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Post by Av8ator1 on May 18, 2019 0:53:03 GMT -5
I have a 108 hours and two seasons, how often do you pull the drive to inspect and replace the boot?
Last time this was done on my other boat, I ended up with leaky seals.
I am thinking of letting it go one more season.
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Post by lg260ss on May 18, 2019 5:33:03 GMT -5
The bellows should last several seasons in freshwater.
The other reasons for pulling the drives are:
To inspect for water intrusion ( this is usually easily seen by checking the out drive oil)
To grease the gimble bearing and u joints (not possible on the newer units because they are sealed)
To check engine alignment ( 21 years and 6 boats and this has never been necessary)
Over the years I’ve had my drives pulled for water intrusion issues several times. Unfortunately, this is pretty normal for both volvo and Merc. I’ve only had one drive failure, a bad cone clutch on a bravo 3 that went at 250 hrs
Under warranty, I always do as necessary to Satisfy the manufacturer. After that, pulling the drives on units with sealed bearings and u joints and freshwater? Every 3 or 4 years unless something is suspected would be sufficient. If you make it that long without water in your out drive.
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Post by xixp on May 20, 2019 9:37:59 GMT -5
I have VP in my boat ; boat was delivered in Aug 2015 and has 140 hours. I called VP local shop a month ago ( who took care of my previous boat so i trust that shop) and they told me that despite owners manual that says “every 2 years” i should remove them at 200 hrs . I boat in salt water but its stored in the dry.
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Post by Av8ator1 on May 20, 2019 10:35:24 GMT -5
I am not too crazy on pulling it. I will wait.
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Post by bradmond on May 20, 2019 15:49:47 GMT -5
The very least you should do with a dual prop in salt water is to pull them and re-grease the prop shafts at least once a year. The forward prop can seize on the shaft and make removing very difficult.
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Post by xixp on May 20, 2019 21:38:11 GMT -5
I was referring to pulling the drives; i replace the drive fluids annually (although VP says every 200 hours) so props are removed once a year. The VP shop recommended not to use VP grease but Tef Gel. . Better advice ever! Props slide out almost by themselves with that product.
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Post by jmb23802 on Aug 6, 2019 8:45:48 GMT -5
The bellows should last several seasons in freshwater. The other reasons for pulling the drives are: To inspect for water intrusion ( this is usually easily seen by checking the out drive oil) To grease the gimble bearing and u joints (not possible on the newer units because they are sealed) To check engine alignment ( 21 years and 6 boats and this has never been necessary) Over the years I’ve had my drives pulled for water intrusion issues several times. Unfortunately, this is pretty normal for both volvo and Merc. I’ve only had one drive failure, a bad cone clutch on a bravo 3 that went at 250 hrs Under warranty, I always do as necessary to Satisfy the manufacturer. After that, pulling the drives on units with sealed bearings and u joints and freshwater? Every 3 or 4 years unless something is suspected would be sufficient. If you make it that long without water in your out drive. I pull my outdrive at the end of every season and inspect for water intrusion, grease the gimbal bearing, confirm engine alignment is still dialed (can be an indicator of other issues if the alignment is moving around on you) inspect the u-joints and inspect the input shaft seal. After that, I change the gear oil.
The first u-joint bellows I did lasted two seasons in fresh water before failure. The past couple of bellows I have put on have been the new style from VP and so far so good (two different boats, haven't had long enough yet to see how well the new style holds up - I attribute the short life of my first one to inexperience). I built a homemade outdrive stand in about an hour with some 2x4's, screws and 4 casters so I can just slide the drive off and right back on - really makes it a simple task and gives me peace of mind that the u-joints and gimbal are not soaking in water all winter.
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Post by gofast24 on Aug 6, 2019 10:14:42 GMT -5
If your still under VP factory warranty do what they say for outdrive service and have a VP authorized mechanic do the work.
If out of warranty, I agree, once every two years if in freshwater and on dry dock/boat lift when not using vessel (100 hours in water per year). The cost of a new gimble bearing/U joint drive etc. will cost much more than a bi annual pull/inspect/replace service cost. Also, check/change the lower unit lube once a year especially if you are on trailer/boat lift/out of water, wont cost more than $15/$20 for the lube and injector pump to put lower unit lube in.
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