Did not refill oil in MSB Reverse Gear

[Adnaan]

Hey all,

I am kicking myself pretty hard right now. Did my first oil change on my Volvo Penta MD11C and drained the oil from the reverse gear, but only refilled the engine oil afterwards. I did not read the manual carefully enough, and thought that the oil I put in was for the transmission as well. Or something.

Ran the engine hard for a total of 7 or so hours over the next couple of weeks, when suddenly forward gear wouldn't engage. That's when I reviewed my behavior and realized the mistake.

I've filled the Reverse Gear oil now, and shockingly, the transmission seems to be working. The gear shifts are a bit delayed, and come with loud clicks that weren't there before. My question is: is there any maintenance I can do on the transmission now to prevent further damage and a massive rebuild down the line?

[NorthernMac]

Originally Posted by Adnaan

Hey all,

I am kicking myself pretty hard right now. Did my first oil change on my Volvo Penta MD11C and drained the oil from the reverse gear, but only refilled the engine oil afterwards. I did not read the manual carefully enough, and thought that the oil I put in was for the transmission as well. Or something.

Ran the engine hard for a total of 7 or so hours over the next couple of weeks, when suddenly forward gear wouldn't engage. That's when I reviewed my behavior and realized the mistake.

I've filled the Reverse Gear oil now, and shockingly, the transmission seems to be working. The gear shifts are a bit delayed, and come with loud clicks that weren't there before. My question is: is there any maintenance I can do on the transmission now to prevent further damage and a massive rebuild down the line?

If it were me, I would NOT run that thing till it was somewhat apart to check everything, if you said 10min, but 7hrs DAMN...checklists

One cheap thing, drain the oil back out, cut any filters and check for metal?

[a64pilot]

Yeah, I’d pull it. At this point it may just be clutch disks or whatever, later it may be more expensive hard parts.
Many transmission don’t have oil filters or pumps etc, just splash lubricated, however sucking the oil out may tell you what went bad by what comes out.

[Bill Seal]

You're possibly in deep poo!
The "clutches" are really a thin unreplacable lining inside a female cone in an unobtainable gear.
You might try changing the trans oil to ATF for a little while to maybe clean the gunk off the surface.
Contact Joe DeMers at "https://www.soundmarineinc.com"[/URL]
I think the MSB is the only trans that will mate up tp a MD11C
My wife and I (she's the muscle on the rope) have pulled the trans on our very cramped Formosa 3 or 4 times., and I think I finally got it fixed, using some rather rusty parts from a junk trans.
WARNING! before you pull the trans (the four socket head cap screws going into the bell housing) put tarps and oil pads down, the engine sump will drain out into the bilge.
Don't forget to refill the engine when you're done' -experience-

[Adnaan]

Thanks lads. The mechanics here near San Luis Obispo, CA are booked weeks out, and recommend I refill the oil and run her til she dies, then rebuild.
Does Automatic Transmission Fluid come in the same weight as my regular 15W-40, or what should I be looking for?

[Bill Seal]

And remember, PUT IT IN REVERSE (to lock it) when you're sailing, or you'll wear out what little lining is left.

[NorthernMac]

Originally Posted by Adnaan

Thanks lads. The mechanics here near San Luis Obispo, CA are booked weeks out, and recommend I refill the oil and run her til she dies, then rebuild.
Does Automatic Transmission Fluid come in the same weight as my regular 15W-40, or what should I be looking for?

I’d find new mechanics

If someone says “run it till she dies” that translates to “I’m a idiot”

[barnakiel]

MSB is splash lubricated and unless you drained it through the bottom hole, you still had some oil in it.


So it was wet and worked. But as there was no oil, you soon overheated it and possibly damaged the surfaces.


Repair is easy. Remove it and leave it with a Volvo mechanic. They will be able to review it and fix what may need fixing in about one week.


Do not use it as is as this may quickly go to a point where you have even more parts to replace.



Cheers,
b.

[Bill Seal]

I went to a genuine Volvo Penta dealer for gaskets for mine, he sorta smirked and said "they haven't made these for over 30 years, and there are no parts available", and then tried to sell me a new engine.
EBAY for a used one, or Sound Marine Diesel is your best bet.
AND NEVER SAIL WITH THE TRANS IN FORWARD AND THE ENGINE STOPPED

[barnakiel]

MSB is a tractor part. It does not have any magic in it. Gaskets are made in plain gasket materials and can be made on spot by any skilled diesel mechanic.


It is a beautiful piece of engineering from the era when stuff was built to last and to get repaired over and over again.



Pull it out, give it to a good garage and they can fix it in no time.


b.

[Wotname]

I'm not familiar with this gearbox so take the following with a grain of salt!

The forward clutch material if only slightly damaged may be able to swapped with the reverse clutch material.

Bearing and seals will most likely off the shelf commercial items available from any bearing shop. Gaskets can be hand cut using either gasket material or just manila type cardboard.

EDIT: Barnakiel is two minutes faster than me

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

...........



Pull it out, give it to a good garage and they can fix it in no time.


b.

And stay well away from the V-P people!!!

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Wotname

And stay well away from the V-P people!!!

Very unfortunately but indeed the case, unless they are the kind you meet in Sweden, especially in Gothenburg area ...


barnakiel

[Adnaan]

Who are the V-P people?

And I'm heading south in CA. Nowhere near Sound Marine Diesel. In Morro Bay right now. I'll not use the engine, then, but just look for the nearest Volvo Mechanic and give the trans to them.

[Wotname]

V-P = Volvo Penta

As a generalisation a Volvo mechanic will only use Volvo parts (as he makes a lot of money on the parts). E.G a Volvo part number bearing might be $200 and the exact same bearing from a bearing shop could be $20.

Also the Volvo mechanic is unlikely to think outside the box if he can't source parts from V-P.

I don't know about CA but in Australia you can find car/truck/tractor/agricultral mechanics that can fix stuff all sorts of older machinery.