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Just the top or the whole drive

haffiman37

Silver Medal Contributor
"I see it again and again, and

"I see it again and again, and I get slightly 'annoyed' each time it is recommended only to remove the top part of the drives to change the bellow.
In my opinion, has the drive been on for such a period of time that the bellow need to be changed, remove the whole drive! Yes, it may be a pain in the butt to get the bellows back on, but it might be more to gain to remove it completely as a routine.
You get full access to the water connector for inspection, and for sure the complete reverse lock mechanism. For boats in the water a whole season a must to clean/lubricate and inspect.
Then we have the hinge pins that really seizes up left in place for some years.
In my 'world' it was a yearly service routine to remove the complete drive when the boat went into winter storage and a fresh joint bellow every spring.
In fact it is cheaper to remove the drive completely, no need to change the o-ring between upper and intermediate, but it might take some 15 minutes more depending on experience. And the risk of having a disrupted season due to a broken bellow, stuck reverse lock or corroded water connector is next to eliminated!"
 
"Morten, I take it that this &

"Morten, I take it that this "annoyance" is aimed at me.... and that's OK, but I'm sorry that it bothers you!
However, I do not completely follow your logic on this!

I don't want to lock horns with you, Morten...... but you need to know that I too am very anal when it comes to proper maintenance on these drives...... be it hinge pins, hinge pin bushings, water neck fitting, Intermediate housing work, reverse latch work, shift cable change out, lower unit work, etc.
I do a thorough job and try to do it in the best manor that I can and one that saves me time, but NEVER at the expense of a short cut!

I've been doing these Volvo Pentas for twenty + years... been a mechanic since the mid 60's...... and in those years, I've learned that removing the transmission FIRST has always been a PLUS for me.
I've never suggested that we don't go further into the maintenance of the Main Suspension Fork, or the Water Neck fitting or the "S" hose or the shift cable clamp or the Reverse Latch unit and so on!
Please be clear on this!

Fact is..... even if doing Main Suspension Fork or Intermediate Housing work, it is still best to remove the transmission first and only..... especially for the inexperienced mechanic on these drives..... (the ones who are asking questions of us more experienced people!)
Get that thing out of your way!
If you want to work further on other components, then remove them also!

But don't shoot yourself in the foot by trying to save a few dollars on O-ring replacement..... that is silly, IMO.
O-rings loose resiliency as well as any other rubber component and require routine and occasional replacement!
We're talking peanuts for cost and peanuts for time involved to do this.

Furthermore..... in this time spent doing the AQ series Volvo Penta drives, I can tell you first hand that hinge pins and hinge pin bushings rarely go bad in the time frame that Bellows require up to several replacements!!!!!
If you have a concern re; corrosion at the hinge pins.... these can be removed, cleaned and replaced one side at a time without removing the drive.
Even the bushings can be replaced by pulling the drive partially back with both pins removed...... (although for this, I'd remove the Intermediate after the upper removal).


Again.... even if hinge pin work (or other main fork or Intermediate housing work) becomes necessary, in my opinion it is still much easier to remove the transmission from the Intermediate housing first!
Again....... Get that thing out of your way!
This opens the entire area up for easy water neck and shift cable clamp access..... (and we all know what a bugger these two bolts can be to get to!)

Going back together after bellows replacement is much much easier as well! (you are not fighting the weight on an entire drive hanging while trying to manipulate the bellows, etc)

Anyway..... that is what and how I do this on a professional level!
I'm just making a recommendation to those posting and who are NOT Volvo Penta mechanics! (if they were, they'd not need this forum)
For you others...... do as you wish!

Morten.... please note that this is nothing personal.... I value your expert information that you contribute to this forum.
This is simply my explanation of why I recommend doing it this way!
No offense intended.... no offense taken!"
 
"Was in fact not aimed at anyo

"Was in fact not aimed at anyone specific, just in general, that was why I put it in a separate post.
I've been working those drives from late 70's until I 'left' in 04 and believe I have had my share of experience. I'm from a region where 95% of the boats are run in salt water and left in the water for about 6 months, other regions 95% may be in fresh water and on trailers with a different demand.
'We' used to have average running hours of about 100hrs/year, other countries are down to only 20. It all varies and as such routines may be different.
As 'pro's' we do a lot of things without thinking, small but perhaps important. Like coating the surface between upper and intermediate housing at assembly to prevent corrosion. Like lifting off the top cover of the drive and measure the top nut clearance whenever the top is off. Checking play in intermediate shaft is another one when drive is off.
My point in general is that most of the 'customers' on this site are non professional and have hardly any clue about all these small bits and pieces. They are focused on the bellow change only, and may miss other serious problems that may be under way, but may be caught and corrected before serious incidents and increased costs occur. Mostly they have time, but quite some are a bit 'low' on budget. Spending an extra 1/2 hour may be $$$$ saved. Personally I hated doing the same job twice but for different problems!"
 
"Yes Morten, all of those thin

"Yes Morten, all of those things are protocol for me as well. I am very anal about the work that I do on these drives. And I couldn't agree with you more as to the importance, as you very well point out!

Likewise is the ease of doing the job. Often "ease" allows for an even better job to be performed!
For me, this amost always involves removing the top transmission for most any of this work. Not all, but most!
Fifteen minutes, a few new O-rings (when going back together), and I'm right there where I want to be with everything easily accessible.
And when a water neck fitting (for example) is easily accessible, the chance of an error is reduced..... and particularly for the non-pro mechanic, of whom we mostly address here on a forum!
Add to this corroded water neck screws, and it becomes even more important!

I can't imagine instructing a "non-pro" how to install new drive bellows via removing the entire drive as a "unit" and then get everything back together without a hitch.
If I suggest removing just the transmission, the task now becomes much easier for them. IMO, that is!

Again, each to his own, but I've received gratitude many times over from owners of whom I have instructed via this method... often telling me how much easier this method was for them!

Again, each to his own!

."
 
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