Losing the plot, Volvo gearbox oil.

Colin K

Colin K

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Hello,
We are due to go off for a week in 5 days time and am just checking oil levels etc. Engines are Volvo TAMD 41a. With standard volvo mech gearboxes. There is a little filler/dip stick on top and on the starboard engine it was at max and easy to see however I cannot get a clear reading on the port side one. The gearboxes are identical for goodness sake. Port side that I am struggling to get the level right seems to have used/lost a bit I have put in about 1/3 pt and its showing a wiggly smere at around max nothing as clear as the other side.
Is there any trick to getting the level right I thought about a thin piece of wood the same length.

Cheers, Colin.
 
Hello,
No ideas so I thought I would reply to myself and advise. I dipped the gearbox a dozen or more times but could not get a clear level. Cannot think why the oposite box exactly the same is crystal clear. I started the engine to this box and ran it on the ropes wondering if there may be a bit of crap in the sump of the box mix in with the oil and give me a reading.Hey presto it did. Still pretty clear mind. Worrying thing is that the box has lost 1/3 litre out of the 1.75litre capacity. So I topped it up ordered an extra gallon and will keep an eye on it. Hope it is ok for the 200 or so miles we have planned this year.

Hope all others are enjoying the summer.

Cheers, Colin.
 
Hi Colin

Do you know where it has gone to ?

If no leak is obvious I would take a look at the tubular coolers for a dodgy soldered joint or sealing O ring.

Simple enough to open and a simple light oil such as paraffin or even diesel would work well to flush out with. Then undertake two changes with the gearbox base oil - SAE30 lawnmower oil.

I had to rebuild the MS3B on my boat before last, I couldn't find a manual so I wrote one.

Available here ...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2n3rlh4auna1qbz/Volvo Penta MS3B Gearbox overhaul instructions.pdf?dl=0
 
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superheat6k said:
Hi Colin

Do you know where it has gone to ?

If no leak is obvious I would take a look at the tubular coolers for a dodgy soldered joint or sealing O ring.

Simple enough to open and a simple light oil such as paraffin or even diesel would work well to flush out with. Then undertake two changes with the gearbox base oil - SAE30 lawnmower oil.

I had to rebuild the MS3B on my boat before last, I couldn't find a manual so I wrote one.

Available here ...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2n3rlh4auna1qbz/Volvo Penta MS3B Gearbox overhaul instructions.pdf?dl=0
Click to expand...

The Volvo MS series gearbox uses 75/90 oil not 30 grade.
There is no tubular cooler on any MS gearbox. The cooler is built into the casing, when they leak mainly due to freezing up they allow the oil to be emulsified.
 
volvopaul said:
The Volvo MS series gearbox uses 75/90 oil not 30 grade.
There is no tubular cooler on any MS gearbox. The cooler is built into the casing, when they leak mainly due to freezing up they allow the oil to be emulsified.
Click to expand...
Paul - The MS3B definitely had two tubular stacks. The recommended oil was 15W40 as per engine. SAE 30 was for the Twin Disc boxes on the TAMD60C, but not that much difference for a gearbox.
 
Hello guys
Thanks Paul and Trev for all of your help. I found a bit of scribble on the engine workshop manual which says the prev owner put in 75/90 and its an MS4a reverse gear! so I topped it up with the same. The oil is very clear.
I recon there is a bit in the bilge so before I set off North ( think we will be doing less than 200 miles this year) i will clean out the side bilges (Paul knows the Corniche well I bet) and see if any reappears. The longest hop we will be doing will be 50 miles so I have got an extra gallon and will top it up if necessary. Fingers crossed.��

Hope your Summers are going well and will report back.

Cheers, Colin.

Ps the dip stick o ring was shot so have replaced that but I cannot see oil around the top of the box so might be misleading me.
 
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dragoon said:
Here's a handy chart from Volvo. http://www.lepochervolvopenta.com/upload-img/POSTERREVERSEGEAR.pdf Seems to vary, model to model.
Click to expand...

When I changed my engines oil to Shell Rimula, I contacted ZF regarding gearbox oil spec and they sent me a list of suitable oils of which Shell Rimula was one, so I only needed one oil on board. Despite what warnings Volvo gave in their workshop manual. If it was a box in warranty I would probably stick to OEM recommendations but the list of approved oils seems in my case to be quite large, with gearboxes..
 
Colin K said:
Fantastic thanks, Looks like I have been using the right stuff. Back on board in two days so first job after filling the fridge with vino will be to see if I have any natural "at rest" leakage. Fingers crossed.

Thanks again, Colin.
Click to expand...


Hi Colin,
I had a leak on one of our MS3s some years back. Turned out that the nut securing the flange was loose - when it was in astern, the flange would move backwards allowing oil to leak from the seal. Of course, it didn't leak when going ahead. You may want to check you don't have something similar.

Cheers,
Paul
 
dragoon said:
Hi Colin,
I had a leak on one of our MS3s some years back. Turned out that the nut securing the flange was loose - when it was in astern, the flange would move backwards allowing oil to leak from the seal. Of course, it didn't leak when going ahead. You may want to check you don't have something similar.

Cheers,
Paul
Click to expand...

Hello,
Wow never thought about that so thanks for the tip, I will check the oil and make sure everything that has a nut or bolt head is tight. Is that the flange onto the engine?

Cheers, Colin.
 
Colin K said:
Hello,
Wow never thought about that so thanks for the tip, I will check the oil and make sure everything that has a nut or bolt head is tight. Is that the flange onto the engine?

Cheers, Colin.
Click to expand...

Hi Colin, it was the flange on the rear of the box, that meets with the flange on the prop shaft. I was getting some oil in the bilge, which was the first clue. I forget if you could tell it was loose with the shaft connected. I do recall though that with the shaft flange unbolted, it was obvious the nut was loose. The flange is on a splined shaft and had to be done up very tight (I got a torque setting from Volvo at the time).
Good luck - hope you resolve the leak.
Cheers Paul
 
Hello Paul and co,
Thanks for that. I got to the boat a couple of days ago and I think that the oil level in the box had dropped slightly. Dropped down the river 5 miles and checked it again and all was ok however i thought that the tail shaft was a bit wet? We have now done 30 miles North and we have decided to stay here (Southwold) for a couple of days tonights sunset has transfixed the crew!! Although the promise of a decent Adnams pub has transfixed me ha ha. Thanks for decribing the exact bolts to check and I will be on it in the morning. We have rearranged the trip cutting short the miles so I am hoping to limp around with my spare gallon of box oil in tow..

Once again thanks for the advise, Cheers. Colin.
 
dragoon said:
Hi Colin,
I had a leak on one of our MS3s some years back. Turned out that the nut securing the flange was loose - when it was in astern, the flange would move backwards allowing oil to leak from the seal. Of course, it didn't leak when going ahead. You may want to check you don't have something similar.

Cheers,
Paul
Click to expand...
This was the reason I had to rebuild my MS3B. The coupling retaining nut actually fell off inside the coupling and the lock washer was entirely missing. Because the coupling periphery completely left the seal housing the output shaft was free to wobble all over the place and this wrecked the bearings on the shaft.

As the boat was a single engine I had a rather embarrassing tow from Newtown Creek back to Gosport courtesy of Nick Eales aka Seastart.
 
Hello,
Blimey I think that I know which bolt you mean now its the big nut/bolt that is inside the cup of the output flange and so to check its a coupling dissconect push the prop shaft out a bit to reveal it on the tail of the box? Or am I onto the wrong thing. We are currently in Southwold on the East coast and so I think displacement speed towards home.
Thanks for your thoughts.

Cheers, Colin.
 
Hi Colin, I think you're onto the right thing. I suspect it's a 36mm nut or thereabouts. I did mine out of the water when I was doing winter overhaul, but I see no reason it can't be done in the water. Cheers Paul
 
superheat6k said:
This was the reason I had to rebuild my MS3B. The coupling retaining nut actually fell off inside the coupling and the lock washer was entirely missing. Because the coupling periphery completely left the seal housing the output shaft was free to wobble all over the place and this wrecked the bearings on the shaft.

As the boat was a single engine I had a rather embarrassing tow from Newtown Creek back to Gosport courtesy of Nick Eales aka Seastart.
Click to expand...

I wonder how they come undone - probably some sharp changes between directions? I may check mine again at the end of the season.
Cheers Paul
 
Good morning, Here past the weekend ha ha! Just checked the forcast and I think we are here till Wed. Have met Mike and what a gent. I might mention my woes to him although when he came on board yesterday I gave him a list of boaty questions��
Going to have a day with the kids I think and fancy dropping the dinghy into the water and going inland under the bridge I think it goes to that big expanse of water?
I dont think that there is Ny way of checking if the box output flange is loose without disconnecting the prop? I think its about 6/8 bolts with an earth link across which I guess is no great drama! Might have to send the kids off to the circus to give me a couple of hours.

Looking forward to this low pressure popping off East.

Cheers, Col.
 
Colin K said:
Good morning, Here past the weekend ha ha! Just checked the forcast and I think we are here till Wed. Have met Mike and what a gent. I might mention my woes to him although when he came on board yesterday I gave him a list of boaty questions��
Going to have a day with the kids I think and fancy dropping the dinghy into the water and going inland under the bridge I think it goes to that big expanse of water?
I dont think that there is Ny way of checking if the box output flange is loose without disconnecting the prop? I think its about 6/8 bolts with an earth link across which I guess is no great drama! Might have to send the kids off to the circus to give me a couple of hours.

Looking forward to this low pressure popping off East.

Cheers, Col.
Click to expand...
Measure the distance from the fwd face of the flange to the back of the box where it exits the box. Then run it astern with fair power, stop check if the distance increased. Do the same ahead and see if the distance lessens. The end float should be virtually non measurable.
 
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