www.iFourWinns.com

Just noticed the corrosion problem on my outdrive. I have an "06 SX drive with 74 hours on it. I use in mostly in saltwater but have about 15 freshwater hours on it. I flush my engine with "salt-away" after each saltwater use and clean my outdrive thoroughly to remove all salt. After freshwater use I lean the outdrive with soapy water and rinse. My boat has been sitting on the trailer for the last 3 months and after yesterdays cleaning I noticed this corrosion. I have the zinc anodes on my boat. I called the dealer this morning and will get him pics ASAP. I would appreciate any contact info for Volvo warranty from those who resolved their problem.

Thanks!

Douglas Egan

Well Doug, I can't be of much help because I have to deal with different people here in Canada, but definately get in touch with your dealer, and the Warranty people from Volvo. The number for Volvo USA should be in your owners manual.

I just spoke to a Warranty rep from Volvo Canada today, and they have asked me to send the annodes for them to look at. Hopefully this is a sign of progress for my drive problem. It's kinda been slow going on this side of the border.

Dave may have some further info for you....

Cheers and good luck.

_________________
2009 H180 w/3.0 Merc
Homebuilt Minimax Hydro
2011 Zodiac Cadet 310

Can you post some pictures?

_________________
Guns kill people like spoons make people fat.
2007 Horizon 190 Gxi
97 Pathfinder SE 4x4
73 International Scout II

yyy

Here's the other side. Plus there are some others around the drain hole

Yup, that looks like the same kind of corrosion that we are/were seeing. Doug, you say your boat is an '06.... Does it have the newest style of drive on it, or the last style? Are you still under warranty coverage?

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2009 H180 w/3.0 Merc
Homebuilt Minimax Hydro
2011 Zodiac Cadet 310

Mine is an "06. It has the last style drive and is still under warranty.

Doug

Any idea if the corrosion seen has anything to do with the type of outdrive...as in the 06 and below as opposed the 06 and up?? Plus...does using in saltwater have anything to do with it....and does the type of anodes really make a difference?? And finally....how can a person tell what type of anodes you have??? I use mine only in fresh water, and I never gave much thought to what type of anodes my came with...

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2006, 220 Horizon
Kent, WA.
"Semper Fidelis"

I use mine in both saltwater/freshwater. It came from the dealer with zinc anodes. The dealer is located on a freshwater lake and says all Volvos come with zinc anodes from the factory and are sold with them. I had a Merc Alpha One in 1987. Used it strictly in saltwater and even left it in the water often. This boat I baby, flush and clean it thoroughly after each use, and keep it on the trailer. I did not have corrosion like this on my 1987 boat in 1990. I would think with new technology this would not happen.

That is not correct. Volvos usually come with aluminum anodes because at the factory they have no way of knowing with certainty where the boat will ultimately be used. Aluminum is a "compromise" anode - "better than nothing," if you will. The new owner (or, IMO, the dealer, once the sale is finalized) should replace the stock anodes with either magnesium/manganese (for fresh water) or zinc (for salt water). Yes, it does make a difference. If you didn't change the anodes when new, and you're sure the dealer didn't, I'd be willing to bet you've got aluminum anodes and based on where that corrosion is (an area of contact between two dissimilar metals), that may be the problem in this case.

I don't have first hand experience with this corrosion issue (knock on wood), but this is the first case I've heard of with this kind of corrosion on a previous generation drive. Being an '06 (during which the drives were changed over to the current generation), I'm also starting to wonder if they made a change to their paint process around the time of the drive change.

In any case, from my general knowledge of metal and corrosion, to me that does not look like it has anything to do with salt water. But again, that opinion and a buck will get you a cup of coffee.

On this generation (not the current generation), the part numbers for the different anodes are:

Gimbal Housing:
3586461 (Aluminum)
3855610 (Magnesium)
3854130 (Zinc)

Drive:
3863193 (Aluminum)
3855412 (Magnesium)
3855411 (Zinc)

The part numbers are cast into the anode but you have to remove it to see the number. Removing/changing them is a 5-minute job. While you're looking into that, you might also consider taking off your shift cover (3 small bolts) and looking for any corrosion under there, especially around those 3 bolt holes.

Since you boat in both fresh and salt, you'll need to give some thought to which one your boat spends the most time in, and either use the appropriate anodes, or (ugh) consider changing them based on where you're using it. I know, I wouldn't want to do that either.

Something else to consider may be to add on the ACPS option. Just thinking out loud here - but if it turns out that this was caused by the wrong anodes and the ones you got are not what the dealer told you, maybe you can get them to repair the drive and install the ACPS at their cost. Having ACPS might give you some more "margin for error" when going back and forth between fresh and salt, and using only one type of anodes. Sorry for rambling...

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

I'm thinking we ought to make a sticky about anodes for new buyers, with an explanation and part numbers.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

230Mike is right my boat has the aluminum anodes. While removing the anodes I discovered even more corrosion. This is disturbing. I've had zinc anodes sitting in my garage to replace the existing (which I thought were zinc). I hope someone makes it right whether the dealer or volvo.

Doug

Wow. Rest assured this is not normal for Volvo, something is way wrong here.

Assuming the whole problem is with the anodes, I'd be sure to keep a spare set on hand in the future and keep a very close eye on them - based on the amount of corrosion you've got in such a short time, you may go through anodes faster than some people.

Given where we are on the calendar, I'd demand fast action from your dealer and Volvo, and personally I'd have very little patience for either of them screwing around on making this right. (Edit: I didn't realize you're in FL, so I guess this time of year isn't any better or worse than any other.)

I'd like to have been wrong about the anodes.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

230Mike...you were right, I just checked and my came with the aluminum anodes. The one on the gimbal housing is stamped (3586461). After reading this post, I went out and inspected the crap out of my outdrive and did not find any corrosion what so ever...the whole thing still looks factory brand new....

I use my boat in fresh water about 98% of the time so I have already ordered my self a set of the magnesium replacements....by the way...what exactly is an ACPS option?? And where exactly is the shift cover you mentioned to check?? And yes...I'm a newbie...

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2006, 220 Horizon
Kent, WA.
"Semper Fidelis"

Law, on the shift cover - see Doug's picture from the center rear of his drive, showing the one black bolt? That's the lower end of the cover. It's that big swoopy piece of plastic with the "DP" or "SX" decal on it. You just remove that bolt and the two at the top of the cover, and the cover comes right off, exposing the shift cable linkage, upper fill plug, etc.

ACPS stands for Active Corrosion Protection System. Maybe Graham will chime in hear and explain how it works because I frankly haven't taken the time to get up to speed with it, but it provides an additional layer of corrosion protection. It consists of a small (~3"x4") LED indicator panel, usually mounted to the inside of the transom in the engine bay, and is connected to your battery. The LED's indicate whether the ACPS system is functioning and to what degree it's having to work to manage the currents that cause corrosion. I can't imagine it costing more than $150, even being a boat item . It comes standard with the 5.7GXi, and possibly some other packages (8.1?), but why it's standard on some packages and not others, I don't know.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic