Filling outdrives with oil

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tico

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Bit PBOish, but after cursing trying to fill outdrives with thick oil, made up the gizmo... piece of wood, big funnel and suitable piece of hose.

Now can fill funnel with 2.7 litres of oil and go away to do something else while it fills... dead easy!
 
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Aren't outdrives (and outboard legs) meant to be filled from the bottom ( the drain hole), rather than from the top? The reason being to prevent air traps which could give false level readings.

Graham
 
tico said:
Bit PBOish, but after cursing trying to fill outdrives with thick oil, made up the gizmo... piece of wood, big funnel and suitable piece of hose.

Yep thats how we do it.......and warm the oil first its a lot thinner and goes in easier and quicker and remember to undo the dipstick thingies at the top to let the air out.
Click to expand...
 
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Had Mercruisers before and filled from bottom, now got Volvos spent 4 hours filling the things last weekend, the best bit though is the top up if necessary through the dipstick hole. HOW?
Levels were showing in the middle of the sticks so I thought I would put a drop in, would have taken a week to top them up with a couple of ounces a side. Quickly gave up, raised the legs and put a drop more in through the filling hole.
 
All Volvo drives (and Mercruiser) are filled from the bottom for the exact reasons stated by others, to get the air out. Buy a Mercruiser drive oil filling pump, its about a 10 min job to pump in almost 3 ltrs but quicker than others have done it in this thread, just make sure you have something to sit on before you begin to save your knees and back..
The only exceptions are the newer DPH drives found of the back of D4 and D6 motors, these are easily identified by having external steering rams. And then you have to remove the plastic cover around the top of the drive and tilt them up to approx 45 degrees and fill through the big brass plug right up an inch of the top, they take a little over 5 ltrs.
You will fill them before the kettle boils for your tea!
 
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So. FP says...

FlowerPower said:
Emmanuel says fill from top for Volvo DP.
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...but SM says...

spannerman said:
All Volvo drives (and Mercruiser) are filled from the bottom for the exact reasons stated by others, to get the air out. Buy a Mercruiser drive oil filling pump, its about a 10 min job to pump in almost 3 ltrs but quicker than others have done it in this thread, just make sure you have something to sit on before you begin to save your knees and back..
The only exceptions are the newer DPH drives found of the back of D4 and D6 motors, these are easily identified by having external steering rams. And then you have to remove the plastic cover around the top of the drive and tilt them up to approx 45 degrees and fill through the big brass plug right up an inch of the top, they take a little over 5 ltrs.
You will fill them before the kettle boils for your tea!
Click to expand...

Hmm...Which is right?..




HarryHill_fight.jpg
 
FlowerPower said:
Emmanuel says fill from top for Volvo DP.
Click to expand...

I filled from the top last year as I don't have a pump. It did take some time - key is to measure the oil (2.7L for each of my legs), wedge a funnel in the top as a kind of heading tank. and keep topping up until all has gone. Turning the props occasionally is good advice I was given (although I wasn't given it until I had finished)
 
Oh so it's oil they have in them.
That'll be easier.
I was wondering how I was going to get the mixture water & yoghurt that came out of mine back in :-(

I detect a large bill heading my way
 
The Seloc manual I have says fill from top but also top up through dipstick hole so as the topping up through the dipstick is all but impossible I wouldn't swear by the method.
Have to admit that at the time I was thinking I wonder whether the Merc pump would fit and whether you could fill them from the bottom.
 
WhiteMischief said:
Oh so it's oil they have in them.
That'll be easier.
I was wondering how I was going to get the mixture water & yoghurt that came out of mine back in :-(

I detect a large bill heading my way
Click to expand...

The last time I saw milky mixture from my drive was when the gearbox welded itself together (Mercury Outboard), fortunately back then it was still under warranty.
 
Simples....Tilt drive and fill from the big plug on the rear "aft" face of the drive. (the one with the allan key recess Inside the rear cover). Drop drives into normal position when you feel 2.5litres of oil are inside the leg, and check level on dip stick. Top up through dip stick hole as necessary........... All assuming we are talking Volvo DP drives.
 
That is exactly what I did But how are you supposed to get oil in the dipstick hole, I tried but even after making a very small funnel it would have taken weeks to get 200ml of oil in it.
 
malcolm2 said:
Simples....Tilt drive and fill from the big plug on the rear "aft" face of the drive. (the one with the allan key recess Inside the rear cover). Drop drives into normal position when you feel 2.5litres of oil are inside the leg, and check level on dip stick. Top up through dip stick hole as necessary........... All assuming we are talking Volvo DP drives.
Click to expand...

same as Tico does if you look at his picture :)
 
ian38_39 said:
That is exactly what I did But how are you supposed to get oil in the dipstick hole, I tried but even after making a very small funnel it would have taken weeks to get 200ml of oil in it.
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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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