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Recommended oil for volvo 280 outdrive

"Go to marine shop check what

"Go to marine shop check what kind , because i believe you need gear lube not oil the oil will almost be a greenish color. Don't dump 10w 30 in"
 
"The Volvo 270 and 280 legs ru

"The Volvo 270 and 280 legs run on engine oil (SAE10-30), not on gear oil. The Volvo instructions say it clearly."
 
"There is a 'but' to t

"There is a 'but' to that.
The original spec made by Volvo was to use the same as in the engine. When the spec was made that was even single grade oil SAE 30. Volvo now has a synthetic oil they recommend for their 280/290/DP drives and even for their SX. There are a couple of factors to considder: Viscosity, oil film strenth and foaming. In addition comes ability to 'absorb' water (in small amounts).
I used all my years at my marina EP90 oil, same as in outboards. At the beginning OMC HI-Vis, later Ultra HPF and never had any problems either shifting or other problems that could be related to oil. In cases were engine oil had been used and water for some reason got into the drive I could find both corrosion dammages and even a couple of times seals that had been pushed out due to expansion.
I may take a risk, but I do in fact recommend semi syntethic Ultra HPF oil."
 
"There is a section in the Vol

"There is a section in the Volvo Penta site where operator manuals are available for download.

http://www.volvo.com/volvopenta/global/en-gb/marineengines/operators_manual/

All the manuals Volvo AQ series having a 270, 280, 290-SP outdrive have a recommended oil grade of 10W30 or 10W40. It is only when it comes to the 290-DP that Volvo recommends API-GL5 (SAE90 or 80W90).

Except for Volvo Penta, I have never seen other manufacturer recommending multigrade engine oil instead of gear oil for their outdrives. However, the fact is that there are countless Volvo Penta outdrives (some of them around 40 years old) that have been running on engine oil from day one and show no signs of deterioration or wear of any type. Personally, I will follow Volvo's recommendation and keep using engine oil in mine."
 
"Let me clearify a bit.
If wh

"Let me clearify a bit.
If what You have works, keep on using it. If you do a 'major' repair, including cleaning out the drive from old oil, why not up grade. The reson that the DP drive recomended GL5 oil was only that Volvo finally discovered that there are better oils available. The reson for using 'engine oil' was more of 'convenience' for the customers. The DP drives has in fact less stress on the critical parts (pinion and pinion bearing) than the single prop drives. Lubrication wise the GL5 oil is better as it is intended for 'lubrication of spiral cut gears'. Where it may create a problem is in the shifting system, clutch cone. The cone may not be able to break the oil film and create the friction needed for engagement. With the newer syntethic oils on the market the oil film has become so 'strong' that this problem may even occur when using engine oil, GL5 may as well be used!"
 
I know this is an old thread but as 17 years have passed, info may have changed. So, I am changing the oil in my 275 outdrive. I found slightly milky oil in the drain pan. I also found oil in the upper (u joint) rubber bellows.
So, the manual does say "same oil as engine".

Should I use a similar grade Marine oil, rather than car engine oil for the engine and outdrive?
Should I use basic auto oil in the engine and Marine grade oil in the outdrive?
I see some outdrives ask for a higher grade, is this safe to use in the outdrive?
is oil added to the bellows to lubricate the joint or is the oil in the bellows a sign of another issue?

Thanks for the help and sorry of this all seems too basic.
 
Slightly milky oil is the sign of a leaking seal prop shaft, oil drain, oil fill or **** arm seal. Oil in the bellows is the sign of a leaking seal on the input shaft. Re: oil for drive... 10W30.
One usually ends up doing a pressure and vacuum test of the drive to find leaky seals.... See shop manual... PM me with your email address and I'll send you a copy of the 280 manual, which is virtually identical for your purposes... be sure to use a 275 assembly drawing for part numbers.
 
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