Gimball Bearing Test?

[Brock.Ward]

Anyway to test or check or even grease the gimball bearing without taking the lower unit completely off. I got the engine running great on the 165hp mercruiser 3.7l alpha one. However it vibrates or seems to vibrate at different speeds, when i have it running on muffs and put in gear it sounds fine, if i turn the prop manually without it running in neutral i dont feel or hear any grnding its very smooth, There is a grease fitting on the top of the lower unit "shell" attached to the actually boat, is that for the gimball and the one on the right and left next to the boat shell are for trim? Any help on checking the bearing or greasing them is appreciated...

 

[Fishermark]

If you haven't pulled your outdrive, then you need to anyway to check things out - like engine alignment. You can then check the bearing for any roughness when you turn it by hand. But yes, you can certainly grease any zerks you find on your transom assembly. That will not give you the information you need by pulling the drive and checking however. It is not difficult and something that ne3eds to be done from time to time.

 

[Brock.Ward]

Thanks Fishermark, I know the lower unit gasket was replaced a few years back and it sat for a few years so I would assume they did all that then. Any recommendation on how many pumps you should do on the zerks? Also when I pull it do you have to buy a special align tool?

 

[SDSeville]

You should pull the outdrive to check alignment, bellows, gimbal bearing, and throw in a new impeller while you are at it. In the meantime, the zerk for the gimbal bearing is the one on the right ("c" in attached picture). I do about 10 pumps. Be sure to use U-Joint And Gimbal Bearing Grease and not 2-4-C.

You can get the alignment tool on ebay -- http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alpha-Bravo-...a8c761&vxp=mtr

 

[bruceb58]

when I grease my gimbal bearing, I slowly turn it while pumping grease until I see grease coming out the entire bearing. You need to have the drive off to do this. You also want to check alignment. The alignment of one of my drives was off a bit and it cause a lot of vibration. If you don't check your alignment regularly, you can wear out your coupler.

BTW, you should be pulling your drive every year.

 

[thumpar]

The drive is really easy to remove. Put it in forward gear. Take the 6 nuts off the drive. Remove the trim cylinder pin from the drive and pull it off. I would do mine by myself every other year for impeller changes and to check on things.

 

[Brock.Ward]

pulled the lower unit, water came out, old rusty water, looks like the gasket was bad...how do i tell if the gimball or ujoints are bad? Just to recap I paid $450 originally for this boat...I have so far put about $600 into it with new carpet, engine parts to get engine running new front seats etc. I honestly would rather not put an extra $1000 into it...the gimball bearing doesnt seem to be making noise when i turn it by hand, the ujoints look tight, no movement that I can tell....pictures coming...

 

[Brock.Ward]

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[Brock.Ward]

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[Brock.Ward]

hopefully you guys can see these pics, I dont own a gimball puller, do you need this to get that out? What if I clean it and grease it if I can spin it and tell its not horrible?? Same with lower unit, just clean really well and hope for the best? It has the 3.7l in it with a tick...not sure if its worth a ton of money dumped into it especially if the engine was to go in a year or two max.

 

[Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1]

While the drive is off you can pump grease into the gimbal bearing until you see it come out, then turn it by hand a bunch of times and grease it again, then turn it and grease it more... you get the picture. You want any water out of there. Use rags or paper towels to clean up the inside of the bellows and surface of the gimbal bearing. Time will tell if it is going to fail. Same with the ujoints.

Use Quicksilver bellows adhesive to hold the water O'ring in place and also the large black round gasket that goes in the bellhousing.

 

[Bt Doctur]

with water in the bellows there is also a good chance the water is in the drive too.Personally , I have seen what an exploding U joint and center section can do
to the housing. The cheapest alternative is replace the seals in the drive, the U joints, and the gimbal bearing. A whole lot cheaper than a complete transom housing.

 

[Fishermark]

Only you can tell if the gimbal bearing is good or bad. Like others have said, turn it by hand and gauge for yourself if it feels smooth or rough. It isn't terribly expensive nor hard to replace. You do need a puller of some sort to get it out. You can use the loaner tool program offered by Advance Auto Parts and others to get a puller that will work. That's free. You can shop around for the bearing online and get some good prices.

The same thing goes for the u-joints. They are typically more hearty that the gimbal bearing as they are designed to operate in wet conditions. You might be okay with simply greasing them (if they are greasable) - but again - only you can tell whether they feel tight or loose.

You ought to drain the outdrive and pressure test it. That's the only way to tell its condition. Again - easy to do and doesn't cost much money to put the tools together necessary to do the job. Take a look at the stickies at the top of the page for ideas on home made tools for these various jobs. Good luck!