www.iFourWinns.com

I've been doing my own winterization and service work on my boat for a few years now after both watching the mechanic do it and also with a little help from Bliss36 one year in exchange for drinks, food and lodging. The one item I haven't tackled yet is changing out the bellows on my boat and with it finishing up it's 8th season I'm thinking of doing it for good measure. For those of you who have changed your own bellows how big of a job is this? I've got the service manual but I really don't want to do it if it's a hassle to get off and reinstalled properly. I've found a video on You Tube but it's of a guy working on a much older outdrive than mine.

I've also got a question regarding the plugs on the engine. I can get a little roughness from time to time but it will usually go away after a while. The service manual recommends changing the spark plugs after 6 seasons or 300 hours. I'm close to 400 hours right now so I'm considering it. Is there really any reason to change out plugs or am I just doing unnecessary work. I'm driving around in vehicles with far north of 100K miles and never changed out plugs so why is a boat different?

_________________

2008 Vista 278 Volvo Penta 8.1 Gi 375 hp
1999 Horizon 220 5.7 GSi

I did my own bellows, gimble bearing, trim sensor/limit, and shift cable for the first time last spring (Merc Alpha drive). It was all preventive (except for the trim sensor) and I figured if I'm tearing it apart I may as well do it all.
It was a pretty big job for me, but I like to take my time and make sure everything is correct. I would guess that I had about 6-8 hours into the whole thing. I had to spend some money on a few special tools, but I figure I saved a bunch vs. paying a shop. The biggest mistake I believe I made, was using aftermarket bellows instead of mercruiser/quicksilver. My shift bellows did NOT want to go on! I probably spent a couple hours just on that. I did need my son to help a bit with feeding the shift cable in as well (two person job), but that was relatively simple.
Regarding the spark plugs- I would just change them. It's not that much work, and plugs are relatively inexpensive considering other maintenance items. I just put a new set in this year after 2 seasons with the old set. I was getting a weak spark and replacing them did the trick. Did I really need to... probably not. I probably could have cleaned and gapped the old ones, but since you have to remove them anyway, I spent the $18 and just put in new. My wires, dist.cap, and rotor were all replaced about 2 years ago, and seem in good shape. I left them alone.

_________________
-Andrew

1984 Four Winns 225 Sundowner
5.0L Mercruiser, Alpha 1

I would definitely use the OEM bellows kit for the Volvo DPS drive. Check out SB below.

http://www.marinepartsexpress.com/VP_Se ... ellows.pdf

_________________
2004 Vista 298
Twin 5.7L Volvo Penta GXi-E

I was able to change the bellows on mine the first year I had the boat. Several were cracking and showing age, but didnt have any water intrusion. I didnt find it to be that difficult of a job at all. Worst part is taking the drive off. There is a thread on here for a homemade drive dolly that someone made.

_________________

2006 Vista 278
First Boat:
2005 Sundowner 205
Columbus, OH

Volvo changed the bellows style/material a couple years ago. Pay attention to the position of the hose clamp on the front of the driveshaft bellows. The worm screw on the hose clamp has worn holes on the older bellows when turned full right. I had 2 of them that needed changing because of this. The new style bellows is more of a "rubber end-kind of plastic accordion middle" looking drive shaft bellows. The exhaust bellows is rubber and usually has drain holes or slots that need to be installed on the bottom side. I've changed old style and new. The outdrive has to come off because of the drive shaft. Inspect the drive shaft and U joints while you are there. Buy or make a stand to handle the outdrive. Its no fun to wrestle with it, even with a helper. On my previous boat with the SX drive and old style bellows I was able to change it without any further disassembly, but it was a challenge. On the DP-SM on my 268 I did pull the pivot bolts on each side for trim/tilt. I did remove the shift cable housing keeper, but did not disconnect the water hose. This allowed that part of the outdrive to be moved around a bit to make it easier to feed the new bellows into place. You might want to replace both the driveshaft bellows and the exhaust bellows while you are at it. The boat could be operated without the exhaust bellows in place, but I understand it is noisier. The 2 bellows cost me around $100 last year. The pivot bolts take something like a 1/2 inch allen wrench with a long handle (maybe 16 inch). They have a thread locking chemical applied during installation, and they take some effort to loosen. Pay attention to the trim sensor, mark it, and verify adjustment after re-installation. The 2 bellows have a grounding cable under the hose clamps on the front (transom shield) end. I was able to remove the 2 old bellows and feed the new ones in from the bottom. It takes a bit of doing but its not that bad. Look everything over real well while you are there, especially inspect and grease the gimbal bearing.

Changing the spark plugs is a good idea, but I have to admit I don't always follow my own advice. The plugs in most newer vehicles are platinum or iridium electrodes. These are known to go 100,000 miles in your vehicle. The boat shouldn't be any/much different, except that you don't want to break down in the middle of no where. Even the most expensive ones are usually less than $10 each, and you can often find them for less. Just make sure you get the right ones. They should have the right thread length, size, heat range, etc.

Hope this helps.
Gary

_________________
Surface Interval: A scuba diving term for that time between dives to relax and prepare for life's next great adventure.

Current boat: '02 FW 268 Vista
Previous boat: '95 FW 190 Horizon

I've had the drive off a couple of times, rebuilt the trim rams last tear and made the dolly a few years ago. Sounds like it's time to jump into the bellows. I bought the bellows last year and I do believe they came from Marine Parts Express but I'm going to double check the part numbers. Thanks for the input and suggestions. Oh and yes I'm going to put the plugs in for sure.

_________________

2008 Vista 278 Volvo Penta 8.1 Gi 375 hp
1999 Horizon 220 5.7 GSi

Once you get the drive off you should be able to loosen and remove the hose clamps with a 1/4" ratchet, long 1/4" extension, U joint, and 5/16" socket coming up from the bottom right. The exhaust bellows has a large snap ring on the back inside edge. A large snap ring pliers or maybe a needle nose pliers should work. The aft end of the drive bellows goes through the housing and hooks over the rear lip. It can be disconnected by hand. When re-assembling, the worm screw on the drive bellows clamp should be at the 2 o'clock position as viewed from behind. Verify this with instructions in the box.

_________________
Surface Interval: A scuba diving term for that time between dives to relax and prepare for life's next great adventure.

Current boat: '02 FW 268 Vista
Previous boat: '95 FW 190 Horizon

You will have no problems with bellows.

I changed mine early summer by myself, with a dolly I had built, in about an hour.

I did't bother replacing the exhaust bellows, just pulled it off to get at the upper one.

Like mentioned above, check the placement of the back gear clamp on the drive shaft bellows, I put mine on without thinking and had to fight for a while to fix it.

Cheers!

Oh ya, lube the bellows before putting them on so they slip into place easier.

_________________
2004 - 288 Vista
Twin - 5.0 Volvo Penta GXi DP