Outdrive Lube Question-gctid400146

[nwboater62]

I have a 1981 Volvo 280 outdrive. Went to Fisherie's, asked for fluid for the OD and they gave me Sierra Premium Blend lubricant. Changed the fluid then in a thread here I read that this fluid is to heavy for this outdrive, that regular motor oil should be used, Is this true? Will I be OK or do I need to change it out?

[Guest]

nwboater62 wrote:
I have a 1981 Volvo 280 outdrive. Went to Fisherie's, asked for fluid for the OD and they gave me Sierra Premium Blend lubricant. Changed the fluid then in a thread here I read that this fluid is to heavy for this outdrive, that regular motor oil should be used, Is this true? Will I be OK or do I need to change it out?

Others will chime in with more direct knowledge, but I think the 280 outdrive just uses regular 30-weight oil. My Dad had one of those on a Galaxy in the 80's and I remember him bragging about that.

If you put 80 or 90 weight gear lube in, it's much too heavy and you'll need to replace it.

[2850Bounty]

nwboater62 wrote:
I have a 1981 Volvo 280 outdrive. Went to Fisherie's, asked for fluid for the OD and they gave me Sierra Premium Blend lubricant. Changed the fluid then in a thread here I read that this fluid is to heavy for this outdrive, that regular motor oil should be used, Is this true? Will I be OK or do I need to change it out?

You can't believe how often I see this! :thumb These people are doing a disservice to many AQ series Volvo Penta owners who do not look in their own OEM service manual! So in a way, shame on both parties!

Here's the deal with the s/p drives.

The lower unit driven gear turns a die-cast aluminum impeller, or what's called the slinger pump or oil pump rotor.

(SEQ# 29 here)



This pump does just fine with 30 and 40 oil. 30W is good for cold water.... 40W for warmer Florida waters, for example.

This slinger pumps delivers cool oil to the upper transmssion, and it then gravity feeds back down.

The misnomer is in using heavy gear oil. This may cause the die-cast aluminum impeller drive pins to shear off.

Loose a drive pin, and the pump action no longer works.

There is a tricky and rather non-scientific method to find out if you've lost these drive pins without disassembly.

If is wasn't for the limitations of the slinger pump, the heavier gear oil would likely be OK.

The Duo Prop does use the GL-5 gear lube..... same transmssion, different pump method.

I've seen these slinger pumps fail, and I can only conclude that this has been from the heavy gear lube.

Replacing the impeller is not all that difficult if you can remove the prop shaft bearing carrier.

However, removing the sheared off pins from the gear can be difficult.

.

[Guest]

Gear lubes: These are measured under completely different specs than engine oils. In fact, a 75w-90 weight gear lube is the same weight as many 10w-40 or 15w-40 engine oils. GL4 and GL5 refer to the high pressure, anti-wear properties of the oil. A GL5 lube has better high load wear protection than GL4 - sometimes this is done by increasing the amount of specific additives, but not always. Generally speaking, a gear lube has less tendency to foam, higher crush strength, and better high pressure anti-wear properties than an engine oil, however, there are several 10w-40 engine oils that also have GL4 or GL5 ratings.

75W90 gear oil has a similar viscosity to 10W40 engine oil

[nwboater62]

So last night I drained the fluid and noticed I need a new seal (O Ring?) Is this an OEM part or will a hardware store o ring work? What should I look for?

[2850Bounty]

nwboater62 wrote:
So last night I drained the fluid and noticed I need a new seal (O Ring?) Is this an OEM part or will a hardware store o ring work? What should I look for?

There is an O-ring for the drain plug and dip stick that can be purchased via a hardware store IF their O-rings are setup with this numbering system....... It would be #2-110.

I don't mean to sound Doom and Gloom, but aren't you curious as to whether or not your slinger pump is still working?

There is NO sea water path with this drive that offers any upper unit cooling! These rely completely upon the slinger pump.

No slinger pump..... no cooler oil will be pumped up to the transmission!

.

[nwboater62]

How would I know or check to see if the slinger pump is damaged? It was run only a couple of hours with the wrong fluid. Do you think 2 hours is enough time to damage this part?

[2850Bounty]

I don't know the answer to your second question, but I will suggest that heavy gear lube is at it's heaviest viscosity when cold, or when you first start out. It's the heavy viscosity that is difficult for the slinger pump to move, and this is what I suspect takes out the drive pins.

As for testing.... there's nothing in the OEM manual that suggests this or how to.

Here's what I've done, and it does seem to show if the pump is working:

Pull the shift mechanism from the transmission gear case...... you'll loose some oil.... just catch what you can, or drain some off prior.

Oil level needs to be right up to the shift mechanism opening.

Pull the propeller.

Wrap a rope around the prop shaft.... I know, sounds rather silly doesn't it?

You're going to be spinning the prop with the rope.... or whatever you can come with.

The prop shaft will turn in one direction without locking up the sliding sleeve/gear cup.

Use this direction, as the slinger pump doesn't care which direction it's turned........ and it doesn't matter for what we're doing.

As you pull on the rope, the prop shaft should spin quickly enough to operate the slinger pump.

This should show a slight rise in oil level at/in the transmission.

Do this several times.

If you see the oil level come up.... then it's likely that the pump is still working.

If you do not see the oil level move, then it's likely that the pump is NOT working.

Again, this is not an OEM procedure, and is not completely scientific.

The only other method would be to remove the prop shaft and bearing carrier, and physically inspect the impeller.

If you are due for a lower unit re-seal, this should be done anyway.

Two birds/one stone!

.

[nwboater62]

I performed the "non Scientific" method last night to check if the pump is working. There was definitely movement of the oil, I believe the pump is working. My son thought it was pretty cool.

[2850Bounty]

nwboater62 wrote:
I performed the "non Scientific" method last night to check if the pump is working. There was definitely movement of the oil, I believe the pump is working. My son thought it was pretty cool.

Who's "non Scientific" method? That wasn't me!

I should have explained that the slinger pump impeller aligns with a slot in the lower unit gear case....... (the driven gear does not align with this slot).

The oil coming off of the slinger can't help but be directed towards this slot.

The slot directs the oil into the center cavity.

The center cavity directs the oil up to the transmission lower driven gear bearing, and on into the transmission.

But again, that method may not be very scientific.

IMO, if you saw a rather substaintial rise in oil, you are probably OK.

Attached files http://baylinerownersclub.org/media/...pump.jpg[/img]