How do I replace the bellows on my 4cyl Volvo outdrive

[wharfcreek]

"Hello Group!

Got a LOT of help here a year ago when I first bought this boat. Coming back again as I now REALLY need help! Damn near sank the boat! I've got a 4" split in my main bellows, and I need to remove the outdrive to replace this part. My question is; how? I've had plenty of experience pulling Mercruiser outdrives....but never a Volvo. I stopped at my local Volvo Parts supply dealership, he had the bellows in stock, and gave me the simple directions of "pulling the screw at the top, then the 4 screws in front...and it will just slide right off." Clearly, it is a LOT more complicated than that! I have an '89 boat, an 18 foot Excel, with a 2.3L 4 Cyl Volvo motor. I can't see any real ID on the outdrive...must have been lost long ago. But, there is a plate on the front of the drive unit with 2 phillips screws. In removing this plate, I can see the shift bevels where the cable connect and is re-routed to the outdrive, and I can also see 4 bolts...but they don't appear to be large enough to be holding the outdrive on the boat. In fact, the outdrive seems to be supported by a large pivot built into the lower unit, and supported by some kind of yolk assembly. To me, it looks like all of that has to be removed in order to eventually get to the upper bellows. Honestly, I'm kinda at a stand-still, and would really appreciate a step-by-step process. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated! Kindly, Tom Dickinson"

[william_m]

"You may be looking foe 4 Big allen heads. 2 under the cover pointing down and 2 indented in the exhaust/intermediate housing going up. This (and the cable) should get the upper gear case off with the bellows and u-joints.

On Bad bellows, Ive razored them in half so I could get to the clamps easier. You might want to drain the oil first.

You should get some u-joints from napa (18.00) and that intermediate shaft bearing ahead of the u-joints is going to demand a close look. The first time takes forever, the next one will take about 2 hours.

Put a rag over the big oily hole the gear box came from."

[olddawg]

"Here is the procedure and a view of your unit: Provided it is a Volvo Penta 270 or similar. This procedure came from another Marine website. Hope it helps you out.

http://dougrussell.com/partscatalog/...2267,2268,2269

Drain the drive oil via the plug at the lower unit w/ the drive all the way down. (Remove dip stick to break suction)
Examine the first few ounces of oil that come from the drive for metallic residue.
Loosen the helmet fastener/pin (# 74 or # 35A # 35B) and raise the helmet UP.
Remove the shift cover from the drive.
Remove the shift linkage arm from the transmission (upper unit) and let it lay to the side.
Remove the four connecting bolts... (two 3/8" nyloc nuts...two hex socket head bolts).
Loosen the rear bellows band clamp (large hose clamp)
NOTE: notice where the band clamp worm drive is located...... this should not come close to anything it can rub/wear against when reinstalling. Also needs to be "tool accessible".
Remove the "Set Pin" so the drive can go even further DOWN (all the way down) note where it was for reassembly.
Remove the transmission by lifting it up, rotate it to one side and remove it in an "aft" direction. (You will be pulling the shaft "Yoke" from a splined shaft).
IMPORTANT NOTE: Watch for the shims that are under the bottom of it on the lower bearing...... oil will cause them to stick to the bearing/intermediate housing. Tag and inventory these carfully.

You are now ready to remove the forward band clamp and remove the old bellows.
NOTE: Notice where this band clamp is also for "tool access" when re-installing the new one. (a very long 1/4" drive/extensions can reach this from below if positioned correctly).

Clean the groove on both the Flywheel Cover "snout" and the groove on the front collar of the transmission before reassembling.
The new bellows will have "UP" or "TOP" labeled on it.
No sealant is required in these two grooves but can be used.
Install the bellows first onto the Flywheel Cover "snout".
Volvo uses no bonding clip as does M/C.

Install the transmission in the reverse order in which you removed it.
It will/can be difficult to align the yoke onto the primary drive shaft... takes a few tries even for the pros.
Remember the shims.
Did I mention "Remember the SHIMS?" (very critical)
NOTE: Two new O rings are required between the transmission and the intermediate housing. Green Marine grease on these after having cleaned the O ring recessed areas real well."

[wharfcreek]

"Hello Casey and William,

A quick word of thanks for the speedy response. I've read them both and I'll try to 'find' these 4 bolts being referred to tomorrow pm. I have some other duties tomorrow am, but I'd like to get this job completed tomorrow if possible. I was told by the local parts store about the 2 "O" rings also necessary for this job....a few bucks each. Hopefully I'll find these 4 bolts....but I starred at the damn drive for nearly 20 minutes earlier this evening and simply did NOT see any 4 bolts that would permit that drive to be 'extracted' in a similar fashion to removing a Merc unit. But, maybe I just need to look harder. I will say that I'm not sure about the unit being similar to a 270. I did find a breakdown of a SP sterndrive.....and this breakdown also came with process for removal. Seemed to be FAR more complicated than what's indicated in both of your write-ups....but again, not being familiar with these units, maybe I'm just 'not getting it yet'!! I sure wish someone had a picture of the 4 bolts....and perhaps tomorrow if I'm still stumped, I'll post a pic of my unit. But....for now.......I REALLY do appreciate the help. Kind Regards, Tom D."

[RicardoMarine]

"Casey P................. Who did you quote that from? (That 2850 Bounty guy?) LOL

Funny thing, I started reading a few sentences and it sounded very familiar! In fact, VERY familiar!

Thomas, the only thing that I'd now add to the above is that you have contaminated your Primary Drive shaft bearing with water.
I'd highly recommend changing this even if you did not suffer water intrusion at this time.
If no history of this having been replaced, I'd sure do it!

This is a relatively easy bearing/seal to replace..... and inexpensive also.
The cost for a repair due to failure will be very disturbing to you.

."

[sandkicker]

"If its a 1989, it likely to be a 280 drive..

RE:"Remove the four connecting bolts... (two 3/8" nyloc nuts...two hex socket head bolts)."

Volvo drives consist of three sections, you will be removing just the top section from the drive, not the whole drive from the boat.

Per "William's" post...
The nyloc nuts are located in the front of the drive and they are "upside down" and they are at the juncture of the top section and the middle section.

The hex heads (allens) are located under the shift cover at the rear of the drive and also go up.

If a previous owner/mechanic reassembled the drive at some time in the past with gasket sealent between the upper and middle sections, it can be difficult to seperate the sections after the bolts are out...Also you will have to clean every last bit of the old sealent material off both the intermediate section and the top before reassembling it. This can be a tedious job. Don't scratch any of the surfaces if you can help it and be careful to not get any old sealant bits in the drive. Most sealant "removal" stuff will do a better job of removing the paint from the drive than the old sealant."

[olddawg]

"Casey P................. Who did you quote that from? (That 2850 Bounty guy?) LOL"

Yes sir that is where it came from. When it comes to the Volvo Penta Outdrives it's my opinion that 2850 Bounty "Rick" has a lot of knowledge and he is always willing to share. At least that has been my experience with him.

[wharfcreek]

"Hello again,

Well.......I think I'm starting to 'get it'!! Robert, now that you've explained the '3 sections' issue, things are starting to make more sense. While I thought I was starting to understand the previous entries, I was still having problems trying to figure out how only 4 bolts could be holding that entire drive on the boat when CLEARLY that lower unit was being supported by that pivot/yolk assembly. Now that I can visualize just pulling the partial section, things make a bit more sense. I'm still having a problem trying to figure out how the 'joint' section will separate. In other words, I can see that I'm going in at a basic horizontal plane with the drive shaft. But, then that gear box assembly seems to be where the 90 degree turn down to the prop section. I gather that in pulling that gear box, the section will simply separate from the drive leaving a gear of some kind exposed? I guess I'll see it when I do it. As to the other 'maintenance' items like the bearings, seals, and u-joints....I'll inspect those and will definitely replace that which is necessary. I understand the contamination issue, especially with the fact that I live on the Chesapeake Bay and the contamination is even worse being salt water. One reason I purchased this older boat was because of the heat exchanger vs raw water cooling. Here on the Chesapeake, raw water cooled boat engines don't last long unless well flushed after every use. Anyway....I hope to get to this later this afternoon! Thanks to everyone for all the help! Tom D."

[olddawg]

"Ok here are some pictures.

270 outdrive.....The section you want to take off is #2.. There are two 14mm nuts one on each side where you see the dimples in the picture. Then when you take the long cover off the back of the drive you will see two socket head screws which are # 8 (I think) allen.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...70outdrive.png[/IMG]

Here is a picture of the upper drive components. Don't worry it don't fall apart when you take it off. The only parts you need to take care of are shims that will stay in the bearing recess or they may stick to the drive when you pull it off. Make sure that you know where these shims are and don't damage them as they need to go back exactly where they were.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...ergearunit.png[/IMG]"

[RicardoMarine]

Casey P. What is your member name on the BOC? We've probably posted to the same thread before!

.

[sandkicker]

"Thomas..

If the top section hasn't been "glued" to the middle section by sealant by a P/O, then the top unit should just lift straight up enough to clear (disconnect) the vertical drive shaft and then you should be able to pull if aft and off the boat."

[wharfcreek]

"FINAL NOTES: Just wanted to THANK those of you who offered some help!! I just completed the task, and it wasn't to terrible!! A few notes to those who may read this thread in the future: First, the fact that the housing comes off in sections is a BIG piece of information....particularly if you're like me and used to Mercruiser units that come off all in once piece! Second, it is a good idea to drain a quart of oil or so from the sterndrive. This will put the level beneath the upper bearing so as not to make things as difficult when removing and reinstalling that upper housing and large 'O' ring. Third, I separated the main bellows from the upper housing before removing that housing....just used a screw driver and removed the band-clamp and pushed it free. Doing that kept it from pulling on that housing when I was attempting to remove it. Fourth,...and perhaps most important: There are two screws that hold the steering pin in the top of the outdrive unit. Removing these screws may 'appear' to permit that steering pin to be slid upwards. However, that pin is in a recess, and if your unit is like mine, the corrosion had set in and had that pin nearly locked in place. I found a process of using 2 6mm bolts that were 30mm or longer....and those bolt screw into the two remaining smaller holes on the steering pin and lift it out of place. Well....mine was so bad that those bolts nearly stripped before moving that pin. Further, I didn't know what I was doing...not having done it before....so I really didn't know what to expect. Long story short, I shot the area with some penetrating oil and tapped it a bit with some big wrenches, and slowly it began to move. A bit more oil and a bit more tapping and sure enough, it popped up and out of the lower housing. This permitted the 'helmut' to be raised up while the outdrive was in the full lowered position. I could then easily pull the top housing free from the center and lower sections. That housing, or 'the cube' as my local parts guy called it, then pulled free of the main drive shaft without any further problems. From there I simply removed the old bellows, re-installed the new one on the back section, inspected and lubed all that was available for servicing ( I didn't need to replace U-joint or seals....all were OK luckily!) and then I re-installed the cube. Finally, I reinstalled the outer section of main bellows on the cube and buttoned it up! I still have a few minor items left.....I'm replacing the outdrive oil, I'm replacing the washers and cotter pins on the shift linkage (someone had used common steel vs stainless on my unit), and finally I'm going to do a quick engine oil and filter change while the boat is ashore. Hopefully, tomorrow I'll complete all that remains then test out the boat, then back to my lift. Again....I thank all those that helped me. Total cost of this job will be about $85 in parts....2 "O" rings, the Bellows, and some oil! Cost to have had the work done by the least expensive quote I received over the phone...$400+...depending on what they found! Lets see.....I think I'll use the extra saved $300 and pay some bills!!....lol. Take care.....stay afloat....and be safe!! Regards to all! Tom Dickinson"

[RicardoMarine]

"Good catch..... and I should go back and modify that thread to include the double bolt helmet pin "Jack Threads" in my quote that Casey used (if I could remember which thread that was).
In most other posts, I do mention that there are two (2) jack threads adjacent to the socket head screws. These are used to thread two 1/4" grade # 8 bolts into in order to jack the helmet pin from the front transmission collar.


You mentioned only two O-rings.... you should be replacing the dip stick and drain plug O-rings as well.... and the fill plug gasket.

Sounds like you did A OK!

."