Opinions on H190 and volvo drive

deafwish · **Posted:** Sat Mar 01, 2014 3:19 pm

All your concerns are an easy fix.

I bought a pair of HiTek SS manifolds, as my old cast iron manifolds/ risers were corroded. PM me & I can pass on Alan's details for the HiTek manifolds...
You should have the drive removed the re-grease the uni's/ splines and inspect the gimbal. Paint it then.
My Four Winns trailer was MUCH worse than what that looks like.
If there are critical sections that need replacing, most engineering or trailer repair shops can cut/ re-weld in a new section.
I bought a new Dunbier tandem Super Rolla Trailer.

Surface Interval · **Posted:** Sun Mar 02, 2014 6:47 am

You mentioned the corrosion on the outdrive. Most of what I can see appears to be concentrated on the top cap and trim cylinders. The top cap can be replaced easily. It will take just removing two bolts to pull that off, not sure of replacement cost. The trim cylinders could be glass bead blasted or sanded just where the corrosion is, and then repainted. Compare corrosion to a tree's root system. Some types of corrosion can extend well below the surface into the metal. It can be difficult to tell when it has all been removed. On the other hand, sometimes complete corrosion removal means grinding away too much material and weakening the part. Complete corrosion removal on any aluminum surface is critical to prevent its return, but there are times when that is not possible. After corrosion removal, treat the surface with alodine (or irridite) to ensure good chemical bond of the primer and paint.

I see the trailer's back center roller and shaft are bent. I don't think I have ever seen one bent that far before. That should be a relatively easy fix though.

LouC · **Posted:** Sun Mar 02, 2014 1:58 pm

I've been running this boat in salt water over 10 years and the corrosion issue with aluminum outdrives and transom mounts and cast iron exhaust manifolds and risers are the two biggest maintenance issues you will have. I have not really had serious corrosion on the drive, but every year it seems I am fixing a spot here or there before I paint it with the antifouling paint. The manifolds/risers issue will bite you if you neglect it. Some of my boating buddies thing its ok to wait till you get some hotter running temps (meaning the riser water passages are getting clogged with rust) but the bigger issue is the possibility of leaks from the riser/manifold gasket and eventually the riser or manifold can rust through to the the exhaust gas section and put salt water in a cylinder. So if that boat was used in salt before you got it, I'd at least take em apart and check the sealing surface and see how rusted internally they are. If you pull out the spark plugs and see rust on the plugs you know water is getting in. BTW, drain the manifolds before removing the risers, or else any water left in there can get in a cylinder.
Merc did the right thing going to the dry joint system, it is much less prone to leaks but the parts can still corrode through.

As someone else noted you should remove the drive and do the drive maintenance, check the alignment, gimble bearing, u-joints, bellows, and input shaft seal on the drive. You are looking for water or gear oil in the bellows. Water means the bellows is bad and needs to be replaced, gear oil means that the input shaft seal is leaking and needs to be replaced. That should all be done once a year. If the gimble and u-joints are grease-able they should be greased, if not then just make sure there is no sign of corrosion or stiffness or roughness in either one. You can grease the splines of the driveshaft with OMC triple guard grease or similar. Make sure to put some grease around where the drive bolts to the pivot housing, Volvos are know to corrode there because there is no gasket between the drive and the pivot housing so its alu on alu contact. OMC Cobras and Merc Alphas use a gasket so there is no metal to metal contact.
The drive oil should be checked for water intrusion and f any is found it needs to be pressure tested. Drive oil should be changed once a year. You can use the Volvo syn gear lube for the drive and straight 30 in the engine, or 15w/40, or even the Merc 25w/40 motor oil. Just don't use a light weight automotive 5w/30 or 10w/30 motor oil it will not hold up in marine use. Volvo now specifies a syn 10w/40 but it might be hard to find.

Good luck the boat looks great.....

meinmelb · **Posted:** Mon Mar 03, 2014 3:31 pm

Thanks Guys

Water testing boat this week and will keep you informed.

Appreciate all the advice!!

Cheers

Mark

meinmelb · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2014 3:44 am

AAAHHH I am GUTTED!!!

Nice boat but gutless on power. My old Sea Ray with the 4cyl 130hp would run circles around that boat. I thought the 5lt 270hp Volvo would have had more but it took nearly 8 - 10 seconds to get up to speed. Hit the throttle, count to 3 power comes on.... count another 3 while it sssslllloooowwwlllyyyy winds up, and finally another 3 or 4 seconds before it gets any speed. It made nearly 50mph at about 4800rpm top end but down low where it is needed to pull a slalom ski out there was very little..

Checked the prop, a 19p 3 blade Volvo prop - new! For this thing to pull me out the water with the family on board I would have to run a 17 or even a 15p 5 blade, or nitrous the thing.... I am bitterly disappointed as I really liked the boat. bummed!!!!!

ric · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2014 8:45 am

meinmelb wrote:

AAAHHH I am GUTTED!!!

Nice boat but gutless on power. My old Sea Ray with the 4cyl 130hp would run circles around that boat. I thought the 5lt 270hp Volvo would have had more but it took nearly 8 - 10 seconds to get up to speed. Hit the throttle, count to 3 power comes on.... count another 3 while it sssslllloooowwwlllyyyy winds up, and finally another 3 or 4 seconds before it gets any speed. It made nearly 50mph at about 4800rpm top end but down low where it is needed to pull a slalom ski out there was very little..

Checked the prop, a 19p 3 blade Volvo prop - new! For this thing to pull me out the water with the family on board I would have to run a 17 or even a 15p 5 blade, or nitrous the thing.... I am bitterly disappointed as I really liked the boat. bummed!!!!!

Weird. My huge cuddy cabin with 220hp 5.0 with a 4 blade prop rips out of the hole with 1-2 people. That boat being much smaller, lighter, more powerful should be a rocket. Something is wrong with it.

Graham R · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2014 1:23 pm

ric wrote:

VP drives corrode, even in fresh water. They don't quite have their coating department nailed down like Mercruiser does.

Really ? My 2004 outdrive and transom shield has not corroded, despite being sat in salt water for 9 x 6 month seasons ! The previous 1999 ones had 4 x 6 month seasons in salt water and hadn't corroded either. The DPS prop hubs are unpainted aluminium, despite no paint, they didn't corrode either! The only corrosion I have had is on the stainless props; crevice corrosion where the prop hub is in contact with the plastic sleeve.

However, I meticulously check that there is electrical continuity between the various parts before each season (there are numerous bonding wires; for example the ones on the trim cylinders are very close to where the corrosion is in the picture) and I ensure there is continuity between the anodes and the metal components. I also have the ACP system on the 2004 boat, but that seems to merely reduce the erosion rate of the anodes. The 1999 one did not have it.

If the anodes are wrong, missing or eroded, not in contact with the metal components corrosion would be expected.

ric · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2014 1:42 pm

You're probably using shorepower with a galvanic isolator? That makes a huge difference compared to a normal runabout just tied to a dock.

Graham R · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2014 4:40 pm

No Ric, I'm afraid not ! My boat does have shorepower but it's never been used ( the yellow cable is still coiled up with the original cable ties holding the coiled cable together).

schoolsOut · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2014 5:43 pm

meinmelb wrote:

AAAHHH I am GUTTED!!!

Nice boat but gutless on power. My old Sea Ray with the 4cyl 130hp would run circles around that boat. I thought the 5lt 270hp Volvo would have had more but it took nearly 8 - 10 seconds to get up to speed. Hit the throttle, count to 3 power comes on.... count another 3 while it sssslllloooowwwlllyyyy winds up, and finally another 3 or 4 seconds before it gets any speed. It made nearly 50mph at about 4800rpm top end but down low where it is needed to pull a slalom ski out there was very little..

Checked the prop, a 19p 3 blade Volvo prop - new! For this thing to pull me out the water with the family on board I would have to run a 17 or even a 15p 5 blade, or nitrous the thing.... I am bitterly disappointed as I really liked the boat. bummed!!!!!

That is surprising. My 22' 210 Horizon pulls me out on a slalom with out a problem. I weigh about 185. We wake boarded like crazy with 10 people on board this summer (1 at the end of the rope 9 in the boat). Some of them were kids. I would have thought that a 190 would jump out of the water with the 5.0. Seems like something is not right. I am running a 14.5x19 SS 3 blade with my setup.

LouC · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2014 9:07 pm

I agree with schools out , that boat is smaller than my 88 H-200 by a lot and it has (or should have) more power. Something is not right.

meinmelb · **Posted:** Thu Mar 06, 2014 1:43 am

I Have tried to read some tests / reviews but it is so hard to judge what the tester thinks is good performance and what I expect, but I am pretty sure there is an issue so I have decided not to buy it. Just wish there was an obvious fault that could be fixed but considering the other faults and general lack of maintenance I am concerned the lack of power is more sinister...

Now to look for another boat... the hunt begins again.

Cheers
Mark

deafwish · **Posted:** Thu Mar 06, 2014 2:50 am

Have you considered having a Volvo Technician access the ECU for any potential fault codes?
It could be something very simple?!
Aquapower Marine are local:
http://www.aquapower.com.au/

meinmelb · **Posted:** Thu Mar 06, 2014 3:15 am

deafwish wrote:

Have you considered having a Volvo Technician access the ECU for any potential fault codes?
It could be something very simple?!
Aquapower Marine are local:
http://www.aquapower.com.au/

Thanks Mate,

I have called a Volvo Tech and they tell me if there are 2 beeps when the ignition is turned on then there are no fault codes? As I said at the top of the post there are some maintenance issues and I also found out the sound system is faulty as is the depth sounder, and the power steering is not smooth. On top of the rusty trailer, corroded leg, stiff throttle cables, broken zips & press studs, etc.

Each fault can easily be fixed and if seen in isolation, it would not be a problem... looking at the overall picture and then having a poor performing motor... I am suspicious and I will have to pass.

Cheers

Mark

deafwish · **Posted:** Thu Mar 06, 2014 6:59 am

A wise decision, Mark.
Good luck on your search! :wink:

www.iFourWinns.com

Opinions on H190 and volvo drive

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