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Message |
    
J.C.H.
Member
Username: ruckus3313
Post Number: 94
Registered: 10-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 - 11:54 am: | 
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on my 270 outdrive, it has a grease fitting on the port side on the steering fork. What is this grease fittings purpose and what grease can be used for this application???normal wheel bearing grease or something specific?? |
Bert
Member
Username: bschip43
Post Number: 98
Registered: 12-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 - 07:37 pm: |
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should be for your gimbal bearing |
william g moore jr
Advanced Member
Username: william_m
Post Number: 161
Registered: 05-2009
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 - 08:48 pm: |
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You can get white lithium in a grease gun tube. Regular bearing grease is not such an issue there, but on the steering pivot of outboards it will react with marine grease and the salt water and cause more problems than it cures. So other applications on your boat may need a water proof grease and if that is all you have you won't make any mistakes. |
J.C.H.
Member
Username: ruckus3313
Post Number: 96
Registered: 10-2008
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - 10:12 am: |
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bert,
the volvo aq125 w/270 does not use a gimbal bearing system...
william,
So what your telling me is that i should be using a waterproof based grease for this location?? I do not use my boat in salt water nor does it stay in the water, it gets trailered everytime.. all my other fittings were just recently greased at the marina however this particular fitting wasnt't greased. I just want to use the proper lubrication |
william g moore jr
Advanced Member
Username: william_m
Post Number: 167
Registered: 05-2009
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - 10:28 am: |
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If the marina did your service, your covered. The water proof grease last longer. Just get some of the blue trailer bearing grease on a Tee shirt and see if your wife can get it out!!
I'll have to look your unit up but did think it was for the gimbal bearing. Right ahead of the u-joint yoke first thing back from the coupler. Don't think anybody greased them as they were a sealed bearing and you needed one with access holes in them and we always bought pillow block bearings from King bearing corp. |
J.C.H.
Member
Username: ruckus3313
Post Number: 97
Registered: 10-2008
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - 10:44 am: |
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william,
thanks i have a gun with the blue grease in it. The marina greased all the fittings in my engine bay but not on my outdrive. Thanks for the help |
J.C.H.
Advanced Member
Username: ruckus3313
Post Number: 101
Registered: 10-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, June 25, 2009 - 12:51 pm: |
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I got it all covered. Bought a tube of valvoline (red) grease for all european vehicles. Its waterproof long lasting..and it exceeds all industry standards for steering components, suspension and wheel bearings so hopefully i can use this on all grease fittings on the boat and on the trailer as well. Cheers!!! |
Robert A. Fierro
Advanced Member
Username: sandkicker
Post Number: 630
Registered: 06-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, June 25, 2009 - 01:29 pm: |
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Re: that bearing... Sea water or fresh... If that bearing seizes, replacing it is a pain.
Lube bearing until new lube comes out of the joint.
Swing drive full port to starboard a couple of times and give it another shot of lube. Wipe off excess lube.
If that bearing seizes, you won't be able to steer.
Blue lube on shirt...... shirt = cleaning rag for mechanical parts. |
J.C.H.
Advanced Member
Username: ruckus3313
Post Number: 102
Registered: 10-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, June 25, 2009 - 04:48 pm: |
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thank you robert. yeah no steering is not good lol.. taking care of that now |
Ricardo E.
Advanced Member
Username: ricardomarine_vp
Post Number: 335
Registered: 03-2009
| | Posted on Thursday, June 25, 2009 - 10:11 pm: |
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Unfortunately, the entire grease port for THIS needle bearing is very inadequate, IMO.
It directs grease to an area above the actual bearing. The bearing itself is not ported!
Seeing grease ooze from the area is again, unfortunately, a misnomer that you have indeed lubricated the bearing.
I wish it wasn't so!
I still love these drives..... it doesn't get much better.... but there are these few quirts that we deal with!
Yes, changing this does require much disassembly to get to the actual bearing. Trans, lower unit, Intermediate housing all must be removed in order to access and remove the "Pivot Tube"!
Also, try to identify which grease is in there now...... mixing grease types that are incompatable can result in lost viscosity, and it may turn to a liquid type substance.
A good water proof grease should do it!
I'd be more concerned about the Collar Steering Fork bushings and the Primary Drive Shaft bearing(s) and grease getting into them! |
william g moore jr
Advanced Member
Username: william_m
Post Number: 192
Registered: 05-2009
| | Posted on Thursday, June 25, 2009 - 11:58 pm: |
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On the gimbal bearing- suddenly realised it was a regular double row sealed bearing in a volvo- the pillow block bearing is in Mercruiser. Neither one would grease very well. |
J.C.H.
Advanced Member
Username: ruckus3313
Post Number: 103
Registered: 10-2008
| | Posted on Friday, June 26, 2009 - 09:13 am: |
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Ricardo,
In total how many grease fitting are on my engine and outdrive?? I see the one mentioned in this thread. There is also one on my steering arm by the transom. I think i saw one more somewhere too!! I just want to make sure ALL have proper grease to them. Thanks |
Ricardo E.
Advanced Member
Username: ricardomarine_vp
Post Number: 337
Registered: 03-2009
| | Posted on Friday, June 26, 2009 - 09:40 am: |
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On a 270, there will only be two pertaining to the actual drive/transom shield.
**Main suspension fork pivot tube lower needle bearing.
**Collar steering fork black plastic bushings in the transom shield.
Don't forget the Primary Drive Shaft bearing(s) that are housed in the flywheel cover (bell housing in the auto world)!
If an open bearing has been installed, these can accept new grease..... if sealed bearing, you're out of luck!
If open, grease these with the engine at idle for an "exchange" of grease!
This is an area that often gets over-looked and they eventually fail causing some fairly severe damage.
If 4 cylinder or inline 6 cylinder engine, the shaft can sometimes be removed "aft" for a bearing replacement. |
Bob D
Advanced Member
Username: am_dew
Post Number: 359
Registered: 07-2006
| | Posted on Friday, June 26, 2009 - 11:10 am: |
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My 270 has a grease nipple that is part of a threaded thimble shaped thing that screws on to the top of the bell housing. I am never sure how much grease to squirt into the nipple/thimble so just do a couple squirts at the start of each season. But, I am not convinced that much grease is getting past the thimble shaped thing and into where it should be going. Am I doing it right? |
Ricardo E.
Advanced Member
Username: ricardomarine_vp
Post Number: 339
Registered: 03-2009
| | Posted on Friday, June 26, 2009 - 11:32 am: |
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Bob, This is not an easy/simple one to answer. And it is best to start your own thread for your topic.... but since we're here:
First you'd need to know if this bearing(s) has been replaced.
Now you need to know which type of bearing was installed (sealed or open.... these are available in either style and are a standard-off-the-shelf bearing/seals)
Now you need to know if the person who installed a new bearing(s) pre-filled the cavity.
He would have/should have pre-filled the cavity if an "open" bearing(s) was installed.
If not, you are out of luck for getting any new grease to the ball cage!
If they did not pre-fill the cavity and used an Open Bearing, then it is a guess at how much grease would be required in order to even reach the bearing(s).
I will also add that if the cavity has been "pre-filled" too much grease can push the forward seal out.
Grease is ported ahead of the bearing, so the forward seal is of more importance. The rear seal can blow out...... I don't care, I'd rather have the grease in there and your great condition bellows (hint hint) will prevent any water intrusion.
And..... if open bearings were used, always lube this with the engine at idle.
What engine is this?
If 4 cylinder, this entire shaft can be removed from aft and a $16 dollar bearing/$6 seal can be installed and you have peace of mind!
I see damage from neglect on these quite often. Sometimes the shaft will take the bellows snout right off of the flywheel cover. Boom! New Flywheel Cover time!
If you got lucky, the boat won't sink while you are making it back in!
I don't mean to make this sound so Doom & Gloom, but this is an item that needs to be routinely replaced..... particularly if no history of them having been..... IMO.
PS.... Yes.... a good high pressure bearing grease... preferably not the green marine grease here. |
Robert A. Fierro
Advanced Member
Username: sandkicker
Post Number: 636
Registered: 06-2008
| | Posted on Friday, June 26, 2009 - 12:04 pm: |
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Rick..
Re: "Unfortunately, the entire grease port for THIS needle bearing is very inadequate, IMO.
It directs grease to an area above the actual bearing. The bearing itself is not ported!"
I know... When I replaced mine, I looked at it and said to myself..."Howz this supposed to work?" I decided that I would revise this...After staring at it for a long time, I realized it is what it is. It almost looks as if the location of that greese fitting was an afterthought. It would take a redesign of the area to fix.
Soooo, that said... What I do and I have NO IDEA if this accomplishes anything, is: I have someone use a 2x4 as a lever to put pressure on the end of the lower unit while I grease it. Hopefully, this closes down the lower gap and opens the upper one somewhat and some grease will find its way to the bearing itself. |
Ricardo E.
Advanced Member
Username: ricardomarine_vp
Post Number: 340
Registered: 03-2009
| | Posted on Friday, June 26, 2009 - 12:27 pm: |
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Well, you and I both, Robert!!!!
I've thought that the needle cage needs to have a slice in it, and then the port needs to be lowered.
This way the pressure forced grease would enter the needle cage, and not above it.
I replace the needle cage and pivot tubes on these quite periodically.
With all of the wonderful technology and engineering that went into these excellent drives w/the cone clutch/suspension fork system/geometry and so on..... you'd think that someone fell asleep at the helm on this one!
THAT and the ease of removal for the primary drive shaft/bearings.... or the lack there of, I should say!
It is still the best system you could have, IMO.
If I were to purchase a new boat today, I'd try my dangdest to get one with the DP C drive installed over any other that is available today.
To Heck with the Gimbal system of any kind. Just doesn't make as much sense to me when this type of suspesnion system works so well!
OK, I'm off my horse now!
.
. |
Robert A. Fierro
Advanced Member
Username: sandkicker
Post Number: 638
Registered: 06-2008
| | Posted on Friday, June 26, 2009 - 01:53 pm: |
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Well... re: slit in the bearing cage.
That I think would be a non standard bearing.
An alternative, that could work on my boat at least, (thru hull water pickup) would be to block off the bottom of the tube. Drill a hole in the tube at mid bearing and put a zerk fitting where the water elbow is and fill the whole thing with grease. A waste of grease, but doeable.
Alternatively, one could turn a new tube out of solid rod, drill it top down to bearing level. Cross drill it at the bearing, put a zerk fittin on the top, and voila... a product (patent pending).... a "permanent" fix...for those with thru hull water inlets anyway. Sigh... if I still had access to my (long gone) machine shop. |
Benton Karnes
New member
Username: rawzoom
Post Number: 1
Registered: 07-2009
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 08, 2009 - 12:07 pm: |
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I have a 8.1 gi that has developed very squeaky steering. The power steering appears to be fine. Could this be from something on the other side of the transom? I have not located any zerk fittings.
Outdrive s/n 4202112899
Any advice would be appreciated. |
