270 outdrive u joints../bellows

1984 Volvo AQ125 with 270 outdrive.

Question 1: Can a bad ujoint bellows cause a slow leak into the boat?

Questions 2 and on....Does anyone make an aftermarket kit for the ujoints? I found the parts online, but ordering the cross piece, the caps, the rings all separately seems cumbersome and expensive to me, I would never replace any one of those pieces and not the rest?!? Given the mundane nature of a Ujoint, I wonder if there isnt another application that will work short of ordering 38 pieces from Volvo.

Man, they look a whole lot like the ones I put on my Dodge Van a couple months ago for about $22.

Thanks in advance!

Re: 270 outdrive u joints../bellows

Question 1: Can a bad ujoint bellows cause a slow leak into the boat?

Click to expand...

Yes, and as it gets worse it gets more expensive. You have to pull the engine to replace the bearings and seals.

Questions 2 and on....Does anyone make an aftermarket kit for the ujoints?

Click to expand...

Yes, you can buy just the ujoints. go here http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=288430
click on item 20 for part numbers for your ujoints.
Might want to look at item 11 as well. Probably find something useful there too.

Re: 270 outdrive u joints../bellows

They ones for my Van acutally DID fit.
Went and bought a pair today. The zerk is on the end cap, but its very low profile--conical style and not a nipple.

Ive had a small leak for about the last 6 trips or so--- progressively worse the last few trips, so I pulled the intermediate housing to do the bellows. One of the Ujoints had some slop, one was ok--gonna replace them both anyway. There was a bit of corrosion in there, surface that is, so it would seem that water had been getting in for some time, but I know it doesn't take much for salt water to do that!

As for the rest of the bearings--the ones that require removing the engine...who knows. (How do you know when your in trouble there?)

Re: 270 outdrive u joints../bellows

Reach in and move the end of the drive shaft. If there is any side to side play in the shaft, the bearings are bad.

Re: 270 outdrive u joints../bellows

The zerk is on the end cap, but its very low profile--conical style and not a nipple.

Click to expand...

Don't use them. They will hit the bellows and quickly put a hole in the bellows. Probably during turns.

Re: 270 outdrive u joints../bellows

Thanks guys!

Re: 270 outdrive u joints../bellows

There IS play on the end of that shaft. Not sure what to do, but I dont see ripping the motor out. Dont even have a lift. Its like going in for an ingrown toe nail and getting a triple bypass.

Im sure theres posts aplenty on replacing those bearings. I will get to searching. I wonder what the ultimate failure of these bearings would do. Strand me Im sure.

Re: 270 outdrive u joints../bellows

Thats right. You'd be stranded and you would have a ton of parts to replace as well as pulling the engine.

Its not that hard to pull the engine. Changing the bearings now will save you a lot of money in the future.

Re: 270 outdrive u joints../bellows

Ive pulled motors from cars before....I would go so far as to buy an engine hoist, but the boat sits so high on the trailer...dont think a standard automotive unit would have the reach or lift for that.

Ive got a hercules Aframe at work which would just be perfect, Hell I could lift the whole boat 10 feet with that monster, but I dont think theyd let me take the boat in!

I thought about this...mounting two 4 by 4s across the boat and chaining the motor up TIGHT...so that when the engine separates, I could slide it over so to speak, so not really lift it, just support it, move it away from the transom, keep it from falling into the bilge. Then, I can get 10 able bodied men and we can walk it out of the boat egyptian style and all.

In sad sad reality though, I may try to make the season. I really need to re-ring the motor anyway so I had it in my mind I would pull the motor out over the winter. what a pia....my how I DO miss my old Johnson outboard! LOL!!!

Re: 270 outdrive u joints../bellows

Read this thread. This guy replaced the bearing on his without pulling the engine at all.


http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=405554