I recently
sold my old cat and bought an
Outremer 55 fitted with Nanni engines and shaft drive through Technodrive gearboxes.
The previous owner told me that the only real problem he experienced with the
boat was that both gearboxes failed and had to be rebuilt a couple of years ago. He didn't know why they had failed.
While I was hanging around the boatyard waiting for my launch date, I decided to change the
gearbox oil. The Technodrive manual says my TMC 60 M gearboxes should hold 0.8 litre of ATF. However the dipstick showed already over full after I'd put in only 0.4 litre because the dipstick is at the very aft end of the
gearbox and that end is lower because of the shaft drive.
So I'm thinking....do I put in 0.8 litre and well and truly over fill on the dipstick or just fill to the dipstick full mark. I reread the manual and it says the gearbox can be inclined to a max. 15 deg but no mention of overfilling, just fill to the full mark on the dipstick.
I rank the distributor for SW Pacific (in Australia) who said he didn't know but would contact the manufacturer for an answer.
He rang me back the next day and told me the manufacturer said....
- you must put 0.8 litres of ATF in the gearboxes
- if installed on an incline, you should remark the dipstick so full corresponds with 0.8 litres.
Amazing that there's no mention of this in the gearbox
manuals.
I think I now know why the previous owner had gearbox problems...he was filling only up to full on the dipstick.