Velvet drive questions

What is the best way to check fluid level ? Does the tranny need to be warmed up ?
Best fluid to use ?
How often should be fluid be changed ?

Attached is the Borg Warner service manual. It will answer all your questions regarding the Velvet Drive service. Be sure and find the BW tag on your transmission so you are looking at the correct information. Checks and maintenance is on page 24 of the manual.
Cheers
Larry B

Read the manual. These are obsolete and poorly built in many ways. Proper maintenance is the key.

Edelweiss said:

Attached is the Borg Warner service manual.
Cheers
Larry B

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Great stuff, Larry. Thanks!!

Thanks Larry That covers it all .

Thanks! A good addition to the library.

This is timely information. Sunday I managed to somehow catch a submerged, unmarked crab pot and suck it up into my propeller. The engine died, I restarted a couple of times in an attempt to move the craft enough to tie up to a break water (it was the wall in the fairway to the Ballard locks) so as not to get blown into shore. Managed to just grab the end of it. The boat gets lifted tomorrow to check the running gear, hope it's not too bad, and the transmission is not busted.

One transmission item seldom covered in manuals is this.

If your oil cooler is above the transmission (as most are) and if it was installed with the oil lines pointing down (to save hose & fittings maybe) then it will drain into the transmission when the engine is stopped and give a false high reading.

The cure: turn it over so the lines point up or figure it's volume and add this to the "full" transmission remarking the dipstick for future.

Daddyo... "poorly built" I think not.

Dave:

I had a similar event last year. Mine was just the line, not the pot too. The velvet drive survived and was fine once the line was removed. I was only going about 2-3 knots when it happened though. Hope the shaft and propeller are good. Lotsa pots out there and tasty dungeness crab too

Same thing here with the crab pot on our last boat. The only damage was to the cutless bearing. The rubber bearing broke free from the brass sleeve as the line wrapped around the shaft/strut from the side torque. Replaced the bearing and that was it.

I caught a crab pot which caught 3 others which really slowed me down. luckily no problems.

I did catch my dink painter. It wrapped so tight, the line turned in to a solid cylinder of hard plastic that surrounded the shaft. I had to cut it off with a hacksaw. I believe this is what caused the nut holding the coupling to the transmission to loosen and allow the trans fluid to leak out. I replaced the oil seal while I was at it and got a new nut since it can only be used once. Torqued it as close to 200 lbs as I could.

Since my cooler is above the trans, I check the level as soon as I shut down.

Thanks for all the input folks, I'm hoping for the best, will report back when I find out the extent of the issue. I did try and dive on it, but low visibility and getting cut on the metal brought me back up quickly.

I'm thinking of adding a cutter to the shaft while it's out.

meridian said:

Since my cooler is above the trans, I check the level as soon as I shut down.

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If your oil inlets facing down, still no good. The hot fluid drains out instantly.

I am so happy they don't have crab pots on the Great Lakes!!!

Our transmission cooler is mounted with the in/outlet horizontal. We try to change the fluid every 200 hours. We remove 2.5 quarts and replace with the same. After 8K hours, here's what the narrative section of last years oil analysis. We changed the oil sooner than normal at a convenient location.

Ouch, can anyone recommend a good prop guy in Seattle?

dhmeissner said:

Ouch, can anyone recommend a good prop guy in Seattle?

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Oh Sh.t! Try Northlake Propeller. They help us out on a quick turn around or ask the yard who they use.

Northlake Propeller Seattle Propeller Repair and Sales

dhmeissner said:

Ouch, can anyone recommend a good prop guy in Seattle?

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Shoulda used PropSpeed!

So bolt cutters and a good sharp knife got the crab pot and line off the prop, but it's chewed up enough that I want the 21lh19 prop to go to a shop and get fixed. Problem is, there is not enough clearance to slide it off without removing the skeg and dropping the rudder. The shaft was replaced in 2011 and perhaps the yard that did the job used a shaft about 3/4" too long.

The shaft looks fine and the prop will turn fine by hand with the Velvet drive in neutral.

Problem with that is, we got the bolts securing the skeg out, but can't seem to remove it due to what looks like maybe 5200? Hopefully the crew at the boatyard can help me out tomorrow.

I hate to say it but now is the time to pull the shaft and cut it to the right length. It's nuts that you now can't pull the prop with the boat in the water because the shaft is slightly to long.

What about if you take the steering quadrant off the rudder post so you can turn the rudder a full 90 deg. to the prop. Will that get you enough room to pull the prop?

Capt.Bill11 said:

I hate to say it but now is the time to pull the shaft and cut it to the right length. It's nuts that you now can't pull the prop with the boat in the water because the shaft is slightly to long.

What about if you take the steering quadrant off the rudder post so you can turn the rudder a full 90 deg. to the prop. Will that get you enough room to pull the prop?

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I tried that. Turning the rudder 90', no joy. I agree now is the time to make things right.

dhmeissner said:

I tried that. Turning the rudder 90', no joy. I agree now is the time to make things right.

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Bummer. But better now than at a bad time later.

Nicely done there! Whoop!

I hate to break it to you, but I don't think that crab pot is salvageable.

For the prop, I've had good luck with both Krueger and the Mukilteo Prop Shop (don't ask me whether its the prop shop or the prop shop, I can never remember). We are actually blessed in this area on having a number of good shops, all doing reputable work. Have not dealt with Northlake but have heard good things.

5200 is evil and those who use it for stuff like this should be stoned. Actually being Seattle, if they use it, they probably are stoned.

I'd pull and chop that shaft too, but do some rough measuring as it looks like you may also need to have the bow lowered a bit to get it out. Don't ask why I know to anticipate this.

I like to have this kind of stuff as easily serviceable as possible, best to get it sorted now. Things have a bad way of winding up in this condition when you are north of Nanaimo and its not quite so convenient to work on. I don't know why, but it seems to be the land of dinette table generator rebuilds and other similar adventures.

Daddyo said:

Read the manual. These are obsolete and poorly built in many ways. Proper maintenance is the key.

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Sorry, but I have to pick at this as the 71 series direct drive transmission is one of my favorites. I admit it. They are compact and have a shallow down angle.

Okay, so the Velvet Drive 70 series transmissions are "poorly built in many ways". Strange that in many ways I would agree, yet somehow I don't think much "information" is being conveyed to state it that way ignoring that with their simplicity they are in final analysis one of the most reliable units you can own.

I think to color this in a bit better, I would shade it like this...

The Velvet Drive 70 series transmissions are "poorly built in many ways", just as the Caterpillar 3208 is "poorly built in many ways". They are. Really. Both of them. Yet, I'd also go out of my way to find and buy a boat that had them. Both have a rather strong history of lasting and lasting. Both are reliable, even with their shortcomings. They are predictable and both are at the low end of the cost of maintaining, especially the VD.

BTW, if Mike is still up at Harbor Marine in Everett, he's about the best guy out there for Velvet Drive's and just happens to be in our back yards.