Volvo 290 drive black oil and grit when drained, help needed.

[dazk14]

Hi, 1986 Volvo Aq 151 with 290 single prop drive.

I drained the outdrive lube and it was black and smelly. Leakdown test was perfect(as expected).

I know black usually means worn and gear issues so I sieved the drained oil through a coffee filter. Some grit was found and two small metal chips about a 1/3 the size of a small mouse dropping.

Am I correct that the drive is on the way out?

What typically croaks when running and can you generally make it back in.

I am working on finding a reasonably priced used drive.

In the meantime I'd like to nurse my existing drive along for a little bit. It's not making any obvious noises. It is currently LH rotation.

I have a RH prop and thought of switching it to RH rotation to use different gears(not sure how many are involved), but is some is better than none?

Any help would be appreciated,
Mike D.

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Volvo 290 drive black oil and grit when drained, help needed.

It may just be that the lube hasn't been changed in a long time if ever. In which case black and smelly is normal. After running it a while check it again.

 

[dazk14]

Re: Volvo 290 drive black oil and grit when drained, help needed.

I think the oil only had 65hrs on it. It was supposedly winterized by a reputable shop, however the boat was in dry dock for 10 years. Does oil go bad in 10 years?

Can anyone help me out here?

Thanks!