"Grinding" noise from sterndrive

[Captain Obvious]

Re: "Grinding" noise from sterndrive

Thanks guys. I'll take your advice and try to disassemble the cable at the throttle and pull the slide and cable out together. If that doesn't work, I'll just cut it.

I got a spanner wrench for the u joint retainer nut and a hinge pin tool today as well. Both are also...... stuck.

Then manual says you can heat the hinge pins to help loosen (the glue I guess), but I had no luck. I am using a standard socket, so I'm looking to get more leverage. I guess 95lbs is more than I had today.

 

[sterndrive]

Re: "Grinding" noise from sterndrive

Didn't any of you guys notice, the transom plate is rotted ,where the bellows is attached -foward end ?

 

[BAYLINER185]

Re: "Grinding" noise from sterndrive

I think your refering to to the gymbal bearing....thats what hes replacing.

 

[Captain Obvious]

Re: "Grinding" noise from sterndrive

The transom was completely rebult / replaced last year. There hasn't been a drop of water in the bildge area, although the bellows leaked like crazy.

I'm hoping to figure out what the cause was for the leaking because the bellows do look new. I think Jason may be right with the hinge pins rubbing a hole in the bellows, or the mechanic who repaired the transom didn't seal the bellows correctly when he installed them. Unfortunately it was the past owner's mechanic who did the work so I don't have a leg to stand on if it turns out to be their fault.

I should know by now, but I still can't get the hinge pins and shift slide off to check...

 

[Don S]

Re: "Grinding" noise from sterndrive

Good catch sterndrive, in his photo it does look like the transom shield is corroded off. Hard to tell from that picture, but it's a very common problem when water is allowed to set in the bellows.

 

[Captain Obvious]

Re: "Grinding" noise from sterndrive

Thanks guys.

I have no idea what it should look like under normal conditions so I'll post a picture once I get the bell housing off.

I could not find anything called the transom shield in the manual. If it is the piece the bellows attach to, then that piece is corroded for sure. I assumed it occured as a result of water in the bellows, but didn't think it was the cause of the water in the bellows.

On a positive note, I did get the inner cable pulled through and removed the shift slide all in one piece. I've read that old ones can cause the engine to stall, but after getting it out, it looks new (the other cables were replaced recently, so this could have been also).

I should be able to borrow a longer wrench this week to get the hinge pins and ujoint retainer off. The spanner wrench and standard socket just aren't cutting it.


I should have this all fixed by 2010. Did I mention it was 77 degrees today?

 

[sterndrive]

Re: "Grinding" noise from sterndrive

Thanks Don

 

[Don S]

Re: "Grinding" noise from sterndrive

I could not find anything called the transom shield in the manual.

It's kind of a slang term for the Gimbal housing or Transom Assembly as it known in section 4 of the OEM service manual.

 

[sterndrive]

Re: "Grinding" noise from sterndrive

Dont shoot the messenger, but you need to replace the transom assy.

The area that is "eaten away" is where the u-joint bellows clamp holds the bellows in place.

You risk ruining any parts you are replacing not to mention possible flooding the bilge compartment should bellows become unattached.

 

[Captain Obvious]

Re: "Grinding" noise from sterndrive

Hey Guys,

I'm in the process of removing the bell housing on my Alpha I drive and have a question.

It's the "new" style of shift cable with the shift cable retaining nut on the aft side of the drive. I've purchased the tool to remove it, but notice as I loosen the nut, the cable twists with it. I've loosened the bellows fastener so the bellows could spin freely and that didn't help. I'm a little afraid of binding up the outer cable (the core wire has been removed) as it would be a pain to replace.

So the question is, do I continue to twist the cable to remove the retainer nut, or do I need to do something different to remove the nut?

Thanks.

 

[Don S]

Re: "Grinding" noise from sterndrive

It's not a nut holding the shift cable in, it IS part of the shift cable. Yes, it will turn, same when putting a new one in, the out sheeth of the cable will turn. Make sure the shift cable bellows doesn't get damaged.
if you are replacing the cable, remove the inner cable, cut the outer cable. run the inner cable back down from inside the boat and use it as a guide to install the new cable and get it routed properly.

 

[Captain Obvious]

Re: "Grinding" noise from sterndrive

Thanks again for the help Don. I didn't want to tear up the outer shift cable if I could avoid it.

The transom seal kit I ordered came with all new bellows for the ujoint, exhaust, and shift cable so I'll replace all three. The shift cable was replaced last year, so I'm trying to preserve it.

The hinge pins are loose, so the bell housing comes off tomorrow!

 

[Captain Obvious]

Re: "Grinding" noise from sterndrive

I'm ready for some good news. Please.

Apparently Sterndrive and Don S were correct in their assesment of the gimbal bearing assembly. There is no way this corroded piece could be water tight. Definately needs replaced.

Since it's not in the manual, I'm guessing that changing the assembly is the easiest thing in the world right? I REALLY hope those flanges are for a tool to fit on to so it spins right out with the bearing and all right?

Somebody please tell me this isn't a major ordeal.

 

[Don S]

Re: "Grinding" noise from sterndrive

It's not hard to get the gimbal housing out of the boat once you pull the engine.
The gimbal bearing presses in (hammer and special tool), comes out with a slide hammer. But you really need a new or used gimbal housing
Might also want to look at this as an option.
"http://www.ghrkits.com/" (remove the " ")

 

[Captain Obvious]

Re: "Grinding" noise from sterndrive

Thanks Don!

I knew there would be a way to repair that without pulling the engine. That GH repair kit looks like a very good alternative. The "before" pictures look just like what I've found in my boat. I can still feel the ring that goes all the way around the assembly, but clearly the bottom has corroded away beyond recognition.

I'm curious as to how long you think it would take to create this kind of damage. In July of '06, the previous owner had the transom rebuilt and rotten wood replaced. Could that kind of corrosion taken place in 1.5 years? There was a glue used on the bellows, but the forward clamp on the ujoint bellows wasn't even tight. It never had a chance...

 

[Don S]

Re: "Grinding" noise from sterndrive

That clamp may have been tight when there was a ring there. I've seen it happen in about a year. It's just a case of poor maintenance.
Long before that housing rotted away, the gimbal bearing started making noise. It couldn't help it. Salt water makes a very poor lube. Same with the ujoints, they would be noisy. Probably water in the gear lube to.
At this point, you know you have to pull the input shaft out of the outdrive and replace the ujoints and the yoke. It is rusty and will eat up a seal in a heart beat. Then you loose gear lube out of your drive and say goodbye to another thousand + if you get an after market drive.
A boat that is kept in salt water year round should be pulled at least 2 times a year, and the drive removed and things looked at lubed and checked out.

 

[Captain Obvious]

Re: "Grinding" noise from sterndrive

Thanks. I'm not looking to go crying over spilled milk, it just seemed like a lot of corrosion in 1.5 years. The previous owner lived on brackish water and never took it in full salt after the transom was rebuilt. The boat has always been kept on a trailer. I never thought about the clamp being tight before the deterioration.

I did drain the drive, and don't believe there was any water in there. A slight green tint when it was draining, but no milky look, and very thick. No metal shavings also.

The ujoints look terrible, but they still move well. I just picked up a torque wrench and will be attaching it to the spanner wrench I bought. I'm planning on attempting the ujoint replacement after I remove the surface rust form the couplers. I should be able to inspect the yoke once I get the joints off of the drive.

Unfortunately I'm headed out of town and won't be able to work on it until next weekend. Thanks again for all the help.

 

[sterndrive]

Re: "Grinding" noise from sterndrive

One of my customers was faced with same situation as yours.
He came to me with one of those "repair kits".
I called the company to get a more complete understanding of their product.
What I learned was... and this is my interpretation.
This is not a repair but a one time patch. [My words]
When the u-joint bellows needs to be replaced in the future,
It will require the removal of everything that was installed from this kit.
Including the adaptor ring that is epoxyed in place, this is due to the fact that the adaptor and bellows from this kit are installed as one unit.
According to the person from the company, a special machine is used to stretch the bellows onto the adaptor. This is not possible by hand.
This is not to say this kit won't "work".
Just be advised, as to what you are installing

 

[Captain Obvious]

Re: "Grinding" noise from sterndrive

I appreciate it Sterndrive.

I did realize when reading up on the kit that it would be difficult to even pull the drive after installing the kit. You'd almost have to cut the ujoint bellows since the epoxy sounds pretty serious around the kit.

I'm going to investigate it, but the cost of pulling the engine to replace (I don't even come close to the resources to do it myself) the part will be a death sentence to the boat. I'd almost have to part it out at that point.

I hope there is a way to re-install bellows in the future, even if it requires a lot of work. I'll be learning as much as possible later this week and post what I find out.

 

[Captain Obvious]

Re: "Grinding" noise from sterndrive

Hey guys,

I'm back working on my "project".

I've decided to go ahead and order the gimbal housing repair kit and give it a go. I talked with the company and you could possilby replace the bellows again even using this set up, you would just have extra work and would of course have to use another kit. So far the idea of $310 to change them, even if I had to do it again in a couple of years is still better than the expense of pulling the engine at $1,000+.

Anyway...

For now I'm removing my ujoint assembly to replace my ujoints. I've used the spanner wrench to loosen the retaining nut.

The manual says you just pull the ujoint assembly straight out, but it seems to be stuck after about an inch. The manual lacks a bit here stating you should just pull the ujoints out and then remove the shims.

I removed the 4 bolts from the top of the drive and looked to see that the gears have separated and I can't see anything that would be keeping the assembly from pulling out.

I thought I'd see if anyone has run into the same thing. I don't want to put too much pressure on this and ruin parts I need to reuse.

Thanks