I gave up on oil wonkery about ten years ago, but I still check in to BITOG every once in awhile. I don't know exactly which Merc 25w40 this was because the previous owner wasn't that specific.
The 4.5L is a relatively new engine, and mine probably has more hours than 99% of them because of...
Good morning, everyone.
I recently upgraded to a 2019 Monterey that I bought at an auction last spring. It was a fleet boat for a local boat club, so it had 1,100 hours on the clock at the start of the season. The club mechanics told me they changed the oil every 100 hours and use OEM...
Thanks! I’ve ordered parts and tools. I will probably finish the season before digging into it, but the job looks relatively simple once I have everything I need.
I also forgot to ask whether I’ll need to re-shim the pack when I replace the yoke? Or can I reuse the existing shims? @achris Youtube videos have been really useful, and I’m about to bite the $150 bullet and order an in-lb torque meter for bearing preload. Kind of frustrating to buy an...
Thanks, everyone. Looks like I was wrong about the gasket because it’s still slowly leaking. Seems like time to get some tools and figure this thing out.
Yup, it’s slowly dropping. I put things back together, and it dropped from full to the min line after about 8 hours of engine time. From...
Right, but that wouldn’t explain the pool of oil in the bellows. It was more than a single paper towel could absorb; I couldn’t believe how much was in there.
I expected a trail of oil going downward from that hole because of spillage. The track going upward into the U-joint cavity is how I...
It looks like the driveshaft seal may not be the problem.
After thinking about it more, I put together a pressure testing rig from an old fuel pressure gauge. I drained the oil yesterday afternoon and pumped it up to 11 PSI. I rotated the shaft last night before going to bed, and 15 hours...
Wait a minute…
I was looking over my photos from yesterday, and it almost looks like a gasket problem. There’s oil extending upward from the passage and into the hole going into the U-joint bellows.
Am I overthinking this, or is this a leakpath from a failed gasket? I can’t imagine how oil...
The boat isn’t even five years old, so I’m pretty sure the bellows are fine. They look great from what I can see, and the gimbal bearing is as smooth as glass.
I just ordered a spanner wrench that will be delivered on Monday. My first glance yesterday of the service manual was kind of...
Now you’re giving me second thoughts.
From what I gather, I’d need a spanner wrench, yoke, seal, and O-ring for parts. Maybe a dial indicator and good in-lb torque wrench as well? Do any of these steps require a press?
I appreciate the quick responses, everyone. I’ll call around on Monday to see what local shops tell me. It looks like an SEI replacement can be had for just over $1,000 after shipping, so if the quotes seem close to that, I might just replace it.
Good evening, everyone.
I pulled the drive this evening to check over the U-joints and gimbal bearing. My new boat makes a bit more noise than I’m used to when turning under throttle, so I wanted to check it out. The good news is that the U-joints and gimbal bearing are smooth as glass, so...
Good evening, everyone. I haven’t seen many posts about 4.5L repairs, so I wanted to share the photos I took this morning of my thermostat replacement. This one started sticking open last week at 1,110 hours, so I wanted to replace before it thought about sticking shut.
Points to Merc for...
Thanks, that’s good to know. I might take a chance with the kit from the eBay seller because it’s already pre-cut for the boat. I don’t think I have the attention to detail to do a decent job with SeaDek templates, and I’d rather not sink a ton of money into it.
