MS4A Gearbox problems

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markbeneteau

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I just managed to get my boat back to it's berth yesterday, as I couldn't select reverse. Had a very quick look today and the upper casing appears to be cracked. Not had a chance to start to strip it yet, any pointers ?, as looks like parts are hard to come by..!!
 
markbeneteau said:
I just managed to get my boat back to it's berth yesterday, as I couldn't select reverse. Had a very quick look today and the upper casing appears to be cracked. Not had a chance to start to strip it yet, any pointers ?, as looks like parts are hard to come by..!!
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I’ve got a few bits what do you need ?
 
Secondhand MS4 (A/B)are pretty rare beasts these days. Some silly prices being asked.
Have been involved with two repair jobs . Both involved the snapping of a drive shaft.
They are a simple to repair reverse gear and pretty robust.
Many parts are still available new from Volvo Penta and internal bits do come up on ebay every now and then.
Worth noting that the gearbox ratios are not all the same, many appear to be 1.93 and somewhat rarer the 2.63.
My Princess 35 has the 2.63, the Princess 330 and the Fairline Corniche appear to be 1.93.
Final resort is a replacement gearbox .Quite a bit online about the options.
A club member replaced both the MS4 on his Princess 33 Flybridge with a pair of Hurth ZF45 A gearboxes.
Got a good deal from Lancing Marine.
The problem is getting a replacement gearbox with the correct angle on the output shaft.The engine has to be moved slightly to line up with shaft coupling.
Would suggest attempt to repair first if at all possible.
 
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Thanks for your reply, I'm new to this forum , I am having a conversation with volvopaul who appears to be able to help with spares, Hopefully I will have it sorted soon.
 
volvopaul said:
Look on my profile my email address is on there send me your number
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for some reason, I cant open your profile or send you a pm, keeps saying there is a problem, my number--07974246191. please could you text me your number so that i can ring you later today as at work till mid afternoon and cant answer calls. thanks again , Mark.
 
volvopaul said:
Look on my profile my email address is on there send me your number
Click to expand...
for some reason, I cant open your profile or send you a pm, keeps saying there is a problem, my number--07974246191. please could you text me your number so that i can ring you later today as at work till mid afternoon and cant answer calls. thanks again , Mark.
 
Hi Paul, i need a cone, colletts, 2x needle rollers and a top/reverse gear bearing cover. would you happen to have any or all of these items. many thanks. Mark.
 
You might want VP to put that back together for you, wether you use new or secondhand parts or mixture of both .
It will be a pain if you refit all the new internal components and reinstall the box only for the same failure to occur.
Need to ascertain as to why the box failed in the first place.
Would suggest good time to check flexible coupling as well for cracking or elongation of the bolt holes.

 
oldgit said:
You might want VP to put that back together for you, wether you use new or secondhand parts or mixture of both .
It will be a pain if you refit all the new internal components and reinstall the box only for the same failure to occur.
Need to ascertain as to why the box failed in the first place.
Would suggest good time to check flexible coupling as well for cracking or elongation of the bolt holes.

Click to expand...
Many thanks for your input, Luckily I have found the cause of failure,,,,,, poor previous rebuild, loose input shaft bolt , loose top bearing nut. I am in talks with Paul at the moment about what spare parts are available.
 
Any new bits that you need, Keyparts always appear very competitive.You can pay a little extra and get the parts from Sweden within 48 hours.
 
Gearbox has now been rebuilt by Volvopaul , all refitted and working fine. I would gladly recommend Paul to anybody that requires his services. Many thanks Paul for all your help .
 
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