Slight play in upper gearbox on VP 280

[PiratePast40]

The upper gearbox is off the outdrive and discovering a little play in what appears to be the gearbox itself. When I hold the u-joints and rotate the shaft back and forth, can feel about 1/8" slack. I've tried this with the shift lever in all three positions and still get the same thing. It doesn't appear to be the u-joints and looking at the diagram, it appears that the next bad actor would be the gearset. That certainly doesn't sound pleasant from a financial viewpoint. My questions then are:
1) What amount of play is acceptable?
2) What are the likely suspects for the cause of the problem and of course, what is the recommended resolution?

Thanks

 

[dirty mechanic]

Re: Slight play in upper gearbox on VP 280

It's common to have "what feels like allot of clearance". when the gear houseing is split it is even more apparent due to the fact your pinon gear is taken out of the picture do you have a serial number for the drive?

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: Slight play in upper gearbox on VP 280

Thanks for the reply. Serial number is 2826932D.

Not sure which pinion gear you're referring to but the play is before the shaft to the lower drive begins to move and the play occurs in forward, nuetral, and reverse. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no idea how the clutch works, when it comes into play, or if it's even an issue.

 

[Don S]

Re: Slight play in upper gearbox on VP 280

Without pressure on the lower bearing being held in place by the intermediate housing, you will feel a lot of extra back lash.

Here's a link to the OEM service manual. It may help you understand how the drive works. The upper gear box is the transmission on Volvo drives, unlike Merc Alpha and OMC Cobra drives.

http://www.4shared.com/account/file/48536730/fa3b3311/280_to_DP-C_Drive_manual.html

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: Slight play in upper gearbox on VP 280

Thanks. Just wanted to make sure it was OK (within reason) before I started to put things back together.

Reading the forum has really helped me feel comfortable about reassembling the components. I've decided to go ahead and replace the U-joints and seals after reading some of the problems others have had. I've also decided to take the bellhousing off (again) and double check the amount of grease on the driveshaft splines and use the proper thread lube or thread lock because of the things I've read here. Thanks again everyone.