I/O Lower unit check, is this normal?

[Space Goast]

I went to see a boat, overall it looked well cared for but had more slop than I expected in the lower unit. I am not familiar with them though so wanted some more opinions. There's also a decent sized ding in one of the prop blades, how much is acceptable?

YouTube video:

 

[Space Goast]

Here is the bent prop blade

 

[garbageguy]

Not getting a feel for the slop you note, from the video. Looks like a painted VP Cobra SX - interesting color for an outdrive. Maybe it was painted same time with leftover paint similar to color of VP-labeled engine? Could be sign of regular maintenance without concern for color, or maybe a sign of something else... The prop and other damage that can be seen in the vid, from here, suggests looking very closely at the whole thing, trailer too - or maybe it's real cheap and you don't mind a project

 

[Space Goast]

What I call slop is that total movement side to side in the video, all of which is before the steering wheel moves.(maybe I should have said steering slop not lower unit slop?) I'm not familiar with boats but in a car I know there should be practically zero motion of the wheels without the steering wheel turning. The boat is a 2003, so definitely not new and I expect some maintenance needs, but don't want to have to rebuild the drive out of the gate. Owner has done several common/easy maintenance items lately, including tires for trailer. Overall it looks clean, out drive was the only concern I had.

 

[Space Goast]

I'll also note that the other prop blades had at most some light scratches, that was the only one with a significant dent/bend

 

[garbageguy]

in that video, the drive was being pushed, until the steering wheel moved? I am not an outdrive expert, so I won't comment if it seems like too much. any maintenance records?


suggest ask seller what work has been done, and why is the drive painted, and why that color? that may reveal something...

if the rest seems OK, suggest using dings as $ negotiating points. But what else has been hit, and why?

 

[Space Goast]

Right, I pushed and pulled the drive until the steering wheel started to turn. So that's roughly 10-20 degrees of slop in the steering, but I'm not sure what's normal if any on an I/O setup.

Seller was actually at work but let me swing by because I was going to be in the area to check out the boat. Next weekend he agreed to meet in person and take the boat out for a test so I have some time to ask questions and see if the boat does well in the water. He says he's only had it a couple years and maybe put 20 hours on it.

 

[Lou C]

Not normal, that has a lot more slop than my 30 year old Cobra on which the Volvo SX was based.
I just measured it, 1/8" side to side.

 

[Space Goast]

Slop in steering/stern drive

I'm looking at a 2003 Ebbtide with a volvo penta 5.0 osi, the transom assembly part number is TSK XHP-B.

I haven't bought this boat yet, but other than this steering slop it seems to be in good shape. I'm going for a test ride next week assuming this doesn't turn out to be some major problem. Anyone have a rough idea what could cause this amount of slop and rough cost to fix? Basically want to know how much negotiating I should do or just walk away. Hoping it is a relatively known issue and simple fix, I would be willing pay for a proper shop to look it over if recommended.

In the video I am pushing and pulling the stern drive back and forth until the steering wheel starts to turn(so the movement is all free paly in the steering).

 

[Space Goast]

Thanks for taking the time to go out and measure, this is probably 2 inches or so back and forth. Posted in the volvo penta forum, hopefully someone has an idea of how difficult a repair this would be.

 

[GA_Boater]

Moved your newest thread into this one. Wait until you buy the boat - You're only gathering information now. No sense jumping the gun to repairing unless needed.

 

[Space Goast]

It appears this boat came with the ocean series OSi engine and the dreaded XDP composite drive... I read a bunch of horror stories, but then noticed that the pics don't quite match the drive appearance of this boat. I wasn't paying attention to drive material when I took the video, but it didn't strike me as plastic. It also doesn't have the scoop/outlets that the XDPs seem to have. Any idea what drive this really is? My hope is that the XDP was replaced with something more robust and that explains the orange paint.

 

[Lou C]

That's a normal single prop SX drive, that normally is a good thing, but the steering play is not right. Looks like someone gave up on the OSI drive and replaced it. Question is, was the replacement new or used? Most likely used since the SX drive was only made up to about 2005/06 and then they changed to the new SX-A style.
They are normally silver, never seen an orange one lol.

You might have someone get in the engine compartment and watch the steering arm (behind the engine, its tight in there) while you move the drive from side to side, see if the play is from the drive back. ie the drive moves and the arm is not moving (then it could be the bushings in the gimble assembly). If not and the steering arm is moving the same amount, it could be in the helm unit. Again have someone sit in the engine compartment and watch the steering arm, while someone moves the steering wheel. If there is play in the helm steering unit and not in the arm, (wheel moves a lot before the arm starts moving) that's good because its cheaper to replace that, then to start pulling the transom mount apart to find out where the play is.

In any case I would not buy it unless you got an estimate for the repairs for this and anything else that may be wrong. The manifolds/risers look new. That's good esp since the boat is registered in Fla. Was it used in salt or fresh? It does not look like a salt boat judging by the lack of corrosion on the drive and metal parts in the engine compartment.

 

[Space Goast]

All, just to follow up. The seller clarified that the engine cover was purchased off ebay because there was no cover when he bought the boat. Looking on the engine itself I found the tags showing it is indeed a GXI-B and SX drive. When I test drove the boat, turning the wheel less than 5 degrees would reliably steer the boat, indicating no play. After digging through the volvo manual, I found reference to a spool valve mechanism that is spring loaded, when not fed with hydraulic power, this valve has to be moved all the way over until it maxes out. This indicates that the "slop" is normal for this particular steering setup. I will take some pics of what I mean later, I ended up buying the boat.

 

[jimmbo]

EZLoader trailer, with plenty of Rollers at the back, it will be very easy to launch and load, just don't unhook the bow line until the trailer is in the water. Winch stand needs some adjustment(too high and the double rollers need lowering
Its got the remote oil filter which is nice, but I'm not keen on the two cables bolted to the starboard exhaust riser. What are they, grounds? Not the best location for grounding an engine(too many bolts in the circuit path that are at risk of corroding

The prop needs to be repaired or replaced. If you decide to get a new prop, a Mercury Enertia would be a good choice. Have you checked to see if the prop shaft is straight? I hit a few rocks with mine the day I put my stainless. Even though it wasn't a high speed hit(20 mph) it bent the shaft and it had to be replaced. When you have the engine running on muffs WITHOUT the prop installed, place the unit in gear and stick a sharpened pencil into the taper on the end of the propshaft, any wiggle will indicate the shaft is not true
Odd way to mount a licence plate

Other than that, it looks nice