Noisey Outdrive on 2006 Volvo penta SX-A outdrive

[Shade Tree boy]

Hello all..I recently purchased a 2007 Larson 208LXI with a 2006 Volvo 5.0 liter GXI mated to a SX-A outdrive. The engine purrs like a kitten and has only 200 hours on the clock. The outdrive however makes some disturbing noises. At idle I can barely hear some rattle and possible some gear noise. When I rev the engine the rattle becomes louder but then goes away and seems intermittent. If I use the "screw driver to the ear" method of stethescoping the drive, I her a lot of grinding and u-joint noise. So I pulled the drive last night hoping to find sloppy u-joints and much to my surprise they look brand new. No slop what so ever. Removed the drive carrier from the upper gear housing and found no evidence of metal filings or wear on the upper gears. The bellows were dry and the gimbal seems nice and smooth. Everything looks awesome. Any ideas on why I'm hearing these noises?

 

[alldodge]

Connect water to the pump and run the motor without the drive and see if the noise is still there.

If so I would drain the lube and see if anything comes out or shows up in the pan.

 

[Shade Tree boy]

Yes i thought about doing that. Are you suggesting I drain the engine oil if the noise is still present?

 

[alldodge]

Yes i thought about doing that. Are you suggesting I drain the engine oil if the noise is still present?

NO

Run the motor without the drive on it. If the noise goes away then its in the drive.

If its in the drive, drain the lube from the drive and check it

If noise does not go away with drive removed then suggest looking at the engine coupler and flywheel for something loose

 

[Thalasso]

Google [h=2]Noisey Outdrive on 2006 Volvo penta SX-A outdrive[/h]
Your not the only one

 

[Shade Tree boy]

Google [h=2]Noisey Outdrive on 2006 Volvo penta SX-A outdrive[/h]
Your not the only one

Indeed..I saw this too. Since I am not a skilled Tech when it comes to marine engines and outdrives, I'm not really sure what to do next. My common sense side tells me the noises I hear are probably normal and I should just put it back together and go boating. The cautious side of me says the noises may not be normal and continued use will only cause more damage to internal parts. I have already had one "boat mechanic" tell me it sounds bad. He said not to drive it until its fixed, although he doesn't seem interested in doing the job. He is the reason I have pulled the drive to investigate.

 

[skydiveD30571]

Does the noise go away when you shift into forward or reverse? I have an SX-A also, and contacted Volvo a few years back about a rattling noise I was getting on my drive. It seems to get louder after everything is warmed up (10min or so of running) and only appears in idle. Once I shift into forward or reverse it goes away. According to Volvo, this common noise (hence all the google results for noisey sx-a outdrive) is the gear chatter. As everything warms up and expands, the gear teeth clearances loosen up a bit. Once the drive is put into forward/reverse gear, everything tightens back up. Volvo says it is normal and expected of the SX-A drive AS LONG AS the noise does NOT continue in gear also.

 

[Shade Tree boy]

Does the noise go away when you shift into forward or reverse? I have an SX-A also, and contacted Volvo a few years back about a rattling noise I was getting on my drive. It seems to get louder after everything is warmed up (10min or so of running) and only appears in idle. Once I shift into forward or reverse it goes away. According to Volvo, this common noise (hence all the google results for noisey sx-a outdrive) is the gear chatter. As everything warms up and expands, the gear teeth clearances loosen up a bit. Once the drive is put into forward/reverse gear, everything tightens back up. Volvo says it is normal and expected of the SX-A drive AS LONG AS the noise does NOT continue in gear also.

Running on the hose in my driveway, the noise is there in neutral or in gear. I still haven’t had it in the water to put an actual load on the prop. Are you telling me that you don’t hear any chatter on the hose when it’s in gear?

 

[Shade Tree boy]

Update: I accidentally overfilled the outdrive with gear oil and the noise went away COMPLETELY. No chattering at idle or with throttle. The screwdriver stethoscope method reveals no chatter or disturbing noises. If I slowly bleed out the gear oil to the top of the flat portion on the dip stick, the chatter comes back. Currently the lowest level I can read on the dip stick and hear no chatter is about 1/4" above the flat section of the dipstick. Several questions here. 1.Is overfilling the drive (by 1/4" )going to cause other problems? 2.If gear oil quiets the chatter are the gears already worn beyond spec? 3.other thoughts?

 

[Lou C]

Well that is interesting, I wonder if there were any updates like changing the amount of gear oil in the unit and using an updated dipstick? I'd call a Volvo dealer and find out if any changes were made to the fluid capacity and dipstick. Otherwise, there has to be some room for expansion because these units are not vented for obvious reasons like an automotive gearbox or differential. If there were no room for the oil to expand it could blow seals. That is an interesting observation though....

 

[alldodge]

Not a VP guy, but if a 1/4 lube change makes a drive sound change, then I think there is a drive issue

 

[ChrisinPHX]

When the drive is "full" on the dipstick, there is a fair amount of room left in the drive. That room becomes a bit of a echo chamber for gear noise. When you overfilled, you filled that room with volume in the form of the oil which is also a good sound dampener. Lower it back to where it should be and take it to the lake. When you put an actual load on it, I bet it goes away. I haven't owned a VP drive yet that wasn't a bit noisy at idle.

 

[Shade Tree boy]

Thanks, ChrisinPHX. I can hardly wait! BTW, should the fluid be all the way to the top of the flat portion after it is screwed in completely, or before?

 

[ChrisinPHX]

I fill mine to the top of the flat part. I would say screwed in, because that's where it's at when I pull it. Having said that, that's a very small difference, so you're good either way.

And when you do your test, make sure you're warm, not your first cold start. Give that oil a chance to expand.

 

[skydiveD30571]

Running on the hose in my driveway, the noise is there in neutral or in gear. I still haven’t had it in the water to put an actual load on the prop. Are you telling me that you don’t hear any chatter on the hose when it’s in gear?

Just being in gear on the driveway doesn't put enough of a load on the prop. Like Chris said above, in the water and in gear, I bet it goes away too. That's when mines gets quiet. If Volvo says its fine, I'll take their word for it.

 

[stephanies]

Does the noise go away when you shift into forward or reverse? I have an SX-A also, and contacted Volvo a few years back about a rattling noise I was getting on my drive. It seems to get louder after everything is warmed up (10min or so of running) and only appears in idle. Once I shift into forward or reverse it goes away. According to Volvo, this common noise (hence all the google results for noisey sx-a outdrive) is the gear chatter. As everything warms up and expands, the gear teeth clearances loosen up a bit. Once the drive is put into forward/reverse gear, everything tightens back up. Volvo says it is normal and expected of the SX-A drive AS LONG AS the noise does NOT continue in gear also.

I am on my 3rd SX-A driven 1999, 2004, 2010. They have all rattled a bit at idle. Never caused any problems. Can only agree it is normal....

 

[bruceb58]

Mine rattles too. Been so since I bought it with 70 hours on it.