Out drive issues with Volvo Penta diesels?!


C

CaptSteve

New member
Hey Guys,

We're still trying to get into a 400ss for the season and have read a lot of issues owners have had with VP out drives. Is this problem only inherent in drives with gas powered engines, or is it with diesel powered ones too.

Which drive is the one to stay away from? I'm currently looking at an 06' 400ss with a Volvo D6 350's and don't want to start spending telephone numbers on replacing drives, due to a bellows design flaw, or any for that matter. There's not much info on this topic in the I/O Drives or diesel engine sections of this forum.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Steve
 
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If going Merc you want X drives behind a diesel. With outdrives there will be more maintenance with Merc or VP over V-drives. The trade off is better performance
 
GSENT said:
Stay away from the XDP composite drives, the rest are bulletproof.
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Agree with Gary, All the problems I have heard and or seen where with the Gas versions. The Diesel drives are huge monsters!
 
I have a 400SS w Volvo D-6 350's. The drives are tough. There are a few minor updates a dealer can do when pulling a drive apart. I had a small water leak and had it fixed for less than a Merc NXT. I've had both. The lower comes apart with two bolts in less than a minute. Merc is not that easy. Great boat great power. 2.2 MPG at 30 MPH. Brought it from Detroit through erie canal all the way to the Keys. No issues.
 
Steve,
I have a 2005 400ss with Volvo D-6 350's and Volvo DPH drives. Great setup but they are expensive to replace. Volvo has updated the original DPH drive over the past 12 years and are now on DPH-D. My boat came with the original DPH-A drives and last year, with about 450 hours on them, I had water intrusion that caused upper gear and bearing issues. The drives hadn't failed yet, but there was water in the oil and a distinct whine when in gear. Instead of having the A drives rebuilt, I opted for a total replacement with the new model D drives which I understand have heavier upper gears and bearings and better all around sealing. They weren't cheap, but the installation is easy and now I have a 3 year warranty and better, and hopefully more durable, drives. My understanding is that the key to these, as with any other stern drive really, is proper annual maintenance and gradual application of the throttles when bringing it up on plane. Most of the problems I've read about with the DPH is when they are singles on heavier boats.

The other potential larger expense is the EVC system itself. My 2005 is the first generation and when replacing one of the trim pumps this year I also had to replace both trim sensors and harnesses to the newer version. That required an update to be loaded on to the EVC system. One of the EVC boxes wasn't taking the update so it had to be replaced. Not a huge cost, but certainly more than I hoped it would be when replacing the trim pump.

All in all, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. The diesel 400's seem to hold their value better than the gas ones, are cheaper to take on longer trips, and ride very nice in bigger waves. Just go into it with eyes open that Volvo parts are expensive and it takes a bit more labor time to work in the bilge due to the limited space at the sides and at the transom.
 
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