1991 Alpha 1 Gen 2 Bellows and Gimbal Bearing Job

[Roadblock007]

Anyone have a crafty way to get the 5/8ths nut off the shift cable without the special tool? Have it ordered...but its not going to be here for a few days.

9/16" spark plug socket with a wrench.

 

[cchamp]

9/16" spark plug socket with a wrench.

Thanks, Will try that. Got everything off, sanded down, new gimbal bearing installed. Was an absolute beast to get mine out. Had purchased a tool set online that I thought would get the job done but ended up having to go rent a slide hammer from my local auto parts store to get it out. Torqued the removal tool from the kit so hard it bent.

AChris, I should have paid more attention to your post about the damn gear lube line. Broke the fitting when I was removing it...but I think there is still enough meat on the bone for me to secure a replacement line to it. I think I'm about halfway done, just need parts to arrive. Kids are dying to get out on the lake, both days this weekend are 95 and sunny. Bad timing to be out of the water.

 

[achris]

Lucky you. It's been 5 degrees here overnight and high teens daytime. I should go fishing, but it's too cold for this little black duck. Anything less than 20 and all I want to do is hide in the (warm) bed.... Even going out the other evening to watch the ISS going over was uncomfortable...

Chris..
(It's the miserable depths of winter here. And clear skies only mean colder nights. )

 

[cchamp]

The line doesn't pass THROUGH the gimbal housing. It pushes onto a small plastic fitting, which breaks really easily, and is a dog to replace. The fitting to bell housing is only about 200mm long.

Chris.....

Well.....damn. Looks like there is not enough left to make me feel confident the lube line is going to hold. Have about half an inch....and I can't get something secure enough to make me feel good about it. I see it is going to be a dog to remove. Damn damn damn...do you know the part number and/or have any advice on how to go about this?

 

[cchamp]

I managed to get the part out....so it looks like I can either replace with a similar metal fitting (22-18922/18923) or go back to the same plastic fitting that snapped (22-861163/22-861150T02). Are these interchangeable or do I have to stick with what was originally on the boat? Man...lesson learned on this one. Ooof.

 

[achris]

Sorry, not interchangeable. You have to stick with the original.

 

[cchamp]

Sorry, not interchangeable. You have to stick with the original.

Thanks. Parts unfortunately won't arrive until next week so I'm trying to take care of some little things. There is, what I think is, a safety line going from the gimbal ring to the bell housing. When I was removing the screw from the bell housing it sheared off and appears to be completely seized. I could wrestle with it for a bit to remove it but just want to make sure its worth it and that I understand the purpose. Is it simply to hold the prop up should the trim cylinders fail or does it serve some other purpose?

 

[Rick Stephens]

Sounds like grounding wires. Keeps corrosion from eating your drive.

 

[cchamp]

Sounds like grounding wires. Keeps corrosion from eating your drive.

Here is a pic of where it attaches to the gimbal ring. The other ring end was secured with a screw to the bell housing. I heard it called a "safety wire" on a youtube video done by Zachs Garage (his videos are excellent). Wasn't sure what it was.

 

[Rick Stephens]

Ground strap.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,..... Continuity wire in the manuals, to help with corrosion,.....

 

[cchamp]

Ayuh,..... Continuity wire in the manuals, to help with corrosion,.....

Thanks, so I've broken two drill bits on the sheared screw. How important is it? Can I drill an adjacent hole and use that?

 

[Rick Stephens]

Thanks, so I've broken two drill bits on the sheared screw. How important is it? Can I drill an adjacent hole and use that?

Yup.

 

[achris]

Thanks, so I've broken two drill bits on the sheared screw. How important is it?

If you don't want your drive to corrode, quite important!

Can I drill an adjacent hole and use that?

Yes. Make sure that the wires are actually getting metal to metal contact too. Pointless having a continuity wire with no continuity. :facepalm:

Chris....

 

[cchamp]

Finally got the replacement gear lube line fitting and got it in.....and am finishing up the job today. Question- what is the large black ring here and where does it go? None of the videos I've watched address it:

 

[cchamp]

Found it, nevermind.

 

[cchamp]

Alright...job done (mostly). Did an absolute ton of work to my boat over the last 4 weeks. Impeller, seal carrier, trim senders, bellows, shift cable, gimbal bearing. Spark plug wires and distributor cap and a few other in boat things. Basically half of what I took apart was old/falling apart and needed to be replaced. Learned an absolute ton about out-drives and how they function.

When I went to fire it up it took me a looong time to get it to crank. Was right there but would never catch. On my "I'll try it one last time before I call it" crank it started and died. Then I got it to run after that. Have to say it initially ran pretty rough but eventually smoothed out. Shifts OK, a little clunky but about what I remember

Noticed it goes through a cycle where it will run somewhat rough, engine will be a bit shaky, idling around 700-800 RPMs then will smooth out, sound perfect, and rev up to about 900-100 rpms. It will do this cycle about every 30 seconds, the rough cycle lasting longer than the smooth. Any idea what the cause could be or if that is simply normal?


Need to calibrate my trim senders, any videos or guidance that you have would be appreciated.

 

[Rick Stephens]

Might check and see if you have an intake leak. Then check your fuel filter by dumping its contents into a clear container, see if only clean gas there. Then rebuild your carburetor. Age and a little water are hard on the fuel and fuel system. No idea what motor you have, but I expect my 4.3L to run perfectly stable once warmed up. If it doesn't, something is wrong.

 

[cchamp]

Might check and see if you have an intake leak. Then check your fuel filter by dumping its contents into a clear container, see if only clean gas there. Then rebuild your carburetor. Age and a little water are hard on the fuel and fuel system. No idea what motor you have, but I expect my 4.3L to run perfectly stable once warmed up. If it doesn't, something is wrong.

Thanks. Its a 17 year old boat and I don't think the carb has ever been rebuilt. I have the kit, just have to find time to clean it out. Will check fuel filter as well, thanks for the tips.

 

[cchamp]

Did the same thing this morning...hard to start cold then ran fine when warmed up. Let it sit a while and then could not start it. Took apart the fuel filter, dumped contents, cleaned it a bit (new one arrives next week). Looked to be in fair condition. Checked anti-siphon valve, realized I do not have one (no check ball, guess previous owner took care of that). Cleaned the hell out of it anyway. Sprayed a little carb cleaner in the carb AND THEN realized that I may be a bit low on gas and the boat was parked on a slightly downward incline. When I looked inside the gas tank level looked pretty low where the pickup occurs, maybe had a little less than half tank of gas but the incline pooled the gas away from the pickup. Went and topped it off and no more problems. Not sure which of the above worked (most likely gas and or fuel filter) but I'll take it. Heading to the lake.