www.iFourWinns.com

Let me start by saying as I've stated before I am mechanically retarded....

Launched tonight for the first time since 2010...

starts smooth, idles nice, taking in water through the impeller as it should thought all was good....

Then we hear water running into the boat, bilge pump kicks on and is pumping out quicker than coming in but you could hear it running in... put the trailer back in and loaded it back up...

oh yah... Volvo Pents SX outdrive...

Checked the "bellows" (???) [the black rubber flex hose type thing that houses some lines on the interior of the outdrive] found a hole the size of a dime in one of the valleys, at first looked for contact points it may be rubbing on but there are none, best I can figure is a rodent (mouse) or something chewed through it because the rest of it seems to be in great shape, no cracks or discoloration etc...

How hard is it to change this part out? is it a take off the leg type repair??? has anyone or could a person repair the existing for a short term solution?? I was thinking an inner tube and a ton of patch repair adhesive... even if a guy could score a section of the same diameter flex tubing and glue on a significantly oversized patch...

Maybe I'm out to lunch but I'd like to be able to repair it for the short term then at the end of the season have the gimble bearing, u-joints, impeller etc...all changed out along with a new bellows.

Thoughts????

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I treat my children well because I want the good diapers when I'm old....

4 kids, 2 dogs, 2 horses, 4 acres, an amazing wife, a boat and no time....

It's easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

no patch job on a bellows, it will not hold and will cause a lot of problems. If you get it changed now, you might not have to replace the gimble and ujoints if you catch it early enough. Keep in mind on some Volvos you can't replace the ujoints themselves, you have to replace the whole driveshaft so it can get expensive in a hurry. Is this a fresh water boat? Some years back my bellows leaked and I had to replace the gimble but the ujoints were OK, we just greased them really well and I still am using the same ones 7 years later. But I am in salt water so I have to be more vigilant with the bellows and leaks.

The Volvo SX is like the OMC Cobra, the bellows is not a bad job, but you have to be careful to get the clamp in the right position. Get it done so you can enjoy your season without worrying about issues. You don't want a ujoint to fail that will take out the transom housing and could total the boat.

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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

Water does not flow through the bellows it keeps it out but with a hole it should be changed regardless. Even a caveman can change the bellows. It takes longer to chase the parts then to change them.

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'96 200 Horizon 5.8l VP/SX

I like to hear it's easy...going to have to head down to the lake and look at the procedure in the repair manual, I can see the clamp on the one end, just not sure how the other end is held and does one not have to diconnect everything running through it in order to get the new one on with the shaft and everything inside, almost looks like a drop the leg type job which I would have a shop do...

I'll have to read up on it, it is now a fresh water boat...was salt in it's previous life just a PITA because I had planned to have the outdrive redone this fall anyhow. After 21 months of no floating I'm jonesing....

Thanks guys...

_________________
I treat my children well because I want the good diapers when I'm old....

4 kids, 2 dogs, 2 horses, 4 acres, an amazing wife, a boat and no time....

It's easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

Part is in stock @ $82, going to pick it up now...

If I need install it's an 8 day wait, gonna attempt a self install, worst case I screw it up and they get the boat on Monday....

Thanks again, I'll update/ask questions as needed, I assume my seloc manual will give step by step procedure....

Ian

_________________
I treat my children well because I want the good diapers when I'm old....

4 kids, 2 dogs, 2 horses, 4 acres, an amazing wife, a boat and no time....

It's easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

Part is in stock @ $82, going to pick it up now...

If I need install it's an 8 day wait, gonna attempt a self install, worst case I screw it up and they get the boat on Monday....

Thanks again, I'll update/ask questions as needed, I assume my seloc manual will give step by step procedure....

Ian

_________________
I treat my children well because I want the good diapers when I'm old....

4 kids, 2 dogs, 2 horses, 4 acres, an amazing wife, a boat and no time....

It's easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

If the Volvo is the same as the OMC Cobra it was based on, it is possible to do the bellows without removing the pivot housing, but of course you remove the drive first. Then you have to remove the exhaust bellows to get enough working room to change the driveshaft bellows. You may need a snap ring pliers to remove the end of the exhaust bellows that goes into the pivot housing. The driveshaft bellows clamps on the transom mount with a clamp but just pops in the pivot housing. While you are in there make sure to carefully check the gimble (turn it with your hands, it should turn very smoothly no grittiness) and the u-joints (no looseness or binding).

I built a cart with casters to make R+Ring the drive easier on my back. Taking it off is easy, getting it back on is a challenge sometimes because you are trying to keep the ujoints lined up straight and get the driveshaft to go straight into the coupler. Sometimes it goes right on and sometimes it's a fight punctuated with cuss words. You never know. I have been using a floor jack under the cart that has casters to life the front end up to the right angle to get it to line up.

_________________
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

well apparently the bellows I found the hole in was my exhaust bellows and I'm told that is fine....

I bought a new drive shaft bellows just in-case but now I don't even know if that is the problem...water is coming in from the transom wall and I have to identify where. My brother who was in there tells me it is just above the plug, so it is either the drive shaft bellows or I have compromised the seal around the leg...I will be dipping the boat in the lake this afternoon for confirmation of the leak point then figure it out from there...If it is the bellows I'm probably better off to take it into the shop and have them do the gimble, u-joints & impeller while they are there...

Not a good start to the season but considering I was questioning my winterization job it could be a lot worse....

_________________
I treat my children well because I want the good diapers when I'm old....

4 kids, 2 dogs, 2 horses, 4 acres, an amazing wife, a boat and no time....

It's easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

At the beginning of last season I hit debris in the water which hit hard enough for me to pull the boat out of the water to check for a hole in the hull. Saw nothing so put it back in the water. Still concerned of taking on water opened the ski locker no water when I opened the engine cover you guessed it had a flood of water. So in order to find the leak I brought it back home installed the drain plug and filled the bilge with water to just below the starter and sure enough it was coming out of the transom seal. I hit the log hard enough to break the seal. Eventually just tightened the transom bolts and have not had a problem since.

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'96 200 Horizon 5.8l VP/SX

I just may be as simple as that...here's hoping...

When I was having trouble with the tilt and messing with the reservoir from the swim platform I was pushing down pretty hard on the leg...enough to rock the boat on the trailer, that may have been enough to break the seal...

About to head down to the lake and investigate further...

_________________
I treat my children well because I want the good diapers when I'm old....

4 kids, 2 dogs, 2 horses, 4 acres, an amazing wife, a boat and no time....

It's easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

It just may be as simple as that...here's hoping...

When I was having trouble with the tilt and messing with the hydrolic pump & reservoir, from the swim platform I was pushing down pretty hard on the leg...enough to rock the boat on the trailer, that may have been enough to break the seal...

About to head down to the lake and investigate further...

_________________
I treat my children well because I want the good diapers when I'm old....

4 kids, 2 dogs, 2 horses, 4 acres, an amazing wife, a boat and no time....

It's easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

I don't think that trimming the drive down enough to move the back of the boat is enough to break a transom seal, my boat was moored in shallow water one year and because of the way the tide pulled it the skeg was in the mud holding up the back of the boat! And no new leaks from that.

When you dip the boat in, try to get a really bright LED flashlight so you can see if it's coming out of the spot where the driveshaft comes out of the transom mount. It's tough to see in there but the only other way is to pull the drive and look. If there's water in the bellows it will be obvious. Normally you will see grease in there from the gimble bearing. You should not see water or gear oil (blown input seal on the drive).

_________________
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

I didn't just trim it down, I stood on the leg and bounced in order to get it to trim down........

_________________
I treat my children well because I want the good diapers when I'm old....

4 kids, 2 dogs, 2 horses, 4 acres, an amazing wife, a boat and no time....

It's easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

I didn't just trim it down, I stood on the leg and bounced in order to get it to trim down........

_________________
I treat my children well because I want the good diapers when I'm old....

4 kids, 2 dogs, 2 horses, 4 acres, an amazing wife, a boat and no time....

It's easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

why are all my posts doubled?????

_________________
I treat my children well because I want the good diapers when I'm old....

4 kids, 2 dogs, 2 horses, 4 acres, an amazing wife, a boat and no time....

It's easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.