Alpha upper toast!!!!!

[nicksquid911]

I fried my upper unit on my 1988 5.0l alpha one boat. The gears are toast. Do i buy new or rebuilt? Or does anyone have a used one for cheap??

 

[Don S]

Re: Alpha upper toast!!!!!

If the upper is dead, so is the lower. The gear lube circulates through both and carries all the minute and not so minute metal particles.
The chances of the gears and bearings in the lower being worth a new upper are very close to ZERO.
Buying used is a crap shoot at best. Usually done when someone wants to unload the boat to an unsuspecting buyer.
Merc has rebuilds that are the same as new and with the same warranty. There is also an aftermarket maker of Alpha drives, which many like, but I have no first hand knowledge of.
Think about what you want and use your head and weigh the advise you will get.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Alpha upper toast!!!!!

Where can you find a diagram of Merc I/O's and their names and years, ie Alpha etc etc.

I may join the black anchor crowd and would like to start understanding how to identify these drives.

(no, I am not abandoning my OMC, it's just that I have a chance at obtaining a Merc powered boat that I cannot turn down.)

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Alpha upper toast!!!!!

Where can you find a diagram of Merc I/O's regarding their names , years and capabilities, ie Alpha etc etc.

I may soon join the black anchor crowd and would like to start understanding how to identify these drives.

(no, I am not abandoning my OMC, it's just that I have a chance at obtaining a Merc powered boat that I cannot turn down.)

 

[sker crunch]

Re: Alpha upper toast!!!!!

Here's the link....http://www.mercstuff.com/drive_id.htm

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Alpha upper toast!!!!!

Coming over to the darkside, Boom....:devil:
What will KaGee have to say about that?

 

[Fishermark]

Re: Alpha upper toast!!!!!

I have the complete SEI drive on my boat that I put on about a year ago or so to replace my Alpha 1. I am very happy with it. The only problem I have found so far, (and this seems to be a common problem with the SEI units), is the paint doesn't seem to hold up very well. I am going to need to address some corrosion issues on mine soon. But it has held up well mechanically and is certainly worth the money.

By the way - you can usually find a better deal online - even through ebay, than goind direct through SEI. Their company is just around the corner from me, but I got a better deal buying through a dealer and having one shipped to me than going there in person and picking one up.

 

[nicksquid911]

Re: Alpha upper toast!!!!!

ok......the sei route seems to be a good route for me to take......do i need the 1.47 to 1 ratio or the 1.62 to 1 ratio? i have a 5.0l v-8 200h.p.

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Alpha upper toast!!!!!

1:47

 

[180shabah]

Re: Alpha upper toast!!!!!

The standard ratio for the carbed 5.0 is 1.62, the MPI 5.0 and the 5.7 have a standard ratio of 1.47. This is on the new engines. What you need to determine is what ratio do you have now?

 

[nicksquid911]

Re: Alpha upper toast!!!!!

and how do i determine that?

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Alpha upper toast!!!!!

On an 8 cylinder?
Go to Mercstuff.comhowdoi? & it will tell you how to determine your ratio.....
OR post your serial # & someone will know
Or go to the mercruiser site with your S/N
I would be surprised if you had a 1:62 on an * cylinder......JK

 

[nicksquid911]

Re: Alpha upper toast!!!!!

according to that i have a 1.65 to 1 ratio so be suprised jammer.......haha!!

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Alpha upper toast!!!!!

That is why it is important to know your serial #.....
It will tell you what the original equipment was .....
22/20 & 24/24 gears were standard / optional on quite a few models from that era....
Don't fret though, you won't be that much slower with 1:65 gears! :devil:

 

[nicksquid911]

Re: Alpha upper toast!!!!!

will there be an advantage to putting the 1.50 upper on?

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Alpha upper toast!!!!!

That depends on your H.P. rating....
If you have a stock engine, I would go with the stock ratio.....
In theory you would get more propeller turns per turn of the engine, but if you do not get to the normal WOT range then you would be doing damage by "Lugging"..... .= bad....
I think that the bottom line would be your rated HP,& your hull weight , & your hull design....
So your Alpha 1 "Boat " still has alot of variables that need to be answered to determine what your ratio should or could be....
However, I would think that the boats manufacturer, had done some testing to see what worked best....
So, I would stick with the original ratio...

 

[nicksquid911]

Re: Alpha upper toast!!!!!

yeah i think i will stick to the stock ratio. As long as i can still fill my boat with women and get around the lake, ill be doing good!! thanx for taking the time to give me some advice.

 

[180shabah]

Re: Alpha upper toast!!!!!

Ditto. No need to change ratio unless you change power output.