Stern drive won't come off

LouC · **Posted:** Fri Apr 29, 2016 10:57 am

I'd see if you can get behind the engine and near the bell housing behind it, the coupler is inside that, maybe taking some measurements you can figure out where the shaft enters it and drill a couple of access holes to spray in Kroil or similar....On most boats this is a very tight spot, need a small person...got any kids you trust with a drill lol...

Jdpber · **Posted:** Fri Apr 29, 2016 11:04 am

or if the circus is in town go borrow the cannon boy

jph190 · **Posted:** Fri Apr 29, 2016 3:26 pm

Lol.

Anyone know the name or part number of the part I now need to replace?

I'm thinking it's Volvo Penta part number 3852267.

LouC · **Posted:** Fri Apr 29, 2016 4:32 pm

OUCH!!! The result of maximum torque against an immovable object!!
I did not see those pix you added....
Now you know why people here in salt water land hate I/Os with a passion, although with proper maintenance you will not have this problem. So you have the rest of the driveshaft still stuck in the transom mount, right?
Can you put up a pic of what your transom mount looks like now?

So here is a pic of the OMC Cobra version of the same drive (this was in the joint venture era). I use the OMC catalog because the Volvo catalog is just to much of a pain in the rear to navigate. They should learn that year of production, is much easier to deal with than all their arcane and obscure model %s.
Anyway, the bellhousing engine mount is part # 1. The couple is inside this, and the spot where the driveshaft enters the coupler probably is toward the rear of the hump in that part. I have no idea if you can get yourself down in there, but that's where it is. I wonder if you can drill a few small holes in the top of this part, right above where the splines come out, and then flood the shaft with Kroil for a few days...

http://www.crowleymarine.com/johnson-ev ... /57027.cfm

http://www.crowleymarine.com/johnson-ev ... /57028.cfm

the part you busted, is #18, same part # as Volvo Penta (see what I mean when I say that 94-98 OMCs and Volvos are the same) still available, $164...not too bad.

There appears to be a type of crush washer part # 36, so it is possible that this assembly has to be installed but shimmed to a certain back lash. Might have to have a tech do it.

Graham R · **Posted:** Sat Apr 30, 2016 8:00 am

That gear is held onto the input shaft by a bolt. It might be worth trying to attach a hefty slide hammer using the threaded hole that bolt screws into. The shock from a slide hammer will often move something that can't be moved by constant pressure alone. If water ingress is what's caused the seizure, you'd probably have to buy a new input shaft in any case.

LouC · **Posted:** Sat Apr 30, 2016 8:29 am

In hindsight, I wonder if it would have been possible to remove the top cap, and if there was access remove that bolt, and then slide the drive off the input shaft without breaking anything. Then as you say Graham, use a slide hammer just as if you were removing a stuck gimble bearing.
Also, take a look at the back end of the coupler in our member's post here (fixing leaky transom) you can see right where the coupler is in relation to the bell housing and the bottom 1/3 of it is actually open. If you pull out the rear seats and battery and anything else that is in the way, you may be able to get a spray wand in there right where the driveshaft splines enter the splines in the coupler.

http://s778.photobucket.com/user/hayya0 ... d.jpg.html

Surface Interval · **Posted:** Sat Apr 30, 2016 9:17 pm

It might be possible, but would take some doing. I attached a link here to a Volvo DP-SM / SX service manual:

http://boatinfo.no/lib/volvo/manuals/sx ... e.html#/98. Check procedures starting on page 89.

It appears that you could pull the top cover, but you would also need to pull the shims and top bearing/gear, and remove the cone clutch to be able to put a 12 point box end wrench on the driveshaft bolt. As it appears, this might be the only option in some cases.

While you are looking at this, pay attention to the re-assembly and shimming procedures to ensure parts fit together with the proper tolerances. Hope this helps.

jph190 · **Posted:** Mon May 02, 2016 9:44 am

Lou, that looks like a satisfying day. Nothing like getting things taken apart. Also, I realized I never responded when you asked for a picture of the transom mount. I'm at work right now so here's the best I have:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9y1j ... UZwNjcySkE

Considering how far off the drive came before it cracked...

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9y1j ... nRYWWJMVVk

...I'm rather optimistic about the suggestion of attaching a slide hammer to the back of the drive shaft. I think what killed me was I started pulling at too much of an angle.

I believe the part number of the external torx screw that needs to come out is VP 3860364:

http://www.boatersplus.com/volvo-u-join ... oCmEPw_wcB

After removing the external torx screw, then I should be able to pull off the gear and use the external torx screw to hold on a slide hammer. Then fingers crossed. Please wish me luck. I really want to go boating this summer...

Thanks for all the excellent advice!

-James

LouC · **Posted:** Mon May 02, 2016 11:24 am

Just see if you can get back there and get Kroil on those splines....think that's the only way that driveshaft is coming out. If you can't fit yourself back there, rig up a very long spray wand to get the penetrating oil down there....I've done this by collecting about 5 of the normal spray wands you get on cans of compressed air and then joining them with pieces of wire insulation (18-16 gauge size wire works well). That makes a very long extension spray wand and it will get the penetrating oil where you need it.
PS the pic I posted of the coupler is not mine, it was the member who posted about fixing the leaky transom.

jph190 · **Posted:** Mon May 02, 2016 6:05 pm

Just stepped outside for a peek and realized the universal joint bellows can be loosened and slipped off, exposing the universal joint. With the boat tilted forward enough, I think a bunch of Kroil will get in and loosen things up.

LouC · **Posted:** Mon May 02, 2016 8:36 pm

I was thinking of that (in fact this past week just changed my bellows) but I don't think you can get it past the gimble bearing. That's why I said you have to get back in there and get as much penetrating oil as you can in between the rear of the bell housing and the transom plate.

Surface Interval · **Posted:** Mon May 02, 2016 9:39 pm

With the driveshaft in place, there is not a way to get through the transom to apply penetrating oil to the drive coupler and spline area of the driveshaft from behind the transom, other than maybe pulling the trim sensor wire plug out of the transom shield. The driveshaft has 2 o rings just forward of the u joint that seal the driveshaft to the gimbal bearing. The gimbal bearing is sealed in the transom bracket.

As difficult as the driveshaft is to get at from inside the boat, it is virtually impossible from outside with the driveshaft in place.

jph190 · **Posted:** Tue May 03, 2016 10:35 pm

Yea, guess I didn't really think that through.

Was able to get a view of the shaft-in-coupler inside the engine bay. Shot some PB Blaster in there.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9y1jX ... cslist_api

Will I be able to remove the bell housing before the shaft is out? Thinking this might provide a better grabhold to pull.

LouC · **Posted:** Wed May 04, 2016 12:16 am

Nope the bell housing is holding up the back end of the engine! Plus it's bolted to the transom mount.
You can see the splines right there, try to spray in toward the coupler all the way around.
Judging by the amount of rust on those splines; either the bellows leaked for a long time or there was water leaking in from above for a long time. And they never removed the drive...

Hopefully it will come loose otherwise the only way to fix this is to cut the driveshaft with a sawzall pull the engine and install a new coupler & driveshaft.

jph190 · **Posted:** Wed May 04, 2016 6:36 am

Maybe I meant pivot housing. This thing, whatever it's called...

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9y1jX ... cslist_api

www.iFourWinns.com

Stern drive won't come off

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