volvo penta shift problem

[tim10034]

i have just purchased a 1996 four winns with a volvo 5.4 GI with a dp sterndrive....when i shift from forward and reverse to neutral i feel a bind right before it gets to nuetral...sometime it will stay in forward gear when i'm in neutral and i have to push the control to the reverse side of neutral or vice versa with being in gear in reverse(if that made sense?)...i have tried disconneting the shift cable from the shift and it moves freely when i shift forward or reverse. I am really new to inboards outboards...so please help.. Would it be changing the lower unit gear oil fix this????/

 

[rodbolt]

Re: volvo penta shift problem

hello<br /> dude insomnia bites <br /> anyway the 3 most common causes of shift problems with volvo are misadgusted or worn cable, make sure all attaching points are ok. the drive unit may be overfilled or wrong oil. over filling usually causes a delay in shift engagement and sometimes the trhottle is being applied while the cone is engaginging thus tossing the upper bearing/shaft through the top cover. or sometimes the shift cam needs to be reshimmed. especially if the untrained has been playing with it. and in a few cases I have actually seen the ramps on the cast iron shift cover assy worn off. if you attempt a reshim yourself read and understand how the shift mechanism works before any shim attempt is made or you will find out how much cones and shift shoes cost.the V in the center of the cone is not concentric with the OD but is a cam that when the shift shoe is moved towards a nuetral position it actually bumps the cone. not enough shim and it crushs the shoe and cone assy. to much shim and it wont shift. you must verify the cone type(needox,steel,brass etc etc) before shimming as they take different procedures.<br /> good luck and keep posting

 

[seahorse5]

Re: volvo penta shift problem

Rodbolt is right, but do not overlook the possibility that the throttle cable is adjusted too tight and that puts a bind in the control box when you shift.<br /><br />If you store the outdrive in the up position, water can remain in the shift cable area and corrosion builds up making shifting harder.<br /><br />When you disconnected the shift cable, before hooking it back up, did you center the free-play on the cable and center the free-play on the shift linkage (in neutral), then adjust the brass connector to fit?

 

[notaxnd]

Re: volvo penta shift problem

Make sure you use synthetic oil in the outdrive. I had some what the same problem. Mine was self- inflected I tried to be cheap and used a half oil and half synthetic mixture called Maxtron. After I put pure synthetic back in my problem went away.

 

[notaxnd]

Re: volvo penta shift problem

Make sure you use synthetic oil in the outdrive. I had some what the same problem. Mine was self- inflected I tried to be cheap and used a half oil and half synthetic mixture called Maxtron. After I put pure synthetic back in my problem went away.

 

[seahorse5]

Re: volvo penta shift problem

I don't have the books handy so maybe Rodbolt could help out. Back in around '96 or so, the joint venture of OMC and Volvo SX outdrives had a cone clutch material change, that I remember learning in factory schooling. They changed from a steel cone to a brass one and changed the gears also. That meant that the earlier version had to use a lube such as OMC's (now Bombardier's) Ultra HPF gear lube. The later version had to have a synthetic such as Mobil 1 75-90. If you mixed up the lubes, you had either a slipping clutch or very hard shifting out of gear problem.<br /><br />It all depended on the model number of your drive. Many times a boat will have a year old engine package in it, so do not depend on the date code on the hull.

 

[tim10034]

Re: volvo penta shift problem

thanks for all of the information so quickly guys...i am not really familiar with inboard outboards...and this is my first boat just had it for a month...what kind of gear oil can i use with my dp drive? what about the engine oil and where do i fill the engine oil at? Can anyone show me how to take off the lower unit so i can grease the gimbal and u joint? also i took the boat out today and there was a whine at the fuel pump. I had to run it at 1000rpm for a hour so i could get in...could i have damaged my fuel pump? i live in a very small town in louisianna and there are really no inboard shops. any help would be appreciated....

 

[seahorse5]

Re: volvo penta shift problem

Please post the complete model number of your sterndrive so we know exactly what you have. There is a tag on the engine.<br /><br />See your dealer and order the correct service manual and owners manual based on your model number before starting any work on your unit.

 

[tim10034]

Re: volvo penta shift problem

the model number of the engine 7.4 fgpncs<br />serial # t01293225<br />drive model 386442 serial#t0806718.....also can anyone tell me what to do with the whinning noise at the high pressure fuel pump? i checked the lines from the fuel tank to the fuel filter and it doesnt seem clogged up ..i also replaced the fuel filter but it still whines...it wont make the noise when i first start it up but after 20 seconds the noise starts and gets louder with time

 

[rodbolt]

Re: volvo penta shift problem

Hello<br /> I am in kennesaw ga right now without my manual so I cannot tell you when and what the cone changes are. but there are about 6 now. if this is a swedish DP unit it takes synthetic. all swedish dp units have a steering helmet and hidden trim rams in the 90's. do a vacum test on the intake side of the fiter/pump assy. some whineing is normal. if it is getting air or the fuel is boiling due to excessive pump intake vaccum it will sound like a rock grinder. if the motor has a factory motor mounted water seperator and a hull mounted filter it may cause problems. a vacum test can pin point it.<br /> good luck and keep posting.

 

[seahorse5]

Re: volvo penta shift problem

Thanks, Rodbolt, I had a chance to check an "NC" manual and it says to use synthetic gear lube. Volvo's own or Mobil 1 75W-90.

 

[tim10034]

Re: volvo penta shift problem

 

[tim10034]

Re: volvo penta shift problem

posted January 20, 2004 10:11 PM <br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />i changed the low pressure fuel pump..it was shot....now ..i have to deal with the shift problem...changed the lower unit to volvo's lower unit gear oil...proper oil level..still giving me shift problems...how can i tell if it's the cable giving me problems and whats the correct procedure to adjust the shift cable ?<br /><br />--------------------<br />1996 24 four winns 7.4 volvo gi<br />dp stern

 

[rodbolt]

Re: volvo penta shift problem

hello<br /> its an involved percedure. dissconnect the cable at the terminal block behind the shift cover. you have to remove the cover first.<br /> then after the cable is disconnected shift to fwd. mark a line on the cable at the cable sleeve with a marker then move it to reverse and mark another. split the two marks and make a third mark, this will be nuetral. now shift to nuetral and see if the third mark lines up with the cable sleeve. I still think your chasing cable ghosts.<br /> but it wont hurt to check it.<br /> the center of the cone is cam ground its not round, the shift cover has ramps built into it that wear off. so sometimes you must reshim the shift shoe and check the ramps on the cast iron cover.<br /> time for a service manual or a proffesional.<br /> if you have to much shift shoe clearence it does not want to come out of gear and sometimes requires 2 hands on the shifter or shutting the engine off. not enough clearence on the shoe and it destroys the cover,shoe and cone.<br /> good luck and keep posting

 

[tim10034]

Re: volvo penta shift problem

rodbolt thanks for the help...what do u mean by a ghost cable??what does ghost cable mean?? how can i tell if its a bad cable?....and it sounds like what u described..going into forward or reverse isnt a problem even though it takes effort to get into gear,but it doesnt want to come out of gear so the cone might be bad????what about lowering the idle rpm will that help me shift better?the only bad thing is that i live in abbeville louisianna and it's a very small town..the only vovlo repair facility is 20 miles away and they told me they are too backed up with all of the oilfield contracts to even look at my boat for at least 4 months all i get from the parts guy who answers the phone is " i am not a mechanic so i couldn't tell u what is exactly wrong"....do u know of anything else that might resolve my dilema? thanks....???