Volvo Penta SX/DP-S Gimbal Bearing Grease Tube Replacement

Status
Not open for further replies.

CascoBay

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Mar 13, 2010
Messages
194
First off, I want to post this in detail so that others who chose to address this potential problem can have a bit more guidance. I searched everywhere to find info and if it wasn't for DonS and some others on here I wouldn't even know where to begin.

Word has it that the gimbal bearing grease tube (This is plastic with a threaded zerk on one end and press fit into the gimbal housing on the other) on the Volvo Penta drives can leak water into the bellows. After seeing how easily the plastic tube popped out of the gimbal housing I can certainly understand the issue.

Armed with the info from DonS and others I ordered an 1/8" NPT tap and 1/8" Stainless Steel 45 degree zerk from McmasterCarr, I could not find either of these items locally or online in single quantities, Mcmaster had them cheap and with quick shipping.

I removed the steering helmet, bellows, and gimbal bearing, here is the result:

Using a tap and 10mm wrench I was able to apply pressure to the tap with one hand and turn with the other. It is very important to keep the tap from wandering, keep it square.

attachment.php



I ran the tap in a bit, pulled it out, cleaned the hole and then threaded the zerk in to see how much further I needed to go. Be patient, you want to make sure theres enough threads for a solid install but not so many to orient the head of the zerk incorrectly or go into the gimbal housing. Theres a fine line.

attachment.php


Installed zerk, view from inside the gimbal housing:

attachment.php


After it is installed, flush the zerk out to remove any debris before the bearing is reinstalled:

attachment.php


Finished:

attachment.php



One thing I will note, I did not use teflon tape on the threads. I do not know if this is right wrong or indifferent. My understanding is that if you thread the zerk correctly (not too deep) it will seal itself when you crank it down tightly.

If you bury the tap in too deep the tap will have enlarged the threads (the tap is tapered) and the zerk won't be tight.

Hope this helps.
 

Attachments

  • VP1.jpg
    VP1.jpg
    99.3 KB · Views: 47
  • VP2.jpg
    VP2.jpg
    89.4 KB · Views: 38
  • VP3.jpg
    VP3.jpg
    53.1 KB · Views: 39
  • VP4.jpg
    VP4.jpg
    106.8 KB · Views: 45
  • VP5.jpg
    VP5.jpg
    103 KB · Views: 45
Last edited by a moderator:

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Aug 31, 2004
Messages
62,321
Re: Volvo Penta Gimbal Bearing Grease Tube Replacement

Re: Volvo Penta Gimbal Bearing Grease Tube Replacement

Great job. It's one of those take your time or it's going to cost you if you mess up type jobs.

One thing I will note, I did not use teflon tape on the threads. I do not know if this is right wrong or indifferent.

That is probably a good thing, I have fixed more leaks by getting rid of teflon tape than any other fix I have done. A bit of Perfect seal, Permatex aviation form-a-gasket or any gasket sealer to lube the threads will be much better than TT, and it won't leak.

Will be putting this up in the Adults only sticky under Volvo Information.

I also changed the title by adding SX/DP-S so people with the 290 style drives didn't go looking for it :D
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top