Volvo Sail Drive Seal

[JohnL]

I removed my Sail Drive to change the seal after twelve years, it did need replacing also the retaining ring was rusting badly [missed by the surveyor]the job was not difficult. But then I found the paint was flaking of the leg under the flap where it cant be seen, fortunately only slight corrosion, this job is now getting bigger.There is also some wear on the gearbox splines [quote over £300] water was found in gearbox oil, oilseals gone prop shaft worn [£360] for new shaft. I must admit I was one who poh pohed the idea of changing the seal every seven years I now believe it should be done regularly. I have only owned the boat seven months Volvo is turning out to be expensive.

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[Evadne]

They are all expensive, but I think Volvo's have a worse reputation for parts prices than others.
I've got the tiniest little Japanese diesel that will push the boat, reputedly one of the most reliable you can get, but it still costs more to run and maintain than any other part of the boat (except the first mate, but she's worth it).

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[JohnL]

Yeh if you get a good un they are worth every penny [first mate that is] shes just taken my prop shaft away to get it repaired.

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[SteveGorst]

Can you find any guidlines on whether the wear is excessive and there is a risk of imminent failure. If it's got a few years left I would make do and put the money towards a new one a few years down the line rather than becoming too financially commited to an old piece of kit. Maybe you could measure the wear now and measure it again next year to give you an idea of the rate of wear and the number of years left. Also saildrives do come up for sale on ebay occasionally.

Obviously you need to replace the seals but if there is still some water ingress I believe there are synthetic oils that will carry on working quite happily with some water content.

Steve


<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.nwcc.info>North Wales Cruising Club</A>

 

[ashanta]

I had the job of replacing the seal 3 years ago and will be replacing it when it's 7 years old as per the Volvo recommendation and insurance criteria.
The ring was also rusted and I replaced that at the same time. However, I do not envisage changing the ring next time. The oil seal is a common occurence and I also had this changed at the same during this process while the boat was out of the water during the winter layup. I intend to change the oil seal again when I replace the seal in 4 years time (assuming I do not have to prior) as a preventative measure. as it requires the same work by drying out and detaching the engine from the gearbox by bringing the engine forward.
One other small point but could be an important point. I was quite capable of changing the seal myself but I wanted to have the volvo warranty so I arranged for the local Volvo dealer to do the work.
There are varuious mods for the worn splines, checxk with Westerly owners website for more details.

I hope this helps?

Regards.

Peter.

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[JohnL]

Hi Steve yes thats more or less what I decided to do, new Volvo moded flexi coupling and speedy sleeve on the prop shaft. Etch primer then epoxy paint job on the leg,second hand saildrive may be picking up some more problems so I will keep an eye on the splines if they get worse I will consider going to shaft drive.

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[JohnL]

Hi Peter thanks for your input,just a thought though if the oil seals, there are two on the 120s prop shaft fail will Volvo pay for any damage seeing as you have the warranty. The oil seals can be changed without moving the engine by the way. Cheers John L.

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[Guest]

I have a Nanni saildrive, three years old. The clamping rings on the diaphragm are cast aluminium and both are cracked allowing some leakage. Common problem as they need to be fitted carefully and access is limited.

I understand that the volvo ones bend.

However I am getting replacements laser/water jet cut fron 3mm 316 s/s and 12mm aluminium plate.

Much cheaper and better than the originals.

Email for info on how to get this done

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