A little something to make Volvo Paul laugh !!!!!!

STEVEDUNSTABLE

STEVEDUNSTABLE

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I thought it was about time that T.M. had some maintenance before the "Siberian" weather gets here .... eg. leg off for bellows, couple of oil seals and general "look see" allover etc etc ...so far so good, then thought ,hmmm leg is off, so will treat the raw water intake to a replacement hose and O ring ...numbers 8 n 6 here !!.. http://www.marinepartseurope.com/en/volvo-penta-explodedview-7744470-44-7306.aspx ....on an S24 these items are as far back and as low it is possible to be/get, along with the rats and stowaways, without being outside under the keel... but seeing they are 13yrs old etc etc ANYWAY....... people just weeks from getting their bus pass (eg. me) should under no circumstances EVER tackle this job !!!!!.....it involves jamming your gob full of intercooler, reaching down and behind same to remove the 2x 11mm bolts after taking off the hose to the oil cooler which only took ..... 1 WHOLE DAY !!!!!....... I think you can see where this is going !!!!!!....(forgot to mention) to get to position to reach said bolts/hose/clips etc takes 10mins in and out !!!!...the top bolt has an earth wire on a ring washer which expressly forbids any ring spanner or socket to fit !!!!! ...SO....open ended in hand, ATTACK !!!!.... wont budge !!! same with bottom bolt ...hmmm..... 3hrs later ..crack !!!!...first sign of movement !!!.....top bolt now free but they wont come out because of "bellhousing"...more hmmmm.....bottom one gives in and cracks (this is next day).the bottom one is tight in the hole (more of this later) and has to be undone all the way by spanner....ATLAST !!!! elbow off there is hose HOORAA.... next day..."book" son for assistance..moaning switch ON ...he has to push hose INWARDS while guess who is in bilge trying to get hold to pull inwards ... after 6hrs hose on strike give up !!!.....next day saw hose off and pick stuck bits out of hole with screwdriver..... NEXT DAY ..clean hole refit new hose with moaning son pulling hose through while bilge monkey is pushing... hose now lined up replace elbow with bolts etc etc job done ....WRONGGGGGGGGG.......bottom bolt refuses to go in !! ..4hrs later,dropped engine cover had tea, shower n bed...in morning ATTACK bolt....spend ALLDAY fighting barsteward bolt...NO LUCK !!!!.....NEXTDAY dismantle and remove intercooler for more access...STILL no luck with bolt .. blood pressure now 900/700 !!!!!!!.....LIGHT BULB MOMENT !!!!!.......made (out of a similar bolt) a tap and retap hole .... another allday procedure.. try bolt YESSSSSS YEE HAARR etc etc etc .... this morning, fitted hose with bolts, moaning son for hose alignment purposes bolts tight all in 15 mins !!!!!!!!!!!!............ whole job, to change 1 O ring 1 hose, 6 DAYS TOTAL !!!!!.................. I HATE BOATS !!!!!!!
 
This had me chuckling :) Replaced them on our last boat (Fairline Targa 35) when we had the engines out for a bit of a refurb.....no idea how on earth it would have been achievable otherwise! Top marks for perserverance! :)
 
STEVEDUNSTABLE said:
YESSSSSS YEE HAARR etc etc etc .... this morning, fitted hose with bolts, moaning son for hose alignment purposes bolts tight all in 15 mins !!!!!!!!!!!!............ whole job, to change 1 O ring 1 hose, 6 DAYS TOTAL !!!!!.................. I HATE BOATS !!!!!!!
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Well done for sticking at it, the more stress and the longer it takes, the bigger the satisfaction at the end, just like a long sailing passage.

Strange how we all complain about the hours booked to carry out certain jobs. :disgust: Even if you knew exactly what you were doing having done several before, it still could've taken a whole day.:ambivalence:

You know now that anything low down around the inside of the transom on an out-drive boat is gonna be TIGHT for space. It's where you find seized threads, old sealant goo, 2" bolts pulling out into 1" gaps. Sharp edges to lose your knuckles and tools under. How about that awful feeling when you find yourself in a really 'cave diving' tight spot and thennn, you start to wonder if you will be able to get back out again?

Only guarantee is that you'll have a sore neck, knees and back for the next several days... :ambivalence:

RR
 
Thankfully it wasn't a Volvo dealer spending 6 days on your boat as the bill would have been big.

I have my transom shield on bench at the moment and have fitted new pipe, changed bushes, seal and freed off the pins that secure the rams, I'm really not planning on doing anything major for next few years once engine & drive installed.
 
Well I am glad that I am not the only one that finds jobs like this...and with the smaller bolts the fear is what happens if it shears off!! It seems to me that little thought is given by designers about access to engine / drive service items, let alone peripherals that are bound to need removing during a boats life.
Some obvious ones that come to mind are (further to the pipe you worked on)
The grease nipple for the helmet bearing.
The drive trim sensor
Exhaust connection to the transom under the engine.

On many boats I have seen the main problem is that the hatch is hinged so that the rear third of the engine is still under the deck, which might be only a few inches above the engine.
I assume that with bigger boats it gets easier as there is more room around the motors?
If mine (31ft) only had one engine it would be so easy to work on as there would be so much space.

At least you got it done!!
 
volvopaul said:
Can't be that bad, I'd still buy one .
Click to expand...

...and while I've got your attention (warning thread drift) how would you feel about a pair of 300hr TAMD31P to look after - as far as I can fathom they're solid, reliable, a bit agricultural, OK to maintain, but low on bottom end grunt? Just pondering.
 
If it werent for the 'pleasure' I have shortly before me when I have to replace the cutlass bearings and shaft seal on my stbd shaft, I could sit here smugly and comment rudely about outdrives, the Devil's Egg Whiskers.

Well done Steve, and if your feeling dexterious feel free to nip by Foulkes to whip my stbd shaft out. The port took me about 10 days to do last May.
 
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