Volvo Penta Saildrive Service - DIY?

[picardy]

I have a 2006 year Volvo Penta 130B Saildrive unit.

My question is around the service - could I do this myself (I do oil, filters etc on the D1 engine) but the service scope on the sail drive seems fairly limited.

Can anyone tell me what work I would need to do or whether I should really get an engineer to do this recognising access is impossible once relaunched without £400 of hoisting!.

Thanks in advance

 

[CJ13]

It's very easy to change the Sail Drive Oil. If you're ashore drain it thro the S/D leg. If afloat you can suck out most of the oil using your Pela or sim.
The VP recommended oil for your S/D has changed from ATF Dexron to SAE 15W-40, the same as you use in the engine.

John

 

[picardy]

Thanks John - much appreciated. Can you tell me how to remove the propellor since I would like to send this away to be recoated.

Thanks

 

[VicS]

I have a 2006 year Volvo Penta 130B Saildrive unit.

My question is around the service - could I do this myself (I do oil, filters etc on the D1 engine) but the service scope on the sail drive seems fairly limited.

Can anyone tell me what work I would need to do or whether I should really get an engineer to do this recognising access is impossible once relaunched without £400 of hoisting!.

Thanks in advance

Your manual should tell you what servicing is required.

Oil change and anode renewal .... nothing else I would guess without referring to the manual, unless any seals require renewal

Note that Volvo Penta now recommend engine oil in the 130 sail drives rather than ATF as previously recommended
http://www.marinepartsexpress.com/saildriveoilchange.pdf

 

[Tranona]

Most important thing is to check the anode and change it if more than half worn easy to do on a 130. Should really change your oil from the current ATF to engine oil in line with Volvo recommendations. This will need draining from the bottom rather than sucking out of the top. Screw plug can be a PITA to remove - make sure you use a new sealing washer when refitting.

 

[njsail]

Draining the gear oil from the sail is a pain. As stated in another post to do it properly you really should be out of the water and drain it from the bottom of the leg. We had to use an impact wrench to break open the seal on the drain plug. It just wouldnt budge. It's thick and it smells really bad. It's also a really important sail drive maintenance item to keep it lubed properly.

Here is a link to another post on removing the propeller. Be careful putting the prop back on. I've heard of a number of people who didn't tighten it properly and the props ended up coming off. I carry a spare just in case. I also removed mine last year and refinished it myself. A lot of work taking off many many years of old paint but the result came out great.

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=165322

Good luck.

 

[VicS]

It's thick and it smells really bad.

All the Volvo Sail drives now use engine oil , (or may still have ATF in them) except for the 120S-E which uses a synthetic SAE 75W-90, GL5 gear oil and I think is only used on some more powerful engines.

Engine oil and ATF dont smell bad and are not thick. It's the EP additives in gear oils that smell. Presumably you have another make, or a 120S-E

 

[njsail]

All the Volvo Sail drives now use engine oil , (or may still have ATF in them) except for the 120S-E which uses a synthetic SAE 75W-90, GL5 gear oil and I think is only used on some more powerful engines.

Engine oil and ATF dont smell bad and are not thick. It's the EP additives in gear oils that smell. Presumably you have another make, or a 120S-E

Good catch - My bad - I missed the model number. I have a 50hp Volvo Penta with a 120 sail drive. I was focused on how nasty that drain plug was to get out.

 

[Tranona]

Thanks John - much appreciated. Can you tell me how to remove the propellor since I would like to send this away to be recoated.

Thanks

The cone is locked on with a bolt down the middle. Suggest you fit a new bolt and also make sure the white washer is on correctly. The prop is on splines and usually comes off easily. Check that the rubber bushing inside is sound. There is no need to remove the prop to change anodes on the 130. BTW I am assuming you have a standard Volvo fixed prop.