volvo penta 290 life expectancy

[jfalco]

i have a 1988 steigercraft with a volvo penta aq211a 290 outdrive that is working perfectly, i use the boat on weekends in salt water and its left in the water, original motor and outdrive and boat is never abused, always run around 3000 rpm, whats the life expectancy of a 290 outdrive and what would i replace it with when the time comes, i have been looking for replacement 290 for backup incase something happens to mine but their hard to find , what would be my options???? im thinking ahead here!

 

[adeneo]

Re: volvo penta 290 life expectancy

If memory serves me I believe Volvo was saying they expected 1500-2000hrs back when the AQ series drives where new, but I have seen drives with more than 10k hrs that are still running smoothly.

As for what to replace it with, AQ290, DP-A, DP-E etc. will fit on the transom mount, if you you replace transom mount and flywheel housing you could pretty much go for anything, but there is quite a bit of work involved in replacing those items.

 

[zbnutcase]

Re: volvo penta 290 life expectancy

Keep good seals and lube in it and they can last for decades in freshwater, still many 30+yr old ones around here...