flywheel housing installation

I have an AQ131/275 on a 1987 boat. The drive shaft and bearing assembly through the flywheel housing needs replaced. I found a great price on a used, complete flywheel housing. The shop I took it to wants $1,000 to pull the engine and install the housing and re-install the outdrive. Does that sound like a fair price or a bit of gouging?

Thanks.

The beauty of the Volvo Penta 4 cylinder "flywheel cover" is that the PDS and single bearing can be removed from AFT.
There is no need to remove the engine unless the PDS pilot nose and/or Borg Warner splines are rusted and are frozen in the splines or crankshaft centering bearing.

Drain the gear oil, and remove your transmission ONLY and drive shaft bellows!
There will be NO need to remove the entire drive! In fact, the job is much easier if we DO NOT!

Sacrifice the seal by gently tweaking it out of your way (remember that it is backed by a snap ring).
This exposes two large expansion type snap rings (one FWD for the PDS bearing... and one further AFT that stops the seal)

You'll need a long modified tip needle nose pliers in order to fit the eyelets of the snap rings without coming loose.
(there is no snap ring pliers that works as well for this)
Reach in and remove both snap rings.

Grab the PDS with a large pair of Vice-Grip pliers.
Pull on the PDS..... it may require some force, but it should come out AFT.
(any burrs from the vice grips can be filed smooth)

There will be a single 6206 open bearing on the PDS.
Replace this bearing with like bearing..... no B-B-Q'd Pork or Fried Rice bearings!
Use SKF or Koyo or a good quality bearing..... cost is about $15 or so.
Seal is a 35x62x7mm in a Timken or TCM.... cost is about $6.
(these are the same exact bearing and seal as if purchased through Volvo Penta.... but w/o V/P's p/n on the box)

Install the new bearing onto the PDS.
Grease the pilot nose and B/W splines.
Re-install the PDS with bearing in place into the Flywheel Cover bore.
Pre-fill the grease cavity until you see grease oooz from the ball cage.
Bump engine over while doing this to ensure purging of air.

Now install the AFT seal in a Non-Conventional direction (tension spring visible from AFT)

You are now ready to replace the water neck fitting and special beaded gasket, install your new drive shaft bellows and transmssion with two new OEM O-rings, and two new dip stick and drain plug O-rings, etc.
(apply heat to the suspension fork prior to removing the water neck screws)

If all goes well, this can be done by a DIY'r short of about 2 to 2-1/2 hours.

Now, if by chance I missed that your Flywheel Cover is damaged, and needs a complete replacement, then this changes.
Even so, you still pull the transmission, difference being that it requires about 4 hours tops to R & R this lilttle engine and to change the F/C.

These engines/drives are very easy to work on, baring no excessive corrosion issues.
Forget penetrating oils........ "Heat" from a small propane torch is your friend if you suspect any corrosion issues.

.

That is a great bunch of information! Thanks. But, the flywheel housing is damaged pretty badly and needs to be replaced. From what you have writen, that can be done in 4 hours?? Any special tools needed for this job?

mtmrayz said:

That is a great bunch of information! Thanks. But, the flywheel housing is damaged pretty badly and needs to be replaced. From what you have writen, that can be done in 4 hours?? Any special tools needed for this job?

Click to expand...

Not actually for the R & R alone!
For the snap ring removal, we need a modified extra looooooooooong needle nose pliers.
Just tweak the tips inward a bit as to keep them from coming out of the snap ring eyelets.


(I'm not aware of any factory made snap ring tool that works as well)

The important thing for anyone to know, is how and where to use heat on/at any thread inserts as to prevent galling and/or snapping a fastener off.
(most all AQ series female threads are "thread inserts".... much like a Heli-Coil)
Forget penetrating oils! It will take weeks to get where it needs to be..... and even then, it's a crap shoot.
IMO, this is where the men are separated from the boys, metaphorically speaking.


Some one of the first questions that any of us may want to ask of the mechanic, are:

• Have you dealt with V/P specific corrosion issues before?
• If so, what measures do you take?
• Are you aware of how heat can aid in fastener removal?

And so on!

The new guys aren't likely to know this because their AQ series experience is limited.
The older and familiar guys have long since retired.
I'm only aware of all of this because I'm old..... (no wise cracks, please ) and have worked on these for a while!

When the wrong mechanic touches these, and starts breaking or stripping things out........ guess who get's to pay the bill?

Good news is...... these are so dang easy to work on if we simply pay attention to a few small details, and IMO, heat in the right area is one of them.

.

I am still leery. What is you thought on the $1,000 quote? I am supplying the flywheel housing. The shop is removing the outdrive and engine and installing. They will replace seals and bearings as needed>

mtmrayz said:

I am still leery. What is you thought on the $1,000 quote?

Click to expand...

If you got the money, go for it. If you'd like to spend a weekend or two knowing your boat better and saving money, do what Ricardo has suggested. He walked me through the same issue just months ago. Look up my thread on replacing the PDS.

mtmrayz said:

1. I am still leery. What is you thought on the $1,000 quote?
2. I am supplying the flywheel housing. The shop is removing the outdrive and engine and installing.
3. They will replace seals and bearings as needed.

Click to expand...

You used the word "quote", can you share the work scope definition with us?

This will be an estimate only of the time required, baring no severe corrosion issues, etc.:

Prep replacement Flywheel Cover with new PDS bearing and seals, pre-fill grease cavity .......................45-50 minutes
Drain oil and remove Transmission only (again, no need to remove the entire drive)............................... 35-45 minutes
Remove exhaust coupler, wiring harness connections, hoses, fuel lines, etc., ready engine for removal........... 45 minutes or so
Remove six tap bolts from clamping ring and remove clamping ring............................................... 15-20 minutes if no corrosion issues.
Lift engine and remove from hull .................................................................................................. 15 minutes
Remove damaged Flywheel Cover.... install replacement ................................................................. 30-40 minutes
Install new FWD rubber cushion onto F/C ................................................................................... 2 (two) minutes
Reinstall engine, align torque snubber and exhaust man-to-down-tube........................................... 45 minutes conservatively
Reinstall the clamping ring and six bolts ........................................................................... 15-20 minutes
Reinstall bellows, transmission with new O-rings, and fill plug gasket etc, ............................... 25-35 minutes
Refill gear oil ................................................................................................................... 15-20 minutes or so
Let's throw in 1 hour for cleaning and some prep work, and for tracking down parts, etc.
(don't fall for the ole crankshaft bearing trick.... it will likely be rusted. For Marine use, it's a pilot nose centering bearing only)

If using the high numbers, I come up with 397 minutes, or 6.616 hours.
6.616 x's $90 /hr = $595.50
6.616 x's $100 /hr = $616.60
If I'm short by 2 hours, that would make it $775.44 @ $90/hr..... or $861.60 @ $100/hr
(I doubt that I'm short)

I don't want to prevent this shop from making a profit, not do I want to see you pay more than what's realistic for this work scope.
These are literally among the easiest engines and drives to work on.... but again, baring no corrosion issues.
You could actually do much of this prep work yourself.
Drian drive oil, remove transmission, remove the six clamping ring bolts... at least loosen and get them ready.
You could unplug the wire harness, fuel lines, battery cables, throttle cable, suction hose, etc.
Take a video or still photos first.
You could even install the new bearing onto the PDS, and get the flywheel cover ready to go.

You could save a few hours right there.... and put that money into your fuel tank.

.

Just got to read this and, to be honest, I don't know what the scope involves. I am going to have to ask some tough questions tomorrow. As for parts, if I take this on, would you order from the volvo penta store or elsewhere? Do I need an engine hoist to pull the engine back far enough to install the flywheel cover?

In reading a bunch of prior posts, the shop talked of "gimble bearings" when I first brought the boat in. That might be a clue.

I would like to know my boat better and enjoy this work when I can find a block of time to devote to it.

Your scope includes things like a new forward rubber cusion. Is that the engine mount? Do you have a parts list you would use for this job? I know I am bound to miss something like an o ring and then I will be high and dry for a couple weeks waiting for it to come.

Thanks again!

As a follow-up, I had the shop do the repair. Cost $1,183. They installed a replacement flywheel housing I bought off ebay for $60. I have had the boat out a couple times. It runs great after a short warm up. At full throttle, 4500 rpm, I am going 31 mph according to a depth finder on the boat. I am now working on a new problem with re-starting after turning the engine off.

On with the adventure!