Carver Owners Forum

New to me 1985 3697 Mariner with Crusader 454 ch350, Velvet Drive 1:1 to RV 40s.

Have the Velvet drive trannies done, now to the V drives which are independently mounted and easily accessible through hatches in the salon. Have found several manuals for procedure, only real question is fluid type. I have read 30 weight HD motor oil which I can only find in detergent type. Others say non detergent 30w which is available at Wally World and part stores. I called Walter and they said 30w motor oil, either detergent or non is fine. Another manual states to add 2 oz. Molybdenum disulfide (molykote) for break in, not needed after that but good to add. To confuse things further my original Crusader manual lists EP68 or APG-80 gear lube, both difficult to find.

Probably overthinking this, will go with what Walter company said, but any thoughts welcome. Also thoughts on the Molykote.

Out of curiosity, what is in them now......what general color is it and does it look clean in there. FWIW old gear oils generally have a distinctive odor.

Yup do what Walter says.

Sometimes you can find gear oils like that at tractor supply places in bulk, equipment dealers etc.

Not sure what is in there, looks pretty clean seems to be motor oil.

Attached is the portion from the manual. Sent Walter an email to clarify about the Molykote and oil.

Here is response

“ No need for molykote, it can hurt more than help.

You can use SAE 30 heavy duty motor oil, either detergent or non detergent.”

Interesting that they longer recommend molykote.

I think more interesting is the comment "it can hurt more than help". Wonder why they say that?

I could see them not recommending it, as it could be "overkill" and unnecessary with the increased shear strength on modern heavy-duty oils.

Ron , can I suggest, my advice would be and this is how I would handle it .....with whatever fluid you choose to use.....flush the case with it.

By this, I mean drain and fill, run, then drain again and fill again a few times.......that way you will be sure of what you have in there. This only applies if you have no idea what is in there now and will ensure consistency.

Yes I suppose the moly must not be needed anymore. Also I think the flush is a great idea, I will get some sae 30 HD at Wally World for the flush then some better quality. Did some research and the Valvoline VR1 straight sae 30 supposedly has a lower detergent content but higher zinc and phosphate (zddp) like the oils did back when this drive was made. May go with that.

That begs a question about engine and genset oil, I probably should post a new thread for future reference.