Alpha 1 Lower Unit Replacement Questions

[newc048]

Hey Guys,

So I had a fun experience of catching a wing dam last week with the prop and it ended up snapping the main driveshaft from the lower to the upper (not sure the technical name) along with of course mangling up the prop real well. Well I ended up getting a new lower unit of craigslist and having a few issues with the re-install.

This is my first time every doing this so a complete newb, I do have quite a bit of mechanical background but none in this area.

Few initial things I found a bit odd with the new lower:
1: When i turn the gear selector knob the shaft the prop goes onto slide in and out of the housing a bit. I don't believe this is normal but like I said I'm a newbie here.
2: The gear selector on the new lower seems to be a lot tougher to turn. I can turn it on the old drive with my fingers, on the new one i have to use a rachet. Not sure if this is because this drive has been sitting for a while with no gear lube or anything?
3: Is there a good way to "pre-oil" the lower before installing? It seems a bit tougher to turn the driveshafts than it should be, not sure if the drive needs a flush i guess you could call its if possible?
4: Is there a walkthrough written out as far as how to get the drive in gear, what to do as far as reinstalling, etc... It always helps to have a series of steps to ensure i"m not forgetting anything.

Any tips, tricks or advice is very much appreciated. Hoping to get this back together this week in attempts to not miss yet another weekend on the water.

Thanks in advance!

 

[wellcraft-classic210]

Re: Alpha 1 Lower Unit Replacement Questions

Drain the replacement drive lube and look at thee oil quality. It shouild be transparent / not milky. If its milky you could have water in the drive & resulting damage.

The shift shaft should move freely aspeacialy if you rotate the prop shaft a little.

I would do a pressure test of the replacement drive as well-- see the stickies for info on that.

You fill the drive from the bottom up with a pump. This can be done on or off the boat but its probaly easier on the boat unless you have a stand to keep it level.

The experts here may have something to add / this is based on my limited experience with my own alpha one boat.

 

[ktbarrentine]

Re: Alpha 1 Lower Unit Replacement Questions

If you just bought the replacement lower, I would doubt it has any oil in it... Does it? I sure hope you didnt get bit. Used drives are a huge risk (ebay, craigslist, etc). recommendation is to go with SEI replacement with warranty.

I am also assuming (bad to do) that you have a "good" manual to guide you. Also assuming the lower you got is a good match for the upper. Sounds like it is based on your comments about the shift shafts (before gen II can pretty much match up anything Alpha... but you need to make sure).

You should be able to fill oil into the lower until it comes out the quad ring hole if you just want to fill it to see if that makes a difference... Then drain it out, put the drives together and do the pressure test before refill. Oh....how does the water pump look... if the drive is "stiff" (old? dry?, do you really know the history of this lower unit???) like you are intimating, then a replacement water pump kit is hightly recommended... Best of luck!