Proper way to operate a Volvo 280 Outdrive when pulling up or backing out of a beach?

f_inscreenname

Commander
Joined
Aug 23, 2001
Messages
2,591
Re: Proper way to operate a Volvo 280 Outdrive when pulling up or backing out of a be

Just a bit of advice from a long term owner of a 270Penta.
1, You have one of the best drives ever made. Built like brick crap house. Mine is 35+ years old and is now being powered by a 430hp motor. You would never see a Alpha do that.
2, The reverse lock thing is a pain. It will not work with the drive up at all. Solution, push the bow around in the right direction before you take off.
3, Driving with just the tilt holding the drive up is something you should only do on rare occasions. They are not made to do this no matter what Volvo says. Yours is now 25 years old and I?m sure on it?s last legs. No matter how well it was taken care of. Things ware out.
4, When trailering you boat, if you have some rough and not so rough roads to travel the drive will bounce causing lots of stress on the tilt mechanism (worm gear) which causes them to break sooner then later. I used to use a strap from the drive to my ski tow eye to prevent this. A transom saver would do the same thing. Before this I would end up replacing a ?tilt? about once a season. They are hard to find these days and even harder to pay for being they want a arm and a leg for junk ones. So doing this is a must.
5, As for not being able to use ?trim? on the older Volvo is BS. That same 35+ year old Volvo now has a 280T transom shield. Or it has ?full trim? and I use it all the time. Its been a couple years now and never had a issue.
 

jepps3

Cadet
Joined
Mar 2, 2008
Messages
21
Re: Proper way to operate a Volvo 280 Outdrive when pulling up or backing out of a be

I'm glad that the 280 is solid. It sounds like all I gotta do is put a 280t sheild and we're good to go.

I just always wonder how other owners do it at the beach.
 

pine island fred

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Dec 20, 2002
Messages
1,144
Re: Proper way to operate a Volvo 280 Outdrive when pulling up or backing out of a be

First off I do not know if there is much difference between a 280 and a 290DP. Unfortunately I am a bit familar with a 290, fortunately it is not mine but spends more time in pieces at my place than its real home. The 290 has 2 cyls. that do the tilt/trim. Full down trim is -7 on the digital trim gauge, at some point on the trim up its stops trimming. Must be a function thru the indicator. At that point there is an override switch that must be depressed to bringng the out drive up further. I have to assume the engine should be shut down to prevent the U joint from tearing up the bellos mount area which is the reason the latest project of replacing the bell housing is going on.
Dont know how the reverse lock can disengage when the drive is tilted up as it is a function controlled by the shift cable on the 290 but DON S knows what he is talking about and he is giving advice on a 280. BTW, friend is springing for $700 for a new raw bell housing plus an additional $900 for the bearings and seals to put it back together again. Sure would appreciate it if DON could point us in the right direction for new seals for the trim cyls. in liew of new cyls. that would be a bear and $$$s to replace. regards FRED
 

pine island fred

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Dec 20, 2002
Messages
1,144
Re: Proper way to operate a Volvo 280 Outdrive when pulling up or backing out of a be

Dont know how my friend missed that as he is an E-BAY fanatic, sort of like the women getting addicted to the home shopping network. He has had the nude bell housing for nearly 3 months and just ordered all the additional parts that the mechanic says he will need to put the thing back together again.
Friend gets extreamly disturbed when I attempt to discuss the unit with him so I just step back. New leg with about 4 hrs. on it is setting here with a badly corroded water outlet elboe and tore up lock down assy. New 350 is sitting in the grass only has about 2 hrs. Flywheel came loose, guess he forgot to torque the bolts when he swapped the seized eng. out. He is understandably distraught and has a local mech. working on it.
How about O rings for the trim cyls? regards FRED
 
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