AQ 270 Intermediate Bushing

[Waterski Dude]

I have a 1986 AQ 270 Volvo Penta out drive with a AQ125B Volvo Penta engine. My engine starts running hot on a plane but is fine while idling in the water. I've talked to a couple of boat shops and everyone is pointing to the intermediate bushing / seals on the 270 outdrive.

Does anyone know the best way to disassemble the outdrive to get to the bushing? Tackle it from the top of the out drive or the bottom or both? Is there an instruction manual on how to do this? Are there other seals to replace while I'm in there? OR is it worth paying a boat shop to fix this? Just not sure how big of a job this is or what things I may encounter while doing this.

PS. Impellor is new and working fine. Coppe intake tube however is warm and not cold from the water which leads me also to believe the outdrive is sucking air not cold water to cool.

 

[84Monaco]

Re: AQ 270 Intermediate Bushing

I don't have a detailed answer to your question since I'm not familiar with your specific unit, but I opened up the drive on my mercruiser last year and I didn't screw anything up, but even for someone with mechanical inclination there are a lot of specialty tools that are needed for some aspects of marine repair.

I ended up taking it to a shop since it needed bearings and stuff. Also, you'll need gasket kits and stuff if you're pulling it apart.

Bottom line, I think if you like working on things (which I do) and are willing to invest time time and money, you could probably do your own work on an outdrive, but based on my experience, if you can afford to have a shop do it, you're going to save yourself a lot of hassle. There are just a lot of things you can't do without a special tool, and the tools are pricey and have only one very specific use.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: AQ 270 Intermediate Bushing

there are specific instructions on dissasembling the 270 Intermediae housing and replacing the water tube bushing/bearing and water tube oring.
its called a service manual.
not a hard job unless its a saltwater rig then its tough sometimes.
best bet is to scrap the seawater pickup from the drive and install a thru hull scoop fitting.

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: AQ 270 Intermediate Bushing

Before you go tearing the outdrive apart, run some tests and replace the most common bad actor first.

Hook up the mufs and plug the forward drain hole on the bottom of the drive. Then pressurize that part of the system and look for leaks. It could be the lower o-ring on the fork but the most common is the water neck connector. That's the fitting on top of the fork that delivers water to the hose running to the engine. Those corrode from the inside quite often and a visual inspection doesn't allways show anything wrong.

If it's been awhile since the water neck connector and gasket were replaced, they're cheap enough to warrant replacement before you tear anything apart. No guarantee that's the problem but it is the most common since the water neck is out of the water when the boat is on plane.

 

[keelhauled]

Re: AQ 270 Intermediate Bushing

best bet is to scrap the seawater pickup from the drive and install a thru hull scoop fitting.

That's what I did. Never had a problem since.

 

[zbnutcase]

Re: AQ 270 Intermediate Bushing

I have a 1986 AQ 270 Volvo Penta out drive with a AQ125B Volvo Penta engine. My engine starts running hot on a plane but is fine while idling in the water. I've talked to a couple of boat shops and everyone is pointing to the intermediate bushing / seals on the 270 outdrive.

Does anyone know the best way to disassemble the outdrive to get to the bushing? Tackle it from the top of the out drive or the bottom or both? Is there an instruction manual on how to do this? Are there other seals to replace while I'm in there? OR is it worth paying a boat shop to fix this? Just not sure how big of a job this is or what things I may encounter while doing this.

PS. Impellor is new and working fine. Coppe intake tube however is warm and not cold from the water which leads me also to believe the outdrive is sucking air not cold water to cool.

Marine repair shops are kinda expensive but for a good reason. Service manuals don't take into account age, abuse, corrosion, nor do they tell how to deal with those and other problems that might arise. That info only comes with experience, and that is what you pay for. Pay a GOOD shop, and avoid the headache.

 

[Waterski Dude]

Re: AQ 270 Intermediate Bushing

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the input and I'll get this thing figured out. Summers goin quick so I need this fixed fast!