Should I Change BW V-Drive Trans Fluid??

[rybad]

1987 32' Carver Mariner 3297. Twin Crusader 270's with Borg-Warner V-Drives. I (had) replaced starboard side trans and v-drive 2 years ago when I bought the boat. No other history on this boat as it has changed hands several times by the time I got it. Engine hour meters are at 680.

The trans fluid on the port side looks like it needs to be changed (no idea when/if it was ever changed). It is very dark (no burn smell as far as I can tell) but nonetheless, needs to be changed. However, it is important to note that I have absolutely no problems with this trans.. It shifts smooth in both directions, if-fact it shifts "faster" than the rebuilt side (which has a slight 1/2 second delay.. not sure why but thats another story).

So my dilemma is, should I change this fluid or not? My wife says "dont fix it if it aint broke", but shes not considering the maintenance factor. I'm deathly afraid that if the clutches are wore, and I replace the old fluid with new, clean fluid that the clutches will start to slip thereby causing a problem to arise where there wasnt a "current problem" forcing me to deal with it right-now.

I am not a mechanic by any means, but I do general maintenance myself and I understand the mechanics.

This is a simple case of; I know it needs to be done, but afraid of opening a can-of-worms here..

Does anyone have any thoughts, comments, or recommendations on this topic?? Or is there a way to have a sample of the fluid tested to better determine the condition of the trans before I go further??

Thanks in advance for your comments.



-rybad

 

[Grub54891]

Change it. If it fails, it was going to anyway. Why did the other one fail? was it run low on oil, or just wore out? There are test kits, you can get them from your local parts store I think. We have them in stock at our marina.

 

[HT32BSX115]

1987 32' Carver Mariner 3297. Twin Crusader 270's with Borg-Warner V-Drives. I (had) replaced starboard side trans and v-drive 2 years ago when I bought the boat. No other history on this boat as it has changed hands several times by the time I got it. Engine hour meters are at 680.

The trans fluid on the port side looks like it needs to be changed (no idea when/if it was ever changed). It is very dark (no burn smell as far as I can tell) but nonetheless, needs to be changed. However, it is important to note that I have absolutely no problems with this trans.. It shifts smooth in both directions, if-fact it shifts "faster" than the rebuilt side (which has a slight 1/2 second delay.. not sure why but thats another story).

So my dilemma is, should I change this fluid or not? My wife says "dont fix it if it aint broke", but shes not considering the maintenance factor. I'm deathly afraid that if the clutches are wore, and I replace the old fluid with new, clean fluid that the clutches will start to slip thereby causing a problem to arise where there wasnt a "current problem" forcing me to deal with it right-now.

I am not a mechanic by any means, but I do general maintenance myself and I understand the mechanics.

This is a simple case of; I know it needs to be done, but afraid of opening a can-of-worms here..

Does anyone have any thoughts, comments, or recommendations on this topic?? Or is there a way to have a sample of the fluid tested to better determine the condition of the trans before I go further??

Thanks in advance for your comments.



-rybad

Wow, never heard of "don't fix if it ain't broke" applied to normal maintenance!! That's usually the reason things fail......

Here's what it say's in the Velvet Drive owners manual.

Changing Transmission Fluid, A seasonal change of the transmission fluid is recommended for all pleasure boats. Work boats require transmission fluid change every 1000 hours. In addition, the transmission fluid must be changed any time it becomes overheated, contaminated, changes color, or becomes rancid smelling.

EVERY YEAR (or season) is recommended by the manufacturer. Even "if it ain't broke"!!:facepalm:

http://www.velvetdrive.com/techinfo/...ertyowners.pdf

You'll probably find the one you have here:
http://www.marineryachts.com/borg_manual.pdf

So, change the trans oil every year (preferably) at the end of the season. That way, when you drain the fluid, you see if there's water in it (indicating a possible leak in the oil cooler etc)

According to Borg Warner in their service manual, you could use a bunch of different oils (including SAE 30 motor oil if RPM <3000) but I would use the recommended DEXRON, or DDA C4 equiv etc.

Using DEXRON gives you a red liquid that is easily identifiable if there's a leak. If you used for example John Deere HYGARD, the oil is clear, making it harder to identify if there's a leak


Regards,


Rick

 

[rybad]

Well.. Let me clarify the "aint broke, dont fix". This option is only a consideration because it's July. Im in Michigan which only yields about 4-5 months of use if I'm lucky.. so the "aint broke dont fix" applies to "today". The other option is to do it in the fall, and if it "breaks" the trans, I can take it to the shop and let them have it allllllllllllllllll Winter long.

Secondly, Thanks for that manual.

The Starboard side failed the year I bought the boat. The guy I bought the boat from had a "second" trans cooler installed on that side. I asked why, and he said the trans alarm went off, and he said the original cooler was blocked up, so they added another one. He said he did not have any trouble since adding the second cooler. Unfortunatly, I found out quickly (after buying the boat of course) that all that was B.S. I overheated that trans after about 2.5 hour run. I worked once fine cooled down (and spewing trans fluid all over the bildge). So I had that replaced. (ready for a shocker? Rebuild trans & V-Drive pre-assembled for $3500)

Obvisouly, I dont want to have to do that with the port side, so I want to make sure to keep up the maintenance. I only posed the question because I'm afraid, by changing the port side now, I could ruin the reminder of the Summer boating season.

 

[Grub54891]

Well, you may as well wait a bit. But do not wait till haulout, Do it a few weeks before and run it quite a bit. Then if it's going to fail, it MIGHT fail. There is no real timeline for these things. Had a customers boat transmission fail on the port side, 3 years later, the stb is still fine.

 

[HT32BSX115]

It is very dark (no burn smell as far as I can tell) but nonetheless, needs to be changed...................................I'm deathly afraid that if the clutches are wore, and I replace the old fluid with new, clean fluid that the clutches will start to slip thereby causing a problem to arise where there wasnt a "current problem" forcing me to deal with it right-now.

The fluid is dark because it's laden with clutch material and other contamination. With 680hrs, the clutch plates are probably worn somewhat but I wouldn't expect them to be even close to being worn out. The Velvet Drive is one of the best transmissions out there.......... I would bet there's a LOT of them out there that thousands of hrs on them.

The guy I bought the boat from had a "second" trans cooler installed on that side. I asked why, and he said the trans alarm went off, and he said the original cooler was blocked up, so they added another one. He said he did not have any trouble since adding the second cooler.

oil cooling heat exchangers usually get "blocked up" on the coolant side because of debris in the raw water system or a failed raw water pump and resulting debris from the failed impeller. Oil in a closed system can get contaminated from not changing it for a LONG time.

Contaminated oil in a closed system can get hot if the oil screen is restricting flow, or all of the above.

The clutch system in a velvet drive is a multi-plate system held together by hydraulic pressure. You do not "feather" that type of clutch (like an automotive clutch) when you engage it. You place it in gear by moving the shift lever in one rather brisk motion. There's very little wear because those clutches don't slip. (if they're slipping at all, they will not last long) There is a little slip when engaging but it happens are very low engine RPM.

I would be more worried about the oil system screen being clogged.

 

[rybad]

Let me reiterate.. I am not having any performance problem with this trans whatsoever. It shifts great in both directions, very smooth and instantly. So based on your all input, I should be confident that I can change the fluid on that side (at the end of the season).