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

[CascoBay]

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.




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.



Installed zerk, view from inside the gimbal housing:



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



Finished:




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.

[Don S]

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