SX-M drive stuck - suggestions

[Augoose]

Re: SX-M drive stuck - suggestions

Well today went terribly wrong. I cut an access hole in the bellows to get up and at the gimbal to spray some penetrating oil. After letting it sit, I tried to unsuccessfully pull the drive again- wouldn't budge. I've now also damaged the upper gearcase bearing cover and will have to replace it. Apparently when I was using the trim/ram/block of wood trick it was too much for the cover and cracked it. In looking on ebay, its a $186 item to replace. I can only hope that I didn't damage anything on the transom shield or on the rest of the assembly when trying to trim up.

Its really killing me that I've done all this in the name of preventative maintenance. I'm throwing in the towel and taking it to a service shop- hopefully they can get the drive off. I'm banking (worst case) on a new gimbal bearing, new u-joint, new coupler, new shift cable and of course all the labor involved. I'm thinking $3,000? Maybe I can save a couple of bucks by finding a salvage yard bearing cover.......

 

[Nickypoo]

Re: SX-M drive stuck - suggestions

Don't be so hard on yourself. If left alone too long, corrosion this bad can bust apart your drive (literally split castings if it spreads into a crack). It would have only gotten worse if you tried to leave it.

This is an issue you would have had to deal with sooner or later.

 

[Jammer864]

Re: SX-M drive stuck - suggestions

The Top Cover will now need to be reshimmed. Its an easy process, takes 5 minutes. Page 123 in the VP SX-M maintenance manual. Let us know what they find was binding it up. Im betting its the 6 studs.

 

[Augoose]

Re: SX-M drive stuck - suggestions

Thanks Jammer and Nickypoo - I didn't even realize that replacing the cover was more involved that just bolting it on - glad you mentioned it. A couple of questions....or I might just have the dealer do this for me as well....

In reading the manual, it says to install a 0.040 shim and then "...install the top cover and push down lightly. Take several feeler gauge readings to determine an average clearance. Record this figure."

What is "pushing down lightly"? That cover is tight and just to get it seated at all I have to press down quite a bit. Since we're talking numbers in the 100th of inches, a light press vs a medium press can make a HUGE difference right? Do I seat the cover on fully so there is no "travel" and then take my measurement?

The next question is what can I use for a gauge. I've got a old spark plug gap set which contains a bunch of thin strips of metal in varying thicknesses - it almost looks like the gauge in the illustration in the manual. I'm thinking this is actually a shim gauge and not a gapper after all the more I think about it.

Lastly, are these the correct shims? Volvo Penta part numbers 3852368 through 3852372? Not knowing what combinations I need I was going to order all 4 as they are only $2.38 each.

 

[Augoose]

Re: SX-M drive stuck - suggestions

Update-
I got the drive off by removing the pivot assembly - it came right out so it doesn't seem it was an issue of rust on the shaft or being seized in the coupler or gimbal. Now I can work on the outdrive as it sits on my workbench. I tried to double-nut the studs but because of the tight quarters around the studs I was not successful.
Instead, I pulled out my arc welder and welded on a grade 8 nut onto the threads- this worked and I was able to back the stud out. On the next stud I was not so lucky and it broke. I've got to go to the hardware store tomorrow to pick up more nuts as of course they can't be reused. We'll see how it goes - hopefully when all the studs are out the outdrive will separate from the rest of the pivot assembly.

 

[Nickypoo]

Re: SX-M drive stuck - suggestions

That's good you found success at least on the first one. The one you snapped shouldn't be a big deal as long as it snapped outside of the threaded housing, so when you pull it apart you can use some vice grips to unscrew it.

No doubt this is what caused it to be stuck. If the corrosion was so bad that you're snapping the studs when trying to unscrew them then there was no way you would have been able to pull it apart outright using any method.

 

[aerobat]

Re: SX-M drive stuck - suggestions

Ujoints are probably nongrease able if OEM, but you should be greasing the coupler splines and checking alignment yearly.

the OEM ujoints are non greaseable on a volvo sx ? so you cannot press on the nipples grease in via a grease gun - like in case of the gimbal bearing ?

cheers

 

[Augoose]

Re: SX-M drive stuck - suggestions

My u-joints do indeed have zerks as do the u-joints off of the replacement 1994-1998 sx outdrive I just bought, so yes aerobat you should be able to grease yours as well

 

[Augoose]

Re: SX-M drive stuck - suggestions

Well its finally off- totally off. Completely off. Can't come any more off, off. I tried to double nut the studs but that didn't work so I welded nuts on the studs and used the wrench to try and back the studs out. Only one stud came out and ALL the other 5 studs broke! That actually turned out to be OK because I decided that since there was NO WAY to separate the two pieces without damaging one of them, I figured the Gimbal housing/assembly had to go.

I started whacking the gimbal housing with a hammer and a chisel. I used a chisel not to pry the two pieces apart but to dig the chisel into the aluminum of the gimbal housing and drive it away from the upper gear housing - otherwise there was no point of leverage. It took about 2 hours of constant hammering, smashing my fingers, flipping the drive, and hammering the other side, but its off. The gimbal housing is beat to heck - all kinds of pieces broken off. Upon examination, the studs are completely coated in white corrosion - I can see why it didn't come off even with pulling it with a truck.

Now, I have an OMC replacement housing from another drive (casting # 3852270) but that doesn't seem to have the same side profile as the volvo I just took off, but fortunately I found a volvo housing/assembly on ebay. I hate to spend the $300 for it but I don't think I had any other options to separate the two pieces. Fortunately there is no damage to the upper gear of the outdrive. Phew!

Now I need to clean up the drive, replace all 6 studs, set up the new housing, install the bellows and I should be ready for re-install. What a PITA. I've been at this since early March.

Thanks to all for all the comments, help and advice.
I'm going to hang this broken housing/assembly in my garage as a REMINDER to.....

ALWAYS DO PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE!

 

[dypcdiver]

Re: SX-M drive stuck - suggestions

Recover/salvage the bearings that the pivot pins sit in as they are expensive if you ever need to replace them!!

 

[aerobat]

Re: SX-M drive stuck - suggestions

dude, i feel with you. had the same work for pulling the drive the last days, fortunately it came off in my case without further damage.

now everything freshly greased and painted with antifouling i hope for a troublefree boating season.



when able organize some friends who will help you on reinstalling, do not try on your own without things like a lift. and check the allignment , wish you luck, you will make it !

 

[Augoose]

Re: SX-M drive stuck - suggestions

Just an update-
so I set up my new pivot housing with the bellows and water hose, cleaned and prepped the studs with marine grease, installed a new water passage o-ring, greased the u-joints, replaced the o-ring in the shift actuator housing, installed a new upper bearing cover with the appropriate shims, installed new washers on the pivot housing, installed new bushings on the trim rods and painted the outdrive. The outdrive had a lot of paint loss from corrosion and since its no longer in salt water, I decided a rattle-can paint job would suffice. I sanded down the entire outdrive, wire brushed the corrosion, cleaned the aluminum with metal prep, laid 3 coats of self etching primer followed by 3 coats of gloss gray, followed by 3 coats of clear- we'll see how long it lasts. At least it LOOKS better. Its not wet-slipped so I'm hoping for at least a couple of years. This weekend I plan to hang the outdrive back on the boat, fill it up with oil and go for a test run.

Thanks to all who helped me out with this stuck drive!

 

[Cm9789]

Re: SX-M drive stuck - suggestions

sounds like your not going to like what you see when you get this apart, sounds like the gimbal bearing is rusted to the drive shaft. Put a couple of nuts on (just a couple treads) to keep it from flying off and hitting the floor - trim it down and put a block of wood in between the top of the outdrive (right in front of the dip) to the transom bracket (the lower area - solid heavy metal) and trim up - I usually have someone keep an eye on the back. I've popped off some really bad jobs like this.

Hello sir. I know this an old thread but I’m a mechanic and currently trying to do a bellows and gimbal on a Volvo sx-m. Drive bellows was tore so it rusted the shaft to the gimbal. Do the block of wood trick and it worked until it snapped the ears right off the pinion gear housing. Leaving the gear in the gimbal housing and some nasty teeth mark in the race in the stern drive. Any suggestions to remove the gear and shaft? I’m thinking motor has to be pulled now

 

[Bt Doctur]

Do not bring up 10 year old posts, start your own.The thread will only get locked

 

[cptbill]

For what it's worth, most of the sx drives I've had that problem with have been the result of corrosion between the carrier bearing housing and the pivot housing. If it has been years since it's been off you might think about pulling the pivot pins out and dealing with it on the bench