Yoke/exhause bellows, any warnings before I start?

[brokemerc]

Well the drive on my 95 bayliner capri 3.0 alpha-1 gen-2 will be like new so I might as well install new bellows to insure the drive won't get wet. I've looked through the manual and it looks pretty straight forward and easy (which totally worries me).. Is it really that easy? My upper exhause bellows looks fairly new,, my bottom drive/yoke bellows appears to be stiff so that's the one i'm concerned about replacing. Any warnings before I begin? Should I invest in a spreader tool or would something else work just as well. Thought I'd research this repair before jumping off a cliff, I mean tear into it..

 

[tommays]

Re: Yoke/exhause bellows, any warnings before I start?

It requires a good FULL day of time( your first time ) and you should really also change the lower shift cable and shift shaft seals while it is apart AND if the wires on the trim switchs look bad now would also be the time



The manual covers everything BUT you really need to watch the small things like how it tells to place the hose clamps if you do it wrong the clamp will rub a hole in the bellows


Tommays

 

[Don S]

Re: Yoke/exhause bellows, any warnings before I start?

My upper exhause bellows looks fairly new,, my bottom drive/yoke bellows appears to be stiff so that's the one i'm concerned about replacing.

The upper bellows is the ujoint bellows, the lower is the exhaust bellows.
Which one are you really talking about.
If someone replaced the bellows some time ago, but not the yoke, that is the reason for the oil leak and not a water leak.

 

[brokemerc]

Re: Yoke/exhause bellows, any warnings before I start?

Your right,, the upper UJoint Bellows is the one i'm talking about replacing.

 

[Don S]

Re: Yoke/exhause bellows, any warnings before I start?

It's all pretty straight forward, and the Gen II bellows is a lot easier to change the the earlier versions.
The biggest problem on the Gen II drives is that hose between the transom shield and the drive, the one for the gear lube reservoir. If you are unlucky enough to have the plastic one, chances are between trying to remove that hose from the transom shield, you will probably break it off. What I have learned to do is inside the boat on the transom shield is a quick disconnect for the hose, disconnect it, pull the E ring off the fitting and push it out before you pull to hard on the bellhousing and break it. Then after replacing the bellows, push the fitting back in and put the E ring on a the QD fitting.
One other thing, remove the reservoir and empty it before you disconnect that hose. or all the gear lube in the reservoir will run into the bilge.
Just follow manual 14, section 4A, and you should be fine.

 

[brokemerc]

Re: Yoke/exhause bellows, any warnings before I start?

Thanks for the info Don.. Just out of curiosity how many hours does that job pay (U-Joint bellows)???

 

[Don S]

Re: Yoke/exhause bellows, any warnings before I start?

It pays whatever it takes.

 

[brokemerc]

Re: Yoke/exhause bellows, any warnings before I start?

Yea that kind of makes sense. I know my son works for Ford and they pay by the job,, if the book pays 4 hours for a job and he can get it done in 1 he pockets 3 free hours of pay (reason some weeks he gets paid for 90-100 hours of work @ 24.00 per hour, pretty good for a 19 year old..).. Didn't know if boat repair was the same..

 

[Don S]

Re: Yoke/exhause bellows, any warnings before I start?

Basically, Merc has a flat rate manual that they use to pay dealers for warranty work and is a STARTING point for the dealer. But the numbers in that manual usually have nothing to do with reallity, and Merc also pays actual on 99% of the jobs (at least they did with us).
We ALWAYS went over flat rate times. Usually for the simple fact that the rates were designed with an engine and drive sitting on a stand in front of a tech that has done the job a zillion times. Not with the engine in a boat with totally impossible access, or having been in salt water all it's life without any maintenance.
Like that engine in my post about a salt water engine, he wanted to know how much to get it running. Want to estimate that??????

 

[brokemerc]

Re: Yoke/exhause bellows, any warnings before I start?

arugh----nope.

 

[achris]

Re: Yoke/exhause bellows, any warnings before I start?

.....Like that engine in my post about a salt water engine, he wanted to know how much to get it running. Want to estimate that??????

My estimate would be "How much is a new V8 package, plus a couple of grand to get the old stuff out"