www.iFourWinns.com

2004 180 with 4.3GL Volvo Penta. Found a hole in the bellows when inspecting in the driveway. It was in the bottom of the accordian 'V' on the left side about at 9 o'clock position. I could see it only when the stearing wheel was turned full right. Immediately took it to the dealer and they said the failure probably happened because I was running the engine with the outdrive full up. I have the bellows in my hand and it is clear it was worn from the inside out. I can see where the drive shaft rubbed the bottom of the 'V' and I can also see evidence of wearing or rubbing from the shaft 180 degrees on the other side, but this hasn't worn thru yet.

Let me interrupt... WE DON'T RUN MOTOR THE OUTDRIVE UP!!! Well, ok, there were a couple times my son (he's 14 now) may have started the motor with the outdrive up, but I always made a big deal out of telling him and the family this is not to happen because strain on bearings/bellows.. bla bla. But, aside from about 30 seconds out of 130 hours, WE DON'T RUN THE MOTOR WITH THE OUTDRIVE UP.

How can the bellows wear from the shaft if the outdrive is NOT run up? Could I have an alignment issue? Has anyone ever heard of this problem?

You Dealer sounds like an idiot! Call Volvo! I have a 2004 Volvo and I had problems with my bellows also, which caused my gimbal bearing to go. The repair was covered under warranty, and I later found out that Volvo definitely had a problem in 2004 with a "Bad Batch" of bellows! If I were you, I would persue it with Volvo, and find another dealer! Best of Luck!

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'04 FW 268Vista "Andiamo"

If it visible worn from the inside out replace the gimbal bearing, put on the new bellows and go boating. I have a 170 Freedom and the outdrive is at a very sharp angle when the drive is fully up. Put the drive all the way up and see if it touches the bellows. You should be able to push on the bellows and tell. Could be and it won't take too many rotations of the drive shaft to destroy rubber.

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Jvalich
http://www.badcock.com

'04 FW 288 Vista "Mental Floss"

jvalich, what you say is absolutely true, but jkjmmat mentioned that they do not run the engine with the drive up, and neither do I.

I know for a fact, because my dealer and my local mechanic showed me all the bellows that had to be replaced from the 2004 yr vintage Volvo outdirves, that Volvo had a bellows problem in 2004. This does not mean that all 2004 Volvo's are problematic, but my dealer told me that Volvo replaced the bellows in the 2004's that leaked with no questions asked, since they admitted to having a defect in a batch of bellows used in some of the 2004 models which casued the rubber to be much softer than it should be. I am thinking that this may have caused the bellow to cave in touching the shaft instead of maintaining it's shape and distance from the rotating shaft, which as you mention will not take too may revolutions to eat thru the rubber. The Dealer really should explore this issue.

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'04 FW 268Vista "Andiamo"

Hmmm, makes some of us '05 owners a bit uneasy...

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Hi Mike. I wouldn't worry about it, especially if you have not had a problem in 2 seasons of usage.

Also, it's not that big a deal. Like Jvalich said, just replace the gimbal bearing, put a new boot on, and go boating. With all that can go wrong with the boat, that is a good attitude to have. Fix it and move on! For me it was more of an inconvenience than anything else.

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'04 FW 268Vista "Andiamo"

Wow, Thanks for the quick replies. Guess this forum really works. I have another browser open right now cuting/pasting original note to the volvo penta website. If I don't hear anything in a week or so, i'll call the number posted under "Contact Us" 757 436 2800, Chesapeake VA

Gimbal was also replaced. Grinding like crazy. I figured it was because h2o got inside. We (dealer and I) poked the new bellows after it was installed. Could not feel it touching the shaft but it was not easy to get my fingers inside to really feel what was going on. One thing the dealer agreed, that he would remove the outdrive at the end of the season and inspect. If it shows ANY signs of wearing again, someone's buying a new bellows... Not me!

Don't sweat it 05 owners, just keep an eye on the situation, and keep on boating.

BTW, the boat is great. We're on it at least 3 weekends a month during the summer. We have a regular Red Neck Yacht Club that meets at "Party Cove" on Lake Russell GA. We now have an 11 and 14 yr old boys, they're skiing better than I ever dreamed I could. They went to a Ski school last summer near Albany NY... What a difference. They're going again this summer. Great family fun! We would be out this weekend but this damn cold front came thru...

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2004 180 4.3GL

Beginner question on this topic - How much trim is too high?

The highest point I try to run at in shallow water is where the drive clearance is about the same as the bottom of the boat. Is this OK?