Milky Drive Oil

[dsiekman]

Okay, so I have twin Volvo 5.0 Gi's with DP drives. I just had the boat pulled and blocked this morning for the winter. Because of the swim platform this was the first time I was able to check the drive oil - poor design IMO. Anyway, when I pulled the dipsticks the oil was tan and a little milky. The drives were "supposedly" serviced when I bout the boat in May. They also supposedly changed the oil, which was not done.

So here's my question. It wasn't chocolate milkshake bade, but it was a little milky. How concerned do I need to be and what do I need to do? I will try to take some pics later today.

 

[Don S]

Re: Milky Drive Oil

Best thing you can do is remove the drives, check the bellows for water intrusion, drain the gear lube and pressure check the drive for leaks.
Any water in the gear lube at all is not good.

 

[zbnutcase]

Re: Milky Drive Oil

"Any water in the gear lube at all is not good" Agreed.

 

[dsiekman]

Re: Milky Drive Oil

Here are a couple pics, hopefully small enough...sorry, they're not real good.

 

[zbnutcase]

Re: Milky Drive Oil

Have seen worse, but any water is a problem. Time for drive removal and pressure tests.

 

[Don S]

Re: Milky Drive Oil

It may have JUST started leaking, what happens next year when you put it in the water for the summer and it gets worse (They don't heal) over the course of the summer. Do you want to spend 10K on a new drive?

 

[dsiekman]

Re: Milky Drive Oil

It may have JUST started leaking, what happens next year when you put it in the water for the summer and it gets worse (They don't heal) over the course of the summer. Do you want to spend 10K on a new drive?

Absolutely not! The mechanic is going to winterize it next week - he's a friend and lets me "help"/learn by watching. We will pull the drives and see how bad it is. Maybe I'll move them to the basement and rebuild over the winter. I was just looking for a ballpark "oh crap" or "not toooo bad".

Both drives were about the same if that leads anyone to any conclusions...other than they were most likely not serviced prior to me picking up the boat like they were supposed to be. We only put a little over 20 hours on her over the summer. I noticed towards the end of the season that after a long run it was a little harder to shift but I was hoping it was the cables. They're a little rough too and I've got the replacements waiting to go in.

 

[skippyon1o1]

Re: Milky Drive Oil

without a hijack ,I was servicing my 270 outdrive last week and the bellows was looking a little old so while replacing it ,water was in the bellows area mixed with a small amount of oil perhaps half a cup total
,none appeared to coming from drive or engine ends as none was observed coming from either. The bellows is bad and looks cracked but no water. should this drive be pressure tested ?
The oil was clean when drained

 

[ziggy]

Re: Milky Drive Oil

should this drive be pressure tested ?

sure, why not. once ya got yer tester made up from here.. http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=342393 (look at #8). it's not too much trouble to test them.
i test mine at least once a year whether something is up or not. gives me peace of mind for next season assuming it passes. i for sure would if i had any suspicions..

The mechanic is going to winterize it next week - he's a friend and lets me "help"/learn by watching.

you'll learn more if you do it and have the mechanic watch... + maybe next time the mechanic won't have to watch...

 

[dsiekman]

UDATE: Milky Drive Oil

UDATE: Milky Drive Oil

So I wandered down to the boat yesterday afternoon to take a quick look at a few things. What I found was that since the drives had dried off, it was pretty evident that the port side was leaking. The leak appeared at the bottom bolt holding on the plastic cover. Not sure what the technical term is for that part, but those who know VP drives know what I'm talking about. I didn't have any tools or a camera with me and it was getting dark, but I will try to get back down tonight. The trim tab leaks were pretty evident, too, but I will post that in a few minutes.

I talked to my friend/mechanic - yes, he's a trained marine tech - who says by the description it is most likely just the seals, but of course we won't know until we get into it. Hope he's right!

 

[Don S]

Re: UDATE: Milky Drive Oil

Re: UDATE: Milky Drive Oil

Once you pull that plastic cover off the back of the drive, you are probably going to find the leak is the shift shaft seal. Common place for leaks.
I would still pull the drive and check the bellows, alignment and all the other stuff, but that shift mechanism comes off with 4 bolts and the seal replaced.

Here is a link to the OEM service manual http://www.4shared.com/file/50982625/e2bdb42c/SX_DP-S_Service_Manual.html
Starting on page number 130 of the manual, show how to replace the seal.

 

[dsiekman]

Re: UDATE: Milky Drive Oil

Re: UDATE: Milky Drive Oil

Once you pull that plastic cover off the back of the drive, you are probably going to find the leak is the shift shaft seal. Common place for leaks.

The Great Oracle by the Sea is once again correct. See attached.

Does anyone know if the seal kit is available on iboats? While I'm at it, should I replace all of the seals in the drive? I'm thinking of moving them to my basement for the winter. Then I can clean them up, reseal, and repaint while getting to know them better.

Thanks, guys!

 

[Don S]

Re: UDATE: Milky Drive Oil

Re: UDATE: Milky Drive Oil

Yes, iboats has the kits, just go up to the top of this page and click on Volvo Penta Parts.

 

[dsiekman]

UPDATE: Milky Drive Oil

UPDATE: Milky Drive Oil

Update - pulled the props and drained the oil today before she freezes. Not good. The stbd drive was missing the o-ring at the drain - could be where the water came in - and there was about a quarter cup of clean water in the bottom of the drive. The oil in both drives was pretty dark and smelled burnt. Something tells me that the ***holes who supposedly serviced it in May didn't. I only put about 24 hours on the boat this season. I can't believe the oil would be that bad after such a short period. We also don't run the boat hard. Looks like I'm rebuilding drives this winter...

 

[telstar1]

Re: Milky Drive Oil

You found the culprit in each drive, sounds like to me. Do the shift shaft seal on the port drive, the o ring on the stbd side and see how that goes. Or spend a whole bunch tearing things apart and replacing things that may not need changing yet.Your choice . A thing weve done on numerous boats in this area is plumb up a "Mercruiser" drive oil reservoir bottle to the Volvo leg then you can see what is going on with your oil.Takes a bit of adaption to get the plumbing right.
Good chance youll be fine for awhile if you fix the obvious.

 

[dsiekman]

Re: Milky Drive Oil

Pulled the drives last night. There was drive oil in both bellows, so it looks like the rear seal was leaking, too. The drives had both sucked in enough water that oil was reading all the way up the dipstick. Now for the good news...

Both drives turn free and smooth by hand. Both came off really easily. Both gimbles and u-joints look good. I'm hoping there was no permanent damage. The drives are now both in my (relatively) warm basement and will get a good cleaning before I start working on them.