www.iFourWinns.com

I have a Volvo Penta DP-SM 1999. I have had the boat for 8 years. I take the outdrive off every year to grease u-joints and gimbal bearing. Last year I didn't. Now the outdrive is stuck to pivot housing. I decided to unbolt the pivot housing and cut the water tube hoping that I could tap the pivot housing off with a sledge and 2x4 while on an outdrive stand. It won't budge. I sprayed penetrating oil in the small opening at the top between the housing and outdrive hoping to loosen things up. I put the six mounting nuts back on far enough so I can hit studs without damaging the threads. No movement. I think it's stuck on the bearing carrier. Does anyone have a technique that I am missing. Input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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Todd
1999 258 Vista
Volvo Penta 5.7 GSI
DP-SM

Check your motor mounts. The shaft could be on a bind.?

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'96 200 Horizon 5.8l VP/SX

The outdrive and pivot housing are removed and on stand. No problem with drive shaft to engine. I believe it's corrosion between the bearing carrier on outdrive and the pivot housing. I can't separate the 2 parts.

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Todd
1999 258 Vista
Volvo Penta 5.7 GSI
DP-SM

That's odd because the bearing carrier just noses into the lip of the bellows, both of which I coat with grease when I do my drive installation, unless there is some corrosion between the upper drive unit and the pivot housing itself.

I'd let the penetrating oil soak in for a few days, keep spraying and tap around the joint between the drive and pivot with a block of wood and a small hammer, the vibration may help to break it loose.

I have mine in salt water for 6 months at a time and never had that happen, but then the OMC Cobra (same transom mount design as Volvo SX series) has a gasket between the pivot and drive that the Volvo does not use. I coat these gaskets with OMC gasket sealer and it keeps out water and there is no corrosion between the drive and pivot. But I can see how there might be with no gasket....

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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

My guess would be it corroded around the studs, its a pretty tight fit over the shoulder. I always put grease on them.

Might be able to double-nut and pull a couple of the studs out and see how tight they are.

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2006 Vista 248 5.7DP - SOLD
2011 Crownline E6 - SOLD
2007 Sea Ray 260 Sundancer

It has to be corrosion around the studs; nothing else could be holding the outdrive and pivot housing together. The factory manual indicates thes studs should be coated with the VP White sealing compund, presumably to avoid corrosion there. Stud removal using 2 nuts is your best option ( or getting each to turn just a little bit might be enough to break the grip of the corroded aluminium).

Graham

It is mineral deposits on the bearing carrier. Just happened to my Vista 298 2001 on both drives. Mechanic spent hours thinking it was the studs. After repeated calls to VP, they decided to put a torch to the area where the bearing carrier would be. He finally got it off and found the deposits, he said it did not look like corrosion (northern Chesapeake Bay -brackish water). Unfortunately, they charged me for all the hours trying to fix stuck it studs. Replaced the bearing carrier and bellows (possible weakening due to the intense heat). $3800 parts and labor for both drives. Ouch X2!

I think this is one way the original OMC Cobra design was a bit better than the Volvo, (the Volvo was developed from the OMC transom mount design in the joint venture period) in that OMC used a gasket between the pivot and drive housings, when you coat that gasket on both sides with gasket sealer you don't get deposits or corrosion in that area.

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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

I find that surprising; visualising mine there has to be at least 1/4" clearance between the bearing carrier and the pivot housing. There is much less clearance between the studs and outdrive; if mineral deposits were causing the problem, I'd have expected them to be more of an issue at the studs, unless they had built upon the bearing carrier/ inside of the pivot housing over a number of years ( I remove my pivot housing and paint the inside with antifouling every year).

Graham

And I agree on that point, the Cobra and Volvo design has the outer ring of the bearing carrier pressing into the lip of the bellows to make the seal but the rest of the bearing carrier does not touch the pivot housing, only the mount area and the outer surface of the pivot/drive. What you have here is two pieces of aluminum and 6 stainless steel studs, so with no gasket or sealer between them, to get corrosion there is not surprising. I'd liberally coat those areas with a non hardening sealer like OMC gasket sealer or the Volvo equivalent.

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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

I just read of a guy on the Seaswirl Striper board, having the same exact problem. He put the drive/pivot back on the boat, hooked up the trim rams, used a block on top of the drive to keep it from trimming up, and use the trim switch to push the drive off with the trim cylinders. Sounds like that's worth a try....

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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

I will try double-nutting the studs after spraying them. I tried using the method with the wood and pistons. Sounded like my swim platform was going to break. It was worth a try. It's true that there is a space between the pivot housing and the bearing carrier. Can that much corrosion accumulate there? If that is the case, removing the studs will allow for more more movement of the housing possibly breaking it free. Thank you so much for all of your suggestions.

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Todd
1999 258 Vista
Volvo Penta 5.7 GSI
DP-SM

Double nuts won't work on this drive unless you have an open end wrench ground down to fit in the slot. The local mechanic walked by an said he had a used pivot housing for $150. So I decided to rap it off with a sledge hammer and a socket extension not worrying about damaging it. Working back and forth from the gap at the top of the housing with the drift. I finally saw a gap between the pieces. Then I started beating it with the sledge at the top. Success! It was corrosion between the bearing carrier and the pivot housing not the studs. Last year was my first year in salt water. Learned my lesson. Going to coat the entire bearing carrier with 2-4-C grease.

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Todd
1999 258 Vista
Volvo Penta 5.7 GSI
DP-SM

Looking at it you wouldnt think that it would build up enough there to lock it up, must be a tighter fit then it appears. Glad you got it apart.

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2006 Vista 248 5.7DP - SOLD
2011 Crownline E6 - SOLD
2007 Sea Ray 260 Sundancer

Do you have any pics you could post for future ref?

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Regards
Beyond the Blue

"If we improve with age I'm now excellent"


Ex 1998 238 Vista 5.0Gi SX DP
Lexus RX300