SX-A Outdrive case repair

[RMS58]

So here is my story, on the first outing this year I hit an uncharted rock. I was going just about headway speed, so after stopping the boat and inspecting the damage, I headed back to shore and pulled the boat on to the trailer. The damage appeared to be fairly minor, with 2 gouges into the lower casing. A small hole is visible and the gear oil has seeped out. I contacted my dealer and they want just south of $10k to replace the entire out drive. My question is this, the area of damage is right near the internal magnet and away from any gears/bearings, seals etc. Has anyone successfully repaired a gear case with something like Marine Tex instead of doing an entire replacement?
I will post some pictures of the damage tonight.

 

[Dave-R]

What I would do is take it to a prop repair place, and have them weld it . They can turn it upside down, and weld it with the oil in it to prevent damage to the seals. If that is not possible, JB weld. Dave-R.

 

[bruceb58]

Have a picture?

 

[RMS58]

Hi Dave
That sounds like a good idea, had not thought of that. As promised here is a picture of the damage. All the oil has seeped out of the gear case.

 

[bruceb58]

Have a picture that is further away that shows what part of the drive it is at?

 

[spoilsofwar]

Looks like the damage is on the leading end of the torpedo. I can't really see the hole specifically.

Anyway, there is no reason at all to replace the entire drive. Just the lower unit can be replaced, and they're available on eBay in the $3k and up range. It's also an opportunity to swap from a SX-A lower to a DPS-A lower... I know I would do that if I ever trashed my drive lower. If you have insurance it may cover submerged object strike damage, mine (Boat US) does.

To your original question, though, I would not use JB weld, marinetex, etc to fix a hole in a drive... Just never know when it might fail, leak the lube, and destroy the drive completely. Welding may be a viable fix, though.

 

[RMS58]

Try this one

 

[bruceb58]

That is in a real critical area. I would look for a used lower.

I also agree with spoilsofwar. That would be covered by insurance.

 

[RMS58]

Ok...I am not familiar with a DPS-A lower unit. I am guessing that it can replace the stock SX-A unit?
I do have a request into my insurance carrier about the damage and have not heard back yet.

 

[spoilsofwar]

Ok...I am not familiar with a DPS-A lower unit. I am guessing that it can replace the stock SX-A unit?
I do have a request into my insurance carrier about the damage and have not heard back yet.

The DPS-A is the dual, counterrotating, prop version of the SX drive. Propeller set cost aside, the cost to replace a SX-A lower unit and a DPS-A lower unit are fairly close, so it makes sense to make the upgrade if absolute lowest cost is not the objective. The SX-A and DPS-A drives use the same upper gear case, bell housing, and transom shield. You would just need to source a DPS-A lower which maintains the gear ratio you have now, since gear ratio on these drives is determined by both the upper and lower units.

 

[RMS58]

Thank you spoilsofwar, I did a bit of looking at the Volvo Penta site, I see that the gear ratios offered for the DPS-A are close to mine. I have a 1.97:1 and the DPS-A offers either a 1.89:1 or a 2.11:1. Does pose an interesting set of possibilities.
From the exploded view of my lower unit, it looks like the internal components that are in the area of the damage is just the magnet and its attaching hardware. I will explore all the suggestions after finding out if the insurance company is going to cover the damage.

 

[RMS58]

Final update on the saga of my out-drive damage, basically it came down to having to replace the entire unit with a new drive from the factory. I took the boat back to the selling dealer, they did a tear down and found too much damage to the case to have it repaired. At a price tag just south of $6,000.00 for the drive, I contacted the insurance company. It took them till this week, a total of 12 weeks to settle my claim.They paid out only 62% of the repair, due to age they said. With my deductible and the balance of the repairs, I paid out of pocket $3,549.08. Ouch! Adding insult to injury, I won't get my boat back till spring. The dealer will not get the parts till mid December. That was one expensive rock and one expensive outing.

 

[BRICH1260]

Why did they only cover 62% of the repair? Depreciation or betterment? Who are you insured with, you might want to consider a replacement cost policy.

 

[bajaunderground]

Wow, I'd get a refurbished one and call it good? Having just replaced my DP-SM with a 'used one' this past spring, I can assure you I was into mine fro $2,500.00. Now new is awesome and all, but for an eight-year old boat, I'd save the money? Replacing is just as easy as servicing...no shop needed?

Also, I'd be looking at just the lower unit? Why did anyone suggest the whole out-drive?

Take the insurance money and buy a refurb:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Volvo-Penta...ash=item46309bf409:g:GZ4AAOSwECZUoad~&vxp=mtr

Or a new one from MichiganMotorz:

http://www.michiganmotorz.com/volvo-penta-single-prop-outdrive-p-4144.html