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Grease!!!

sandkicker

sandkicker

Outstanding Contributor
Recommended grease for ujoints on a 280... other than the unobtainium "official" Volvo stuff.???

.... and how do you get grease into the "bearing" #32 on the Volvo Drive shop manual that holds the reverse latch mechanism ( curiously, this part is shown and referenced for the 290 drive and not the 280, so the #32 is the reference for a 290 drive)?

I lubed the fitting on the bottom of the yoke and the yoke moves freely with just minor finger tip pressure ( drive on a work stand), HOWEVER, the "bearing" that retains the reverse latch is quite stiff to move.
 
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sandkicker said:
Recommended grease for ujoints on a 280... other than the unobtainium "official" Volvo stuff.???
It's always best to stick with the same grease.
Unlike grease chemistry can (not always), but can cause the grease to turn more liquid like.

.... and how do you get grease into the "bearing" #32 on the Volvo Drive shop manual that holds the reverse latch mechanism ( curiously, this part is shown and referenced for the 290 drive and not the 280, so the #32 is the reference for a 290 drive)?

That would be the reverse latch "bearing sleeve".
The pre-290 units have anti-rotation pins...........

s-l1600.jpg





........ whereas the 290 does not in lieu of the metal unit that prevents rotation.

s-l640.jpg


None-the-less, no grease is used within the bearing sleeve. Clean and dry does it!

I lubed the fitting on the bottom of the yoke and the yoke moves freely with just minor finger tip pressure ( drive on a work stand), HOWEVER, the "bearing" that retains the reverse latch is quite stiff to move.
The "fix" is to remove the pivot tube and the reverse latch unit (transmission and lower unit removed)!
Clean the surfaces, and re-install.

The pivot tube is rather soft.
The upper end must be in pristine condition for the beaded gasket.
This means that extreme care must be used when pushing it out of the Intermediate housing.

This is also a great time to replace the upper pivot tube bushing.
Click to expand...
 
re: Recommended grease for ujoints on a 280... other than the unobtainium "official" Volvo stuff.???
It's always best to stick with the same grease.

"Same" ??? The bearings are replacement spicers and about 7 seasons old....likely less than 300 hrs on them. Visually in mint condition. Feel smooth, so I'll just "exercise" them a couple of times thru their full range of motion and call it good.
 
BTW... thanks for the pix. Much better than the shop manual line drawing ( I have the top one)... makes reassembly of the latch easier. It's "amusing" doing it while the "bearing" is still on the drive I must admit.
 
Bob, I was recently talked into to repairing one for a man up north of me. He could not find a shop who was willing to work on his.

I replaced:
... pivot tube
... needle bearing
... both seals
... upper bushing
... latch hooks
... center lift spring
... both over-centering springs
... the over-centering spring attaching shaft
... the two white nylon rings/spacers

His pivot tube's lower needle bearing surface was badly rusted. Luckily I had a few good pivot tubes lefter over.

The grease port (in the suspension fork) for the needle bearing area directs grease into the area above the needle cage.
It is very ineffective as there is no easy or direct path for the grease to actually enter the needle bearing area.

My fix is to carefully grind a tiny "cut" into the outer edge of the needle cage.
The "cut" serves as a path for the grease so that it can actually enter the needle area.

When pressing the cage into the suspension fork, my "cut" and the grease port must be aligned.

(I wish that I'd had taken a picture of it... dang it!)

This will have to do!


AQ series pivot tube needle bearing alignment.jpg
 
Yeah.... I did that job on this drive when I bought it as a salvage ($600!) some years ago ( boat had the wrong ratio 260 on it) . I noticed the crummy lube path at the time but did not think to do that. Clever fix !!!!. I think if I have to take mine apart in that area, I'll do that. Might consider drilling and tapping a zerk fitting size hole in the "bearing" (reverse latch carrier) so it can be lubed. Since there isn't clearance ( I think) for an permanent actual zerk fitting, that hole under normal use will have a very short pan head screw in it to keep it closed.
 
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I have a question regarding this assembly. On my 275, there are no bearing/bushing materials on the pins that mount this assembly to the transom assembly. I've seen pic's of prior year assemblies that show what look to be nylon bushings that encapsulate the pins. Have mine fallen out due to wear, or do 275 and later have no such bushings?? In a prior post, Ricardo referred to the pins as "anti-rotation pins"...
 
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djhinca said:
I have a question regarding this assembly. On my 275, there are no bearing/bushing materials on the pins that mount this assembly to the transom assembly.
Those would be your suspension fork hinge pin bushings.

I've seen pic's of prior year assemblies that show what look to be nylon bushings that encapsulate the pins.
Correct.
The suspension fork pivots up/down via these bushings (the pins are stationary).

Have mine fallen out due to wear, or do 275 and later have no such bushings??
Can't say... perhaps a prior owner or an unaware mechanic failed to re-install them.

In a prior post, Ricardo referred to the pins as "anti-rotation pins"...
No... I was referring to the reverse latch unit.
See the two images in post #2.
Compare the first image to the second image.



When/if you go to remove the hinge pins, use propane torch heat on the aluminum bosses the house the pins.
This will mildly expand the aluminum.

DO NOT drive against these soft pins with anything harder than an Italian Bread Stick.



Tip:
When removing this series stern drive, remove the transmission first, and only the transmission.
Then remove the remaining components as needed.

When going back together, do the opposite..... transmission last.

Replace all O-rings.

Click to expand...
 
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djhinca said:
I have a question regarding this assembly. On my 275, there are no bearing/bushing materials on the pins that mount this assembly to the transom assembly. I've seen pic's of prior year assemblies that show what look to be nylon bushings that encapsulate the pins. Have mine fallen out due to wear, or do 275 and later have no such bushings?? In a prior post, Ricardo referred to the pins as "anti-rotation pins"...
Click to expand...

View attachment BUSHING.pdf
 
sandkicker said:
Recommended grease for ujoints on a 280... other than the unobtainium "official" Volvo stuff.???

.
Click to expand...

bob grease threads can be like oil threads.... I used Lucas red and tacky on my ujoints And gimbal on my alpha gen one for many years, 20 to be exact (was 5 years old when we bought it). To be fair, I did end up replacing the ujoints - when the boat was 23 years old.
 
I do agree that any grease is better than no grease at all.
However, consider this:


Mixing incompatible greases can have dire consequences. They may react together and cause a separation of the base oil or oils from the thickeners of the two greases. When this happens, the base oil can no longer stay in place and you get a messy situation – oil oozing or running out of the area where it was applied.

When two incompatible greases are mixed, one of two things generally happens: the mixture hardens and will not release any of the oil or the mixture softens and releases all of the oil. In either case, the end result is basically the same; there is effectively no lubrication.


Don't Mix Grease..... Change If Needed
The key is to make the switch as close to 100 percent as possible. If you can, start with completely clean parts and new grease. Otherwise, greasing more often will flush out the old incompatible grease faster.
[FONT=&quot]The issue of grease compatibility comes into play when grease is being selecting for use that may be different than the grease that was previously used. In these situations, the best practice is to clean out as much of the old grease as possible. This can often be done by dispensing the new grease into the space, where it will displace the old product.
What’s the point of doing this?
It may be more important than you think because of the issue of grease compatibility. If the two greases are incompatible, you run a much higher risk of grease lubricant failure. This begs the question – what makes greases compatible vs. incompatible? Which ones work well together and which ones don’t?

[/FONT]
 
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