Oil leak on Volvo outdrive leg.

[Tilly D]

I am hoping someone can help me here, I needed the bellow changing on my 2005 Volvo penta Duo prop outdrive, I think it maybe a 290 DPE but cannot be certain, I have owned the boat since new so I have had the bellow changed a few times now, the engineer I have used previously has always removed the full leg in order to do this in the past.

I arranged to have it lifted out and told the marina staff that I was going to get a certain engineer in to do the work who has done the job before, I mentioned him by name and was duly informed that he is not allowed on the marina, I didnt enquire as to why, but I asked if they could recommend one, they gave me the name of one and one of the staff gave me his business card. I arranged for him to come and change the bellow and any jubilee clips that he thought needed to be changed and to generally check the leg over and ring me if he came across anything else that required doing. To assist him I cleaned off all the pins ect and gave them a good spray of oil to hopefully help free them off. I received a phone call from him to let me know he was there, I thought I would have a drive down to pay him.

When I got there he had finished the job, I told him that I had cleaned all the pins and sprayed them with oil, but he informed me he did not need to take them out as he only needed to put the trim helmet back, take the gear cable out and remove the top part of the gearbox, so he said it is easier and that is how he always do it as he said the pins can be difficult to remove. I asked him if the oil was Ok, which he replied it was and topped up. He also changed the jubilee clips on the exhaust as one was broken. I paid him and he went.

I arranged with the marina to put the boat in the water the day after, I came down launch day as I wanted to fit the newly painted props, I noticed that there was oil leaking down the outdrive from the joint were he had split it, I immediately rung him up, he said he would come down in three days as he was away, he said he will ring me when he gets there, well he rung me alright but to tell me he had fixed it and was leaving, I went down thinking I would fit the props and arrange to get it back in the water.

I examined the leg but could not see any of the antifoul paint marked were the gear cable goes in at the back of the drive which you would expect if it had been removed, this made my suspicious that he had not removed the upper gearbox at all to check what I believe to be oil rings, I then removed the dipstick on top of the box, this was showing no oil, I removed the front cover held on by two screws and could see what looked like silicone sealant, it was set and rubbery, I think what he may have done is just loosen the nuts or bolts that hold the upper gearbox in place and maybe squirt some silicon sealant in, and retighten the bolts. I trimed the leg up and the exhaust bellow came off from the outdrive end, on close inspection it was covered in grease obviously to aid him on getting it on, but I would have thought grease would be the last thing you would put on as surely it would make it slippy and easy to slide off, I have now cleaned the grease off and after a struggle managed to get it back in position and tightened the jubilee clip up, I have also topped the oil back up to the correct level. I thought I would leave it overnight to see if the leak had stopped now that the oil would be above the joint.

I went home and sent the engineer an email listing what I have found and asked him if it was now fixed and safe to but back in the water, he has replied and said I had not noticed that the exhaust bellows has slipped off, this was an oversight by me, regarding the oil leak, I can confirm that I have removed the top section again and the oil sealing ring which I have coated with an oil resistant silicone and replaced all parts, I hope this answers your query. I went back the following day and there was a couple of weeps, one from were one of the bolts are and at the rear near were the gear cable goes in, so it is not fixed although it is no where near as bad as a leak as it was. Can any of you experts tell me is it possible to remove the upper unit without taking the gear cable out totally. Be interested in your thoughts, I am going to name and shame this engineer in due time. He is in the Lancashire area. I have also given the marina a piece of my mind and told them to forget charging me for extra time I am now shored up as it is now going to take longer now to get this sorted. I have lost faith in this engineer and have told the marina I am bringing in the engineer I normally use, which they have now agrred too. Sorry for the long post.

 

[spannerman]

There are two trains of thought regarding how you change the bellows on a 290 drive, either remove the whole drive or split it, all I can say is I was taught to split it when I first started working for Volvo Penta, be it right or wrong I can honestly say having serviced roughly 4 drives per week for the past 20 years and never once had one leak, as I always replace the two internal O rings without any silicone just lube them with grease then pressure test before refilling with oil. And you do not need to remove the gear cable to get the upper gearbox off just disconnect the rod between the top and mid section. And you never, ever use grease when fitting bellows they go on dry unless the manufacturer specifies adhesive as per Mercruiser.
I know others will insist on removing the whole drive every time and I have done it this way also, but I know the 15 or so engineers in my area generally split the drive unless it looks like it hasn't been off for a long time. I take each one individually on condition and previous history and what the customer specifies.
I would get your drive pressure tested to confirm where the leak is, take pics to show the guy who did the job, then when the new engineer has sorted it, send the bill to the first guy.

 

[Tilly D]

Thanks for the reply spannerman, reassuring that other engineers do it this way as well, but at least they renew the oil seals and presure test for leaks, obviously he has failed to do this hence the leaks, it looks he has tried to fix the leak by putting silicone sealant between the joints, similar to what you use around the bath, obviously a bodge job, which hasn't worked, also failing to top the oil up, not tightening the jubilee clip on the exhaust and applying grease to make it easier to put on is unbelievable, thank goodness we had not relauched as I dread to think what damage it would have done to the outdrive, plus the cost off having it lifted out again. We asked him if the boat was now seaworthy, which he claims it is, we have now told him that his cure for the leak has not worked, waiting to see what he has to say now.

 

[dpb]

It is easier to change bellows by just removing the top box, I just pressure test the reassembled unit before filling back up with oil to check for leaks.

 

[CX54WEK]

We have done ours both ways by removing the drive and by removing the top box. Just removing the top box is by far the easier method. Ours has never leaked oil due to being split in two but we do replace the seals and gaskets each time.

Stories like yours are one of the reasons the OH insisted on learning how to do the servicing work himself!

 

[DavidJ]

How do you do the pressure test without buying some special kit from VP
What pressure do you go to?
and how long do you wait to see no pressure drop off?
Cheers
David

 

[dpb]

This is my method.

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?423524-Simple-Out-Drive-Pressure-Testing&highlight=

 

[DavidJ]

Thanks
Great reply!

 

[aquapower]

When you can remove complete drive in 20-30 minutes I have always struggled to see how removing the top is that much easier, when on courses at VP I was never told to remove top, you always have the risk of leak, why do it?

 

[aquatom]

I was also taught on the Volvo courses at Watford to always remove the complete drive as all the pins should be removed and greases every season to prevent them from seizing. Also it means you can clean and antifoul the front face of the H frame and the inside of the transom shield. When you have done a few it really is quite quick to do it this way.

 

[volvopaul]

I'd agree with aquatom on this based one clients being repeat business year after year, makes the job easier. Nothing worse than mopping up after someone who takes a short cut, cleaning up the drive and a good examination of the trim hoses is essential every year.

 

[Tilly D]

The latest on this saga was that the so called marine engineer has been out again, he took the top gearbox off and took it with him, i presume to his workshop for some reason, he left the lower gearbox in situ and just covered the exposed inner works with a sack, the following day I received an email to say he had replaced the oil rings and had put it back together and that all was OK.

Well I went down to look at it and all seemed ok, I left it for a week and inspected again and there is oil yet again weeping out were the two gearboxes join, I cleaned the area up and left it again for another week to see if is was just a residue of oil, but no there was more oil that had weeped down the leg. I have totally lost faith In G S marine now from Garstang, I have lost the boating season in 2015.

Can anyone recommend a mobile volvo penta trained engineer who would travel to Fleetwood to sort this oil leak out once and for all and pressure test it to make sure all is ok and change the bellow on the other leg as this GS marine fellow failed to get the helmet clamp to undo using the 1/4 inch bolts on the other leg, probably now a blessing given that he has cocked up my other drive unit.

 

[volvopaul]

The latest on this saga was that the so called marine engineer has been out again, he took the top gearbox off and took it with him, i presume to his workshop for some reason, he left the lower gearbox in situ and just covered the exposed inner works with a sack, the following day I received an email to say he had replaced the oil rings and had put it back together and that all was OK.

Well I went down to look at it and all seemed ok, I left it for a week and inspected again and there is oil yet again weeping out were the two gearboxes join, I cleaned the area up and left it again for another week to see if is was just a residue of oil, but no there was more oil that had weeped down the leg. I have totally lost faith In G S marine now from Garstang, I have lost the boating season in 2015.

Can anyone recommend a mobile volvo penta trained engineer who would travel to Fleetwood to sort this oil leak out once and for all and pressure test it to make sure all is ok and change the bellow on the other leg as this GS marine fellow failed to get the helmet clamp to undo using the 1/4 inch bolts on the other leg, probably now a blessing given that he has cocked up my other drive unit.

I have just had my Cosworth BDG engine rebuilt by Paul Gardner engineering he is located just off the M6 near Forton services, he also carries out marine engineering so maybe give him a call or remove the drive yourself and send it to me.

 

[Tilly D]

Cheers Paul but I want someone who works on these specifically and has the right tools knowledge ect to pressure test the leg. I will give him a ring to see if he has done one before though.

I dont want to be removing it myself as I dont have the tools or knowledge, thats why I asked the marina for a recommendation, I used the mechanic they recommended, but the rest is history. Never had a problem when I had my boat in Scotland as there was good engineers at the marina.

 

[Jim@sea]

Dont apologise about the long post, it is informative as my next boat may very well have drives like yours.

 

[Alan T]

Just to back up what Tilly D has posted , I needed a new engine for my boat and decided in a beta 25 , I contacted beta marine and they put me in touch with there local agent the aforementioned GS marine at bridge house marina near Garstang . I removed the old engine ( a watermota sea panther) and adapted the engine mounts to take the new motor . GS Marine turned up with the new motor and the fitting all went without a hitch . That was until a week or so later when the boat was put back in the water . In the 10 minutes it took to return to my mooring pontoon the bilge had completely filled with water which was squirting from the pipe used to connect the raw water intake to the engine . I double clipped both unions but to no avail . It turned out the pipe use by the “” expert” was plastic electrical conduit !! Needless to say I changed it , also fitted a raw water strainer which he presumably deemed unnecessary . All was well until ............. later in the year my wife and I were returning from our annual holiday travelling from Cambletown to Portpatrick on the way home to Fleetwood . The wind had completely died and we had motored in flat calm sea for about 4 hours , when about 8 miles off Portpatrick the heat alarm on the engine sounded checking the coolant level I found it empty and Re filled it only to see it empty again immediately . On further investigation I found the pipe connecting the calorifier ports ( fitted by guess who ) was plastic and as you would expect with hot water passing through it had burst letting the coolant out . Fortunately I had a piece of hose from the old engine and upside down under the cockpit managed to solve the problem . With the tide running as it was and no wind the alternative could have been to call the lifeboat out ! I had words with GS marine who seemed uninterested , I also sent samples if the pipes to Beta marine who confirmed they should not have been used and told me they would be having a word with mr GS . I’ve since replaced the old rubber shock absorber cover fitted ( by GS ) between the exhaust and the water separator !! Sorry to rant on for so long but I wouldn’t trust GS to go near my granddaughter’s radio controlled duck much less let them anywhere near a boat again . Rant over !

 

[volvopaul]

I ca

Just to back up what Tilly D has posted , I needed a new engine for my boat and decided in a beta 25 , I contacted beta marine and they put me in touch with there local agent the aforementioned GS marine at bridge house marina near Garstang . I removed the old engine ( a watermota sea panther) and adapted the engine mounts to take the new motor . GS Marine turned up with the new motor and the fitting all went without a hitch . That was until a week or so later when the boat was put back in the water . In the 10 minutes it took to return to my mooring pontoon the bilge had completely filled with water which was squirting from the pipe used to connect the raw water intake to the engine . I double clipped both unions but to no avail . It turned out the pipe use by the “” expert” was plastic electrical conduit !! Needless to say I changed it , also fitted a raw water strainer which he presumably deemed unnecessary . All was well until ............. later in the year my wife and I were returning from our annual holiday travelling from Cambletown to Portpatrick on the way home to Fleetwood . The wind had completely died and we had motored in flat calm sea for about 4 hours , when about 8 miles off Portpatrick the heat alarm on the engine sounded checking the coolant level I found it empty and Re filled it only to see it empty again immediately . On further investigation I found the pipe connecting the calorifier ports ( fitted by guess who ) was plastic and as you would expect with hot water passing through it had burst letting the coolant out . Fortunately I had a piece of hose from the old engine and upside down under the cockpit managed to solve the problem . With the tide running as it was and no wind the alternative could have been to call the lifeboat out ! I had words with GS marine who seemed uninterested , I also sent samples if the pipes to Beta marine who confirmed they should not have been used and told me they would be having a word with mr GS . I’ve since replaced the old rubber shock absorber cover fitted ( by GS ) between the exhaust and the water separator !! Sorry to rant on for so long but I wouldn’t trust GS to go near my granddaughter’s radio controlled duck much less let them anywhere near a boat again . Rant over !

I can never understand why companies down sea trial and sign off there own work , a re engine is hardly a simple 5 minute job .
Sounds like this company need a few lessons .