Drive Shower

[bomar76]

Re: Drive Shower

Hey, I've got some stainless steel glovebox knobs that I guarentee will give you 5 more hp and 10 extra mph. Only $25. Anybody want one?

Not everyone on this forum has the sterotypical 35 year old Bayliner trihull w/ low compression in 3 cylinders, a rotted transom, and a bent prop.
Some of us actually have go fast type boats and are running some power through the drive(s).
There is well documented empirical evidence that the drive temperature (even in Alpha's) can get quite high, and a well designed drive shower can lower the temp significantly.

 

[wvit1001]

Re: Drive Shower

Actually my boat has a 350 mag and runs about 63 mph with the speed prop and about 56 with the high-5. I've never seen the drive so hot that you couldn't put your hand on it.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Drive Shower

Actually my boat has a 350 mag and runs about 63 mph with the speed prop and about 56 with the high-5. I've never seen the drive so hot that you couldn't put your hand on it.

Ayuh,.... That's all just Fine,+ Dandy,.... You don't need 1........


But,......

Drive Showers are just another example of boating equipment whose only real purpose is to seperate fools from their money.
OK, so it lowers the temperatures. But does that make any real difference? There are plenty of outdrives out there that run for years with no problems. Lack of maintenance is what hurts drives.
Unless your running really hard for extended lengths of time then you should save your money for beer and gas.
Hey, I've got some stainless steel glovebox knobs that I guarentee will give you 5 more hp and 10 extra mph. Only $25. Anybody want one?
Actually my boat has a 350 mag and runs about 63 mph with the speed prop and about 56 with the high-5. I've never seen the drive so hot that you couldn't put your hand on it.

Many of Us here do our boating a tad differently than You do.....
And,..... If Anything,...
The statements above tend to give Your Opinion a Serious Lack of Credibility.....

 

[wvit1001]

Re: Drive Shower

You don't have to listen to my opinion. Opinions are like a**holes, everybody's got one. Your free to spend your money anyway you want.

 

[45Auto]

Re: Drive Shower

Actually my boat has a 350 mag and runs about 63 mph with the speed prop and about 56 with the high-5. I've never seen the drive so hot that you couldn't put your hand on it.

How many times have you reached back over the transom while running over 50 MPH and put your hand on the drive????

Some people have actually put thermocouples on their drives and get REAL data! Under TYPICAL conditions most drive uppers run around 180 degrees while on plane, which would definitely be uncomfortable to touch. But maybe your drive is special.

When you come off plane so you can put your hand on it, it drops back into the water and cools down.

 

[mkast]

Re: Drive Shower

Drive Showers are just another example of boating equipment whose only real purpose is to separate fools from their money.

I use a drive shower. Since it's installation, I don't have any white spots on the stern drive anymore.
Must be magic, obviously, it doesn't work.

 

[mkast]

Re: Drive Shower

Your free to spend your money anyway you want.

Sorry, I couldn't resist this.
Try spending some on an education.

 

[wca_tim]

Re: Drive Shower

I buy the basic theory / idea, and sure it has to have some incremental impact, but I was recently told that any improvement was marginal if at all. That 1. if having a problem with lube degrading, buy better lub and change it more often, 2. if running any exhaust through the prop, drive shower ia a moot point - way more heating coming from the exhast gasses than from the internal drive friction. 3. that if the drive tolerances were right and the right lube used, it wouldn't be any problem with even remotely sane levels of power for the given drive. Further, that the vast majority of outdrives that are said to have come apart from overheating was leaking, low on fluid, hadn't been properly maintained, had lower grade lub in it or even small amounuts of water in it... That was a month or so when I was planning on putting a drive shower on my alpha drive when putting the boat back together.

Seems like the only real reason to try and lower the temp is if you can't find a gear lube that will work over the temp range with the outstanding gear lubes we have available to us, it seems like this should not be a limiting issue in the vast majority of situations.

All that being said, and just out of "curiosity". I drilled and tapped the upper gear case on my alpha drive the other day so I can swagelock fit a thermocouple to monitor the drive oil temp once I get it back together. If I can fugre out where to be safe doing it, I am tempted to try to do it in the lower case as well. I'm already fitting a thermocouple to monitor oil temp and have a bunch of that kind of stuff laying around, so what the heck, what's one more lead... I'll let you know in a few months if I learn anything... I'm not planning on the drive shower unless the "data suggests" that it is warranted...

regarding the deposits on the upper from the drive running hot... wouldn't they be washed off by a drive shower anyhow?

 

[wca_tim]

Re: Drive Shower

Sorry, I couldn't resist this.
Try spending some on an education.

Dude, that's just plain wrong!! (note that I'm smiling and in a good natured way... no slam or even criticism intended!!!! I also know full well you were chuckling and smiling an a good - natured way when you posted it...)

I guess I would submit that some of the most intelligent people I've met have little or no formal education, and that there are more than a few people I know who have an awful lot of letters behind their titles, that I would hesitate to trust to tie my shoes... My only point is that education comes in many forms. Even though I've got one of those piled higher and deeper kinds of educations, I always seem to learn a ton, perhaps even the most, from those who might be judged "shorter" with a formal education measuring stick...

No type or amount of education changes the measure of a man or a mind.

...and with that, I'll get off my self-important soap box and be quiet...

 

[45Auto]

Re: Drive Shower

My guess is that you won't be putting enough power through the Alpha to make much difference (unless you're planning to grenade the Alpha).

Be interesting to see your data. Where exactly did you locate the thermocouple?

We got a new portable data acquisition system at work last summer, maybe I'll modify a vent plug and/or drain plug for my Bravo to take a thermocouple if I get bored over the next few weeks.

 

[mkast]

Re: Drive Shower

The deposits are from the drive getting hot enough to vaporize sea water.
A lot of individuals on these forums talk about "maintenance" but the majority run their equipment just like their cars, "run em til they break", then I hear "piece of junk".
The shower is a way to lower temp in the drive so gear lube doesn't break down over the season. We know everybody changes the lube religiously.

 

[Robj]

Re: Drive Shower

If you are worried about the oil in your drive breaking down due to high operating temperatures, put in synthetic lube. They have better oxidation resistance, and higher viscosity index than dino oils. Myself, I can't see why a shower is required, except maybe in the extreme high performance cases.

Have a great day,

Rob.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Drive Shower

Myself, I can't see why a shower is required, except maybe in the extreme high performance cases.

Ayuh,....
I don't see where Anybody is advocating that they are Required,.....

Mine Will have 1 at some point,....
Because,.....
I Know for a fact, it won't Hurt a thing,.....
And,.....
It just might Help,......... At Times..................

 

[wca_tim]

Re: Drive Shower

My guess is that you won't be putting enough power through the Alpha to make much difference (unless you're planning to grenade the Alpha).

I'm sorta expecting to gernaid the alpha (eventually)...

it's going to be behind a well-built 383; HP ca. 400, Torque > 400....

... Althoug the engine builder says it should hold up fairly well if I keep after it, don't hammer it hard right out of the hole and don't go ramping wakes or running across the sound in 2-3 foot waves (18 ft boat...) under heavy throttle...

I'll just have to see how it holds up. If it comes unglued in the near future, I'll have a second complete outdrive to keep me on the water until I decide on upgrades... whether drive or maybe even boats...

ps. does anybody have an real experience with cryo treating? No wait... I'll start a new thread...

 

[mkast]

Re: Drive Shower

Myself, I can't see why a shower is required, except maybe in the extreme high performance cases.

I use an Alpha 1 with a 1.32:1 gear ratio on the back of a 454 with a Crane cam, Offenhauser intake with a 750 Holley. Land and Sea stern jack with a Quicksilver Power 2 two speed prop.
Calm down, the boat weighs 2750 dry.

The drive shower has turned stern lube into a non issue.

 

[Riv]

Re: Drive Shower

Gentlemen; I didn't know that a question of this nature would get such a response! I do beleive I would agree with Bondo. A little added insurance never hurt anybody. And as far as fluids, I use synthetics, change then every year (I usually don't put on 100 hrs per season) plus I always check them before each use. I would like to thank everyone for their comments.

 

[QC]

Re: Drive Shower

Cooler is good, especially in high load situations . . . with that said, most of us are not working the lube as hard as mkast. Nothing wrong with that, but the fact is, a 140 in front of an Alpha or a 320 in front of a Bravo are not giving these things anything to stress about.

I have an OEM background and I always wonder why the Merc Bravos with over 500 bhp don't have 'em . . . Oh and by the way, I don't believe it is to protect their parts business, that's malarkey (possibly bull puckey). It is waaaaay more important to them that their product actually works. They'll get the parts biz anyway as they will eventually get trashed, but IMHO it is a waste if we are talking low bhp and OK manitenance. I don't think I'd add one to a 425 . . .

 

[mkast]

Re: Drive Shower

Picture deleted.

 

[mkast]

Re: Drive Shower

You can see the drive shower.

 

[bomar76]

Re: Drive Shower

You can see the drive shower.

Don't have another one of those Alpha extension boxes laying around, do ya?

Those are rare birds, would love to run across one.