www.iFourWinns.com

I need to do some preventative (and over do) maintenance on my exhaust and u-joint bellows. I have a 1994 SX Cobra (Model #: 3868076)

I have the Seloc manual which I think gives me a very good step by step of how to do it. I did have a few questions:

1) The manual suggests replacing the 6 mounting nuts. What size are they? 1/2-13?
2) Where is the best deal on OMC Triple Guard grease?
3) Good Drive Sealing compound?
4) Are there any good special tools besides the alignment tool (3851083) I might find useful? Snap-ring pliers, etc.?
5) What size is the pivot pin that holds the pivot housing and gimble ring? 1/2" hex? I need to take these off to change the bellows correct?
6) Anything else I should replace while I am in there (water tube, etc)? I will obviously be checking all the bearings for wear and replacing if nessisary.

I was going to purchase this bellows kit? Any other good sources to check?
http://www.sterndrive.info/volvo_parts/id6.html
http://www.iboats.com/Volvo-Penta-Trans ... _id.270035

My 2001 SX used 7/16 20 thread pitch nuts.
I got triple guard at a local boat parts dealer.
You will need a small tube of bellows sealer.
I used a large set of needle nose to get the snap ring out of the exhaust bellows because my snap ring plier set was too small.
Yes you will need to pull the pivot bolts and the pivot housing to make replacement of the bellows easier. Sorry, I can't remember the size but it was large.
I reused the water hose after a closer inspection showed it to be in great shape.
Cover all parts between the pivot housing and outdrive good with triple guard. Hopefully your drive comes off easier than mine.
Good luck
Rob

_________________
Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Overdoing
2001 Horizon 180

A 1/2" hex key is needed. Earlier ones actually had a hex recess in the bolt heads; later one look like they have a multispline recess, but it isn't, those need a 1/2"hex key as well.



The rigid pipe onto which the water hose is fitted, the one that passes through the pivot housing and is held in place with a large plastic nut, has an "O" ring that should be replaced; there are 2 grooves, it needs to go in the one without a drain hole.

Even though my OMC manual also says to replace those nuts, I've never done that and I just coat the threads of the pivot housing studs with OMC gasket sealer, and never had a problem with them loosening up. Like Rob said give the mating surfaces of the pivot housing and the upper gear housing a good coating of OMC/Bombardier triple guard grease. It can be found at Evinrude dealers, as can the gasket sealer (which is actually Permatex Aviation Sealer). This stuff is great, I use it on all the fasteners on the outdrive, and the thermostat housing bolts and gasket.

The pivot allen bolts I think are 1/2" if I remember right.
And like Rob said I hope yours comes apart easily.
For the driveshaft bellows I'd use an OE part, they fit better and last longer. The exhaust bellows is not that critical. Make sure you get the clamp on the gimble housing end on correctly. There is a recess on that neck that is supposed to fit into the ridge in the inner sealing surface of the bellows. Make sure the sealing surface is clean.
Rob did yours go back together OK?

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Thanks for the tips guys. I think I have everything I need now ordered and by alignment tool came in today. WOW...that thins is beefy.

Here are the dimensions of it in case anyone is interested:

1.010"x2.185"
1.150"x 2.750"
Handle is 1.375"x18.75"

Christmas in April!


Can anyone tell me what that metal clip is (sitting by the o-ring)? Came in the box but I don't think it was part of the kit. Also can anyone tell me the process with the new bearing? I see their little note but by reading it i just think it need to slather the thing with grease during install?

Hi Lou,
Funny you ask about the reinstallation. The mechanic I hired said when he started that putting it back together wa the hardest part. In my case it was the easiest because of the problems I had getting the outdrive separated from the pivot housing.
Reinstallation was simple in comparison. It took both of us to wiggle the outdrive as it slid over the 6 studs but no other problems.
Take care
Rob

_________________
Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Overdoing
2001 Horizon 180

The clip goes under the clamp for the water hose that is near the driveshaft bellows and holds a ground wire that grounds the transom mount. At least on my Cobra that's what I see there.
I have not had to do a gimble myself yet (last time was 10 years ago and the mechanic did it for me) but I'd use a proper size bearing driver and if its a greaseable bearing you have to line up the hole in the bearing with the grease tube in the transom mount. I would hand pack it with as much grease as I could when installing. Other details (this is from my Cobra shop manual and as you probably know Volvo copied the Cobra transom mount) the clamp for the driveshaft bellows should be at the 1:00 o'clock position, the one for the exhaust bellows at 3:00. My manual says to use OMC gasket sealer on the flange for the driveshaft bellows but not for the exhaust bellows. The slits face down.


Rob glad you got it back together with no problems. When you remove it once a year, you will see how much easier it is. I wonder if you can take an OMC Cobra gasket and modify it to fit the Volvo to keep corrosion at bay. It does not have to seal out water just insulate the pivot and the drive from each other.

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Soooooooooo here is what I got. I obviously need to replace both bellows, the gimble bearing (how? tools req?) but what about the u-joints? They look rusty but they move really smooth and the rust is just surface rust.

Help?

http://s778.photobucket.com/user/hayya0 ... .jpeg.html
http://s778.photobucket.com/user/hayya0 ... .jpeg.html
http://s778.photobucket.com/user/hayya0 ... .jpeg.html
http://s778.photobucket.com/user/hayya0 ... .jpeg.html
http://s778.photobucket.com/user/hayya0 ... .jpeg.html

When was the last time that drive was serviced? It looks like it has not been off in a long time, you're lucky it came off. The U-Joints have no sign of grease anywhere. If they feel smooth and do not bind you can try really greasing them well and see what comes out. If the grease comes out relatively clean that's one thing but if it comes out looking rusty then the rollers inside are rusted and will fail sooner or later. If they fail at speed it could be catastrophic, as in the driveshaft breaking loose and possibly destroying the transom mount and the boat taking on water. This is not a place to leave anything to chance. The gimble requires a bearing puller and a bearing installer to get it in right. If you have any doubts about the u-joints replace them and start pulling the drive at the end of each season to do the checks and maintenance.

BTW on the bellows, if you find that one side of the bellows has one extra rib, that side goes down. On my OE one that I have sitting here on the desk, one side has 6 ribs and the other has 7, the one with 7 goes down to allow for stretching when you trim up....If you blow this pic up you see where the grease comes out of on the u-joints, this is a well worn salt water drive but it's been maintained every year.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nbiqnmzm0zmltaw/Cobra%205.jpg

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Lou, I pumped grease into the zerk fittings in the spiders and water came out before any old grease. I saw this as a clear sign that these need to go so I removed that whole assembly from the out drive and I am currently working on getting those damn caps off!

I think even if they were full of grease but still looked that bad I would have still replaced them anyway. I am going to take it to work with me and get help pushing those parts out.

This is what I plan on replacing them with:
#24 on this page http://www.boats.net/parts/search/OMC/SternDrive/1994/502ACPMDA/UPPER%20GEAR%20HOUSING/parts.html
along with the necessary clips and the u-joint o-rings.

Lucky you have the kind that can be replaced unlike the later Volvos with their 'improvement' that requires replacing the whole shaft to do a simple u-joint change.
With new u-joints, new gimble, new bellows you should be good to go for a long time. The ujoints in mine have not been replaced in all the time I have owned it (12 years) and they look original. The gimble I have replaced once because the old bellows that was on it leaked a couple of years after I got it.

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Let me know how the bellows replacement goes - I have to do the same to my 97 Vista with twin Cobra SX drives.

_________________
1997 Four Winns Vista 278
T - 4.3l EFI
Kohler 4esz Genset
379 hours as of 8/8/21

I'll post all of my photos along the way once I get back to putting it together. I ordered all the u-joints and seals I need to fix it and I have parts cleaning up in an ultrasonic cleaner. This is way more than I have ever gotten into my out-drive so it is a little intimidating, but with my Seloc manual I think I should be able to do it without any issues.

I was inspecting the drive shaft bellows to see where the hole was and I couldn't find one at all! I went back through my photos and found the situation below. This is most likely where the water got in:

http://i778.photobucket.com/albums/yy67 ... 9e1b2d.jpg

And here is the wonderful sound my gimbal bearing makes:
http://s778.photobucket.com/user/hayya0 ... 9.mp4.html

Also does anyone know where I can purchase just the metal fitting at the end of this pump?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sierra-Supply-9 ... 0501232633

I want to make my own pressure testing setup after I get this back together to make sure the seals that I did mess with don't leak.