Volvo D 130 oil gone

[FilBrown]

Boat was serviced in December went to check gearbox oil and there nothing on the dipstick.
Nothing in the bilge, so where's it all gone?

[Pete7]

Fil, nice boat ;-)

Did you do the service? in other words have you seen the dip stick with clean fluid on it since the service, or did a mechanic not fill it up properly.

there is a void between the engine and the gearbox were the flywheel is housed. Is this full of oil? The only other thing I can think of is to check the raw water cooling circuit for any traces as the box is likely water cooled before heat exchanger.

Pete

[FilBrown]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Fil, nice boat ;-)

Did you do the service? in other words have you seen the dip stick with clean fluid on it since the service, or did a mechanic not fill it up properly.

Any smoke particularly blue in colour in the exhaust? any increase in cooling fluid level?

Pete

Hi Pete

I'm in the process of buying the boat and the owner claims it was completely serviced by the Volvo Dealer at the marina last December.

I've no idea if the boats been used since then but there's no indication of anything at all even with the dipstick fully home.

It may have been forgotten about but I would have thought something would have gone bang by now.
I couldn't have leaked out down the leg could it?
(I have the same problem... [emoji4])

No other indication of anything wrong (no blue smoke, cooling fluid increase) but the saildrive seal hasn't been touched for over 10 year.

Cheers

[Pete7]

How have you got a sail drive on a Moody 31 Mk 2? They are normally shaft drive or are you looking at the later S31 with curvy hull and flowery 1990s material for seats and curtains?

Pete

[FilBrown]

Old info on my profile.
I sold her 3+ years ago
I'm chasing a Bavaria 37 at the moment.
Had survey done and the oil is one of a few things that's come up.

[Pete7]

I grabbed some screen shots of you M31 when she was for sale in case we decide to put a D1-30 in ours :-)

Sorry can't help with a sail drive, never had one, but is there s space between the gearbox base and the drive leg top, which is now full of oil?

Of course someone could have simply forgotten it which is probably more likely.

What you do about it is tricky. If the boat hasn't moved much over the winter I would just carry on as I don't see the seller discounting the price by the cost of a recon gearbox given the time of year and the demand, but you could try.

Pete

[mrm]

Simplest check first - see if oil drain hole at the bottom end of the leg is plugged. If left open after service, mystery solved If closed, open and see if any oil drains. If there is new oil inside, catch it to a clean container and reuse / top up as needed.

[FilBrown]

The drain plugs are in and are tight and there's no sign of any oil in the bottom of the engine or bilge area.

[seaclone]

the sail drive shaft seal most likely is leaking i had this happen after 12 years and was a simple fix but had to pull the boat out press in a new seal

[FilBrown]

Originally Posted by seaclone

the sail drive shaft seal most likely is leaking i had this happen after 12 years and was a simple fix but had to pull the boat out press in a new seal

Hi seaclone

Just so I can say what I'm gabbing about with some clarity when I go back to them. [emoji4]

The sail drive shaft seal is not the same as the seal that keeps the water out.

So if it is the shaft seal will the gear oil have dropped into the leg or will it leak into the water?

Fil

[seaclone]

the oil fills the leg and transmission so when the bottom seal fails oil can run out or worse water gets in and the oil then looks like milk best bet pull the boat check the bottom drain plug open and drain change the seal and refill and watch for a day to ensure no other area is leaking the sail drives can suffer cracks due to electrolysis if the zinks fail i have seen one at our port that had several holes and required replacement

[xhogpilot]

The dipstick high and low marks represent about a shot glass worth of oil. You may have oil in the leg, but it is a bit low. Try adding a very little at a time until it registers.