volvo 280 bellows and trim

[mad marlin]

What happened to this site?I'll save the rant-we all feel it.I tried to search,but got nowhere.New name but a long time reader and occasional poster.I have a few questions-here is the story. 84 aq2ooD with 280T drive with tilt and trim Started getting 1-2 gallons of clean water in bilge after 6 hours out.No obvious leaks so I started to look harder.The exhaust bellows seemed spongy but looked like I could get to the end of season.I dont know when it was last changed.Well this weekend I tore a hole in it becuase it was rubbing against a nut on the steering helmet.Got the boat home and saw milky oil or water coming from this small hole.I cut the bellows on the bottom and a bunch of fluid came out.I dont know if this was the source of the leak because the bilge water was clean-not oily.Did this salt water likely harm anything in the bellows?I am ordering the service manual from volvo tonite and will be trying to fix this in two weeks.What else should I be looking for and what should I do in terms of general maintenance while I have the upper housing off.Ive had the boat two years and this is my first try at this as the boat has run perfect till now. As for the trim,it works but the gauge doesn't.While looking for the leak I found two wires labeled sending unit+ - diconnected from what I learned was the sending unit;a little white platic puck shaped thin-ng mounted on the inside of the transom assembly?;with a small springy cable that is not attached to anything .Where does that go to?As for the gauge,I touched those two wires to the battery and got nothing then I reversed them, touched the battery, got a little sparking and the needle moved all the way down.Do I just need a new white plastic sending unit? and are there any other components to this system because I dont see anything else.I hope this makes some sense and if anyone is willing to help I can try to clarify.Thanks in advance as well as for your help in the past!

 

[Don S]

Re: volvo 280 bellows and trim

Sounds like you have the 2 bellows confused. The upper one is the ujoint bellows, the lower and smaller one is the exhaust bellows. It could be missing completely and not cause water to get in the boat. And it wouldn't have any oil in it unless the engine was leaking oil out the exhaust.
Since you are in salt water, you have some problems. The ujoints will have to be changed, you DO have water in your drive and the gear lube needs changed. There is a steel seal washer that fits on the input shaft that the seal rides on. It will have to be replaced. It's probably all rusty and has ate the seal up.
The seal will have to be replace also or it will keep blowing your gear lube out the upper gear box and cost you a drive.
Then pull the seal out of the engine bellhousing and see if there is water in the intermediate bearings or if the grease is milky colored. If so, you need to pull the engine and the bellhousing and replace the bearings. If they get bad and lock up, they spin inside the aluminum housing and destroy the housing.
Also pull the starter. The shaft and bendix ARE rusty.
The flex plate is probalby also rusty and the springs could fail.
Other than that, you shouldn't have any problems.
In salt water, I replace the ujoint bellows every other year on my boat. They are fairly thin compared to Mercruiser and the Volvo SX style drives, and just don't last as long. And the repairs if the bellows fails are expensive.

 

[mad marlin]

Re: volvo 280 bellows and trim

Thanks for the reply Don S."Other than that, you shouldn't have any problems'.Icant tell if thats sarcasm and I have a whole lot of problems or if its not quite as bad as it sounds.I think I can handle the bellows,u-joints and seals but the rest of it gets scary!I'm certainly not going to be pulling an engine any time soon!How likely is it to get that bad?Is this something I should take to the pros.I know of a mechanic near the ramp who I have spoken to in the past and I would feel o.k. bringing it there.I know its hard to say but any rough cost estimate with or without an engine pull? The engine is very accesible, not buried under the deck or seats or anything.Thanks for yor help.

 

[Don S]

Re: volvo 280 bellows and trim

If that salt water has been in there for more than a couple of weeks, and from the sounds of it, it has been a lot longer than that. Expect to pull the engine. Those intermediate bearings, starter, drive, all of it will have to be fixed before they get too bad. Trust me, I work with salt water boats daily, and you are looking at a lot of work and money. Not fixing it properly now, just makes it more expensive later.