help- big crack in outdrive... how much will this cost me

[MI_Boat]

Re: help- big crack in outdrive... how much will this cost me

Okay- so I get the bell housing off tonight. Bunch of quick questions:

1. How can I tell if the shift cable needs replaced. Looks good to me, I don't see any areas where its stretched, frayed, bent etc.

2. The bellows all look good. They are still pliable, not dry as all with no cracking in the creases. I assume this means I can reuse them? If I reuse them, can I buy just the adhesive. Given that I have things apart, is there some sort of protective I can apply to keep them pliable?

3. I checked the gimbal bearing and it seems to be in good shape. (water in the u-joint bellows). It spins smoothly and has no apparent wobble or slop. I assume I can just re-pack it with grease.

4. I still need to check the u-joints for wear due to the water, what am I looking for here? I assume they should articulate freely, but w/o slop etc. Assuming they are good, should I add grease and be done

5. Lastly, since I had water in the u-joint bellows, I was expecting a rip or tear somewhere - bit all looks good. My assumption now is that it was not sealed well on the transom? And by cleaning everything very well - both the bellows and connection point, that I'll be in good shape? Is there some other place I should be looking?

Thanks everyone for the help. This thread has been hugely valuable to me. I'm on about day 10 of my boat ownership journey and I think I know more now than I ever expected i would.

 

[texomatom]

Re: help- big crack in outdrive... how much will this cost me

Considering the effort required to perfrom this repair, I would not put back used bellows, gimbal bearing or shift cable. Cheap insurance ..... Do it right the first time.


good luck

Tom

 

[stonyloam]

Re: help- big crack in outdrive... how much will this cost me

1) If it shifts smoothly through all the gears (F, N, R) it should be OK.

2) Chances of getting the driveshaft bellows off without damage is pretty slim. A bad drive bellows can sink a boat in a couple of hours,don't chance it. I would replace with OEM bellows. More expensive, but seem to be heavier than aftermarket. Take a real good look at the shift bellows, if NO checks or cracks, should be OK. If the exhaust bellows looks OK you can go ahead and reuse it.

3-4) Gimbal bearing must be absolutely smooth, and the u-joints should be rust free.

5) Had to be a leak somewhere. You are right clean as well as you can, use bellows cement and you should be OK.

Good luck.

 

[MI_Boat]

Back at it

Back at it

Okay- I've got the parts and tools and plan to begin reassembling everything this afternoon. I had to wait for the parts and had already scheduled to have a new boat cover made this week- so the boats been out of my driveway all week (likely exciting my neighbors ;-).

Please stand by as I'm sure I'll have questions for you all . I've got the manual printed and other ref materials ready- they will be at my side as I work.


Thanks