HELP!! Oil all over stern drive!!!

Hello all! I have been working on an overheating problem with my 1983 Bayliner Capri 1950 AQ125/270 boat for about 2 weeks now and I just got it figured out with the help of this site. Well I took the boat out today for some fun in the sun and had a couple of problems come up. One that I am afraid is going to be a huge one.

Just to let everyone know, I have been trying to look for a OEM manual for this but I have still had no luck. Any suggestions?

Today there were 3 of us in the boat and we spent about 2 hours pulling each other around on a tube. We were out on the lake for about 4 hours today. When we got home my friend saw what looked to be a really thick oil all over the right side of the stern drive. Here are some pics.....





It was all over the right side, the left side was completely clean.


Does anyone know where this is coming from, what it is, and how to fix it?

Re: HELP!! Oil all over stern drive!!!

How's the Oil in the Drive,..??....

I don't mess with Volvos,.....
But,.....
I'd say your Bellows is Junk,+ Probably is leaking water In, as well as that Goo Out,........
That Goo might be u-jiont grease,+/ or outdrive oil,+ abit of water.....alittle Rusty too.....

I'd say you'll be pulling the drive,... Atleast.......

Re: HELP!! Oil all over stern drive!!!

I'd say you'll be pulling the drive,...at least.......
yep, that stuff is not supposed to be in public.

Re: HELP!! Oil all over stern drive!!!

Any suggestions on what I need to do and what I should be looking for. Do you think that there is any major damage? I am new at boating, I have only had this boat for 2 weeks and this is my 2nd day on the water.

Re: HELP!! Oil all over stern drive!!!

Drain the drive ASAP. If you find the same thing coming from the drive your not going to like your new boat. $B$O$A$T$

Re: HELP!! Oil all over stern drive!!!

Your actual outdrive is probably ok, it looks like it is coming from the driveshaft bellows. If stuff is leaking out then water is getting in as well. It is critical that these bellows not have any tears or leaks and must be replaced. I would be concerned about what oil is making it look like that also, may be oil from the engine thru the rear main so you could have other problems as well.

On those drives you can service the drive bellows by removing the upper unit while the drive is still attached...it is not necessary to remove the entire drive. Basic procedure involves draining the drive oil, unbolting the drive helmet and pushing it up out of the way, loosening the drive bellows clamp, removing the shift cover housing and unhooking the shift linkage, then removing the two allen head bolts and two nuts that connect the upper unit. The driveshaft comes out with the upper unit. Then you can get to the front bellows clamp. Replace the ujoints as well. I got my ujoints in without having to remove the driveshaft yoke from the upper unit. There is an oring to replace as well around the oil tube on the intermediate housing. You also need to clean the mating surfaces and put on some non hardening gasket maker when reattaching the upper housing.

I am only describing this in general as an indication of how to do it without removing the drive. I am not a professional mechanic, I just have to do it all myself due to my budget or the boat sits! I got this procedure from Seloc manual #3600 "VOLVO PENTA Single and Duo Prop 1968-91". At first when you read it it appears you must remove the entire drive, but there is one sentence that states it is not necessary to remove the drive for the bellows servicing, that it is only necessary to remove the upper unit and this can be done with the drive attached. From my experience this does work. I changed the bellows and ujoints and the water pickup fitting and hose this way without removing the drive. My boat leaked water in thru the bellows and that is the reason I had to service them. I have run it on the water two different time a week apart for about two hours since this maintenance and the bilge is dry, the ujoints are quiet and smooth and the engine temp is steady.

Good luck.

Re: HELP!! Oil all over stern drive!!!

Maclin, Thanks for that reply! I guess I need to pick up a manual. Some manual is better than none.

Well I drained the oil and it looked like a very milky chocolate milk.



I dont know what the oil is supposed to look like but I am guessing that this is not good.

I have been looking for the OEM manual and I cant find it, so is there any suggestions on what manual is better? The seloc or the clymer?

Re: HELP!! Oil all over stern drive!!!

Neither, only the factory manual is good.

Re: HELP!! Oil all over stern drive!!!

Get some books. The Seloc is adequate in some areas but not all. I have not seen the Clymer or the factory one for this model. Some people recommend getting all three and comparing! Just read the entire procedure from removal to disassembly to assembly to reinstall. Read it for all areas of the sterndrive. (Then take it to a Volvo Penta mechanic!). That is how I picked up on the upper unit housing being serviceable without removing the drive. The book I used has Removing the Stern Drive first which at first makes you think it has to come off to do the rest of the procedures.

The drive oil is not supposed to look like that, but some owners used engine oil in theirs so it could turn to that color as water infiltrates. The driveshaft yoke goes into the upperhousing and is bolted on the inside. There is a sealing mechanism in that assembly and I imagine it has failed so you are getting water in and when the drive heats up it is mixing and coming back out, just a theory. The drive bellows is supposed to keep all of that away from water, so it is anyone's guess what has been corrupted.

You have to remove the upper unit housing to get at those seals anyway, even if the drive is off of the boat. I did not have to remove the yoke on mine as the drive was still sealing fine. The piece that the bellows attaches to on the upper unit is called the clamp ring. It is a separate piece that is attached by 4 bolts to the upper unit housing. It is more complicated to disassemble becasue it has the "pinion" gear and associated shims, bearings, seals, o-rings,etc. Again, I have not ever removed that so I am not sure how that goes, but I do know that Volvo recommends a new ujoint yoke bolt when you put it back together. The Seloc manual calls this out also.