Ahhhhh!!! Cant get air to bleed out of Volvo Penta SX trim

[Technologic80]

My boat is a 1997 Four Winns Vista 278 with twin 4.3l engines (43FBPLKD).

Last year, I rebuilt one of my outdrive lift rams... it re-primed and got the air out easily using the VP recommended method.

This year, I had to rebuild another leaking ram. I introduced a lot of air into the port side trim system and tried for a good hour to bleed the air out to no avail. I followed the VP directions to cycle the outdrive up and down 5 times, then top off the fluid.

Question #1: To check the level of the hydraulic trim system, Volvo states the outdrive must be in the fully UP position. Does this mean BOTH outdrives (they share the same pump)??? It never mentions boats with twin engines.

Question #2: What do you do when the outdrive will barely go up?? Even with a helper out there lifting it along, it has a lot of "bounce" - meaning you can easily push and pull the outdrive up and down 8" or so. There is obviously a bunch of air in the cylinders.

Question #3: Is there any other way to manually release the air? Me and my helper decided to let it set overnight and "burp". But our patience was growing thin.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Fun Times]

Re: Ahhhhh!!! Cant get air to bleed out of Volvo Penta SX trim

Since you have twin engines, transom assemblies and stern drives, you should have 2 trim pumps that run each stern drive. They should not be shared. OEM Parts

When you rebuilt the trim cylinder last year, did you rebuild just one cylinder or two? What side was it, the starboard or port side of the boat? Did you rebuild the opposite side of the boat this time? And how many, one or two? if one, what side of the stern drive?

 

[Technologic80]

Re: Ahhhhh!!! Cant get air to bleed out of Volvo Penta SX trim

Fun Times - you may have just made an idiot out of me :lol:

But I wont know how idiotic I look until I get home from work today... it does make sense thought, ALTHOUGH I have only ever seen 1 trim pump, mounted right in the middle of the bilge (transom).
It would make sense that the 1 pump that I can see between the engines, mounted against the transom is the stbd side; last night when we were trying to bleed out the air on the port side, I took the cap off on the pump and it was already full of fluid...weird I thought.

Then, after trying to bleed it for a while, the port side ram operation got worse and worse... like it was sucking more air. DUH... probably because I was topping off the stbd side trim pump, and the port side burped its air, fluid filled its place, and now the reservoir is empty...lol. Oh brother, I might have won the award on dumb dumb this time :facepalm:

After looking at what you posted, and thinking about it... there has to be another trim pump. I will look tonight. I work until 4:30, maybe Ill run hone at lunchtime and check (This is gonna kill me all day now!!)

 

[Thalasso]

Re: Ahhhhh!!! Cant get air to bleed out of Volvo Penta SX trim

You don't believe him do you?

 

[Technologic80]

Re: Ahhhhh!!! Cant get air to bleed out of Volvo Penta SX trim

You don't believe him do you?

 

[Thalasso]

Re: Ahhhhh!!! Cant get air to bleed out of Volvo Penta SX trim

I see you asked the question on another forum if you could have two 2 pumps after Fun Times told you did.

 

[Technologic80]

Re: Ahhhhh!!! Cant get air to bleed out of Volvo Penta SX trim

I see you asked the question on another forum if you could have two 2 pumps after Fun Times told you did.

Yeah I posted over on another forum before I posted here, but no definitive answer over there yet either, lol :sleeping: I am taking his post seriously, and like I said - when I get home today I am going right to the boat to look for my port side trim pump. Ive never seen one before, and Ive owned the boat 3 years, with extensive time in the bilge. Ive never seen another trim pump.

Its not that I dont believe him, I just find it hard to believe myself, because I thought I knew that boat inside and out, lol. Guess she is holding a surprise for me after all! Definitely nothing personal. I just am suprised, and embarrassed at myself.

Since you have twin engines, transom assemblies and stern drives, you should have 2 trim pumps that run each stern drive.[/url]

And by the way, he said I should have two pumps, not that I do. Its ok to cross check things you read on the internet. Heck, before right now if somebody asked me, I'd be telling them their twin engined boat has ONE trim pump....LOL

 

[Thalasso]

Re: Ahhhhh!!! Cant get air to bleed out of Volvo Penta SX trim

I have twins and a pump for each. Where ever you find one on one engine there will be one most likely in the same place on the other.
looks like you found it

Does this sound familiar.
:facepalm:
But what you say sounds like it could be the same for my boat.... there is a pump located between two engines. A dumb dumb like myself, would think "The designers put it in the middle of the two outdrives because its the pump for BOTH". Duh. Feel so stupid right now.

 

[Technologic80]

Re: Ahhhhh!!! Cant get air to bleed out of Volvo Penta SX trim

Well guys, I came home and went right to the boat and located the hiding trim pump! :facepalm:

First off, heres a picture of where the (starboard trim) pump that is located between my two engines. I originally assumed this was the "main" pump (Knowing nothing about hydraulics, except how to rebuild the ram based on the VP/OMC shop manual):

THIS is why I had never seen the port side trim pump or knew it existed - its located (read: crammed) behind the port side riser:

This is what I used to fill it up (and it took almost a whole quart!!):

After I filled it up, it started working. I bled out more air, topped off, bled out more air. Its now working great!

Thanks for all of the help. Learn something new every day...

 

[Fun Times]

Re: Ahhhhh!!! Cant get air to bleed out of Volvo Penta SX trim

Being this is a forum for giving general advice of what could be wrong, depending on the type of question, I tend to try and say words like "should" vs "will" because for me, not being there to see it first hand on every boat, I can't guarantee what someone else may have done or changed around in the past from what I would consider being normal.

Since you at first didn't see 2 pumps, while it's not normal to have one pump run both drives, who's to say someone didn't tee both trim systems into one pump.:noidea: Just my preferred words to use most of the time is all. Plus it was just enough advice to get you back in there to have another look around, or in this case question my judgment on another boating forum??? Just kidding.

Glad you found it.

 

[Thalasso]

Re: Ahhhhh!!! Cant get air to bleed out of Volvo Penta SX trim

Don't you love how they (manuf) engineer things. Like cars. It isn't supposed to need any attention. Glad you found it.