Filling outdrives with oil

FlowerPower said:
Trying to get anything into the dipstick hole other than the dipstick is a hiding to nothing.

As others have said, for a DP-E or similar, remove the upper gear cover, remove the plug with the allen socket, tilt the outdrive, and fill into the hole behind the plug with the allen socket using a hosepipe/funnel having removed the dipstick.

If spannerman wants to fill from the bottom, then fine. I just twiddle the props a few times and check the level again the following day.
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You need to read my post again, its only DPH drives that I said you tilt up and fill.
Its world wide accepted practice by the manufactures to fill from the bottom. Of course everyone is free to what they want as one guy did a few years ago.
He fitted a new Volvo motor and saildrive to his yacht himself and filled the gearbox from the top until he thought it was full and then took it for a test drive, shortly after the gearbox seized up as the oil then worked its way down to the bottom of the leg, leaving the clutch assembly spinning in fresh air .
And Volvo said tough luck, so he had to pay for a new saildrive.
Of course if you measure the quantity you will know if you have enough in, but it takes way too long to fill fom the top, I have a life to live....
 
carlton said:
Hmm...Which is right?..

HarryHill_fight.jpg
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fight.jpg


http://www.googlefight.com/index.ph...ottom&word2=fill+volvo+outdrives+from+the+top
 
Well you can always..The third way

Of course there is always the option of still using the same system but running your exactly the right size fill pipe down to the drain plug and fillng from bottom,BUT,( and guess how I know) pulling out the pipe and getting the drain plug back in without losing 90% of your carefully filled leg oil all over the boatyard is a task littered with expletives.
A wonderful experience on a wet cold winter day that should be enjoyed by all leg enthusiasts esp when you only have bought just enough gold plated oil to do the job and the chandlery shuts for the weekend in 5 mins time.
Ps."My" legs use bog standard 15/40 diesel engine oil by a company you have never heard of 1p per gallon engine oil.:)
 
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carlton said:
Ta - I'll remember that should I ever end up with Volvo drives.
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Keep your mercruiser pump if you do , as Spannerman says the mercruiser pump fits the Volvo perfectly in the top didpstick hole or the bottom.

When my boat was out I would fill from the bottom.
on the odd occasions I needed to top up while in the water I did it from the top dipstick hole.

I will now detail how to check the VP oil level while in the water because all those that fill from the top need to know.

Submerged legs
this is how to check the level while in the water.

Use a wet suit knee with a jubilee clip around (an old one from the exhaust bellows is perfect) ' sponge out the water and test the dipstick level, now you can top up using the mercruiser pump in the top.
 
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