm amazed any of the gauges work.

 

[muc]

When you bondo the crack, make sure you leave the little notch open. That notch is what allows that area to drain so you don’t get the freeze crack you have now.

Volvo sells a few trim senders. Some of them won’t work with your boat. It’s not a 2 wire vs 3 wire question.

Gauges are an important part of boating. It always amazes me that people will operate a boat without fully functioning gauges. I don’t think they know how quickly a expensive problem can come up that would have been a cheap problem if they had been watching the gauges. It sounds like yours have reached the end of their life. I suggest that you look at buying a complete package of new gauges. They are available in a boxed set for $300-$400. I can’t count how many engines I have had to replace because people didn’t want to spend the money on functioning gauges and now they have to spend $5,000 for engine repairs on top of new gauges.