2004 Volvo Penta 3.0 owner - any I/O preventative maintenance tips for a rookie?

[irish1985]

Hi all, at the end of last season I bought a 2004 Four Winns Horizon 170 with a Volvo Penta 3.0 I/O. Prior to this, I have only owned a small aluminum with 7HP outboard, and after that, a 30 year old Bayliner with a 70HP outboard... needless to say, although 10 years old, this is my first nice boat and my first stern drive... loving it so far!

Anyway the point of my post is to reach out to other Horizon/Penta owners, or I guess any experienced I/O owners in general, and see if you have any preventative maintenance tips to keep it running strong? I'm not very mechanically inclined, but I know enough to get it professionally winterized and spring-ready, store it indoors in the winter, keep it covered when not in use, make sure the battery has a good charge, use the treated fuel from the marina and not let gas sit in it for extended periods of time, etc... mostly common sense things. I'm wondering if there is any other good practice to consider as far as engine maintenance i.e. replace fuel filter every year, replace plugs every 2 years, etc?

I know boating is not cheap, but I want to sulk up as much info as possible to avoid any rookie mistakes. The initial research I did (and my mechanic confirmed before buying) seems to be that the Penta is a workhorse... boat's been running great and I want to keep it that way.

Thanks a lot, this forum has helped me out a bunch, most of the time without even needing to create a post of my own, just using the search function.

 

[irish1985]

By the way, what prompted my post was my neighbor (who knows a lot more about boats than I do) telling me to plan on "at least replacing either the starter, blower motor, or bilge pump every year" not sure if that's exaggerated just to get it in my head that boating is not cheap, but to his credit, I did replace the starter within a week of having it in the water last season, but since then, it'€™s been running like a top.

 

[irish1985]

Not sure why all of the pictures are broken, weird. Forum upgrade I assume?

 

[Lou C]

No Title

Starter removal depends on access, and if there were water leaks that caused corrosion. I've changed the starter 2x on our boat over the years and it was not difficult, a bit of a stretch to reach the bolts. Some boats have bad access (no room under the starboard side of the engine) so you may have to remove the exhaust manifold on that side. If it has a front mount make sure to use it. I've had blowers and bilge pumps last 10 years or longer and starters, usually will last a long time as long as the battery cables are not corroded and the starter is not getting wet. If the manifold drain above the starter leaks it will leak water right into the starter. Make sure to disconnect the battery before working on the starter.

 

[irish1985]

Thanks for the info. Funny enough, I ended up replacing the starter (for the second time in less than a year) a couple weeks after your post... I did it myself this time and as you mentioned, the bolts are hard to access, but it was pretty easy to install overall. As far as preventative maintenance on it, I should probably silicone some of the crevices and seams as I was told the water intrusion is usually due to the low location of the starter (bilge water splashing around)

 

[Saline Marina]

I'm sort of right behind you as a newbie owner of a 2000 Four Winns 170 Horizon except with the 4.3V6. I would advise getting a battery minder for your battery, I buy them from Amazon for all my vehicles that sit around, the batteries last a LOT longer and they are ready to go at a moment's notice. The claim on the packaging is that it uses 12 cents of electricity per month

I also keep a box fan running at lowest speed under the boat covers to help dry it out, so far it seems to be working very well. Four Winns made a very nice trailer with grease-lube hubs and a double lip seal, so pry off the rubber cover and give the zerk a couple of shots of grease regularly. In my thinking the rubber cover must go back on as the excess grease is captured inside of the cylindrical metal hub-housing. So you don't want water to infiltrate there if possible. Spare tire & wheel asm definitely on my list as well.

The way I intend to use the boat is probably a couple of intense weeks per year on family vacations. So I don't mind acquiring some simple spares as the potential of waiting for a breakdown and then going searching locally for parts or waiting for them to arrive by UPS would be a major drag on a vacation. My thoughts were to acquire things like new V-belts, keeping the old ones as spares, I have new battery cables from some troubleshooting, the old ones were still good and will save as spares. Ideally I'd like to invest in a new ignition module, a new fuel pump, rebuild my old starter motor (suspect the solenoid) to keep all of these in the truck or in heavy ziplock bags in the boat if that seemed appropriate and a few tools to install them. There could be obviously a myriad of other breakdowns that one could never plan for all of them without a flotilla convoy in arrears, but just trying to think ahead about the most common things relative to fuel and ignition that could shut down the fun.

 

[Lou C]

The other thing that is important for stern drive maintenance pertains to the drive itself. Most manufacturers have recommended removing the drive once a season to make sure there is not water in the drive shaft bellows. Water in the bellows will corroded the gimble bearings, the ujoints, driveshaft splines and cause a leak at the input bearing shaft seal. On certain units, the gimble bearing and u-joints are grease able and you should grease them once a season. Also if the drive is never removed, it is possible for it to corrode in place right at the point that the drive is bolted to the pivot housing. This is especially common on Volvo SXs because there is no gasket between the drive and the pivot housing. The Merc Alpha and the OMC Cobra use a gasket there. I remove mine each season and doing so has helped it last as long as it has. 26 years old, at least half of that in salt water, and moored in salt water 6 months out of the year. The I/O system needs more maintenance than an outboard, but they can be made to last along time if you do the maintenance.

 

[Fleetwin]

I have a 2009 3.0 in a Larson.

I have had the drive pulled to check u joints and gimbal. I have replaced the water pump impeller and spark plugs and wires.

Of course, oil changes,

I cannot see any reason that a starter should only last one season. I've been boating for 35 years and never replaced one. You have an issue that is causing them to fail. Water should never get to one.

 

[PiratePast40]

Your best toolbox is preventative maintenance and knowledge of your particular boat. If you're still learning about the boat and it's peculiarities, then sure, some extra tools and parts may be justified. But if you're keeping up with the maintenance and tune-ups, there is probably little reason to carry many spares. Realistically, how many parts can be replaced while bobbing up and down in the water, and with other boats causing wakes? The big thing is taking care of little things before they become big things. If you think a belt is getting worn, why not replace it before you go out, instead of carrying a spare and the tools to change it while on the water?

A wise man once mentioned that you could tow an identical boat behind you for spares if you're that worried. Not saying to not carry any tools or spares, just be realistic.