temperedtim
Seaman
- Joined
- May 13, 2009
- Messages
- 50
Hello,
I am new to owning a boat but not boats in general. My father gave me his 1993 Maxum bowrider last spring with a blown 3.0L motor. Well I have finally gotten around to buying another motor and am ready to take on this project. Last spring I removed the old motor and found some things that began to worry me. First was that the oil in my lower unit was merky.....suggesting a leak somewhere. Second is that my U joints are rusty...not covered in rust but spot rusty. Now that I have a running motor i dont have to worry about that....but now these other issues plague me.
Some more details...
the boat was used mainly in salt water, 2-3 times a year, then it would sit the rest of the time, sat 2 complete years before I got it.
The bellows are firm and I cant find any holes with my hands, although it is very greasy in there.
The gimbal bearing in pretty clean and spins freely and doesnt seem to get hung up at all for a full 360 degrees.
When I removed the top plate on outdrive the bearing and upper gears look VERY clean...no browning...no white residue...nothing, I drained the oil before removing it last spring so I cannot comment on oil color etc right now, but it was merky...cloudy, I doubt it was ever changed prior to my ownership.
So.....any help? I have read up on replacing bellows and it appears to be VERY difficult..... Any recommendations? Obviously Im trying to stay away from having the outdrive resealed etc simply for financial purposes.
I dont expect this boat to last a hundred years, but I dont like to leave to much to chance....my father thinks I should put the motor in...bolt the drive on and run it.....change the outdrive oil frequently...should I do just that?? thats not really my style.
I am new to owning a boat but not boats in general. My father gave me his 1993 Maxum bowrider last spring with a blown 3.0L motor. Well I have finally gotten around to buying another motor and am ready to take on this project. Last spring I removed the old motor and found some things that began to worry me. First was that the oil in my lower unit was merky.....suggesting a leak somewhere. Second is that my U joints are rusty...not covered in rust but spot rusty. Now that I have a running motor i dont have to worry about that....but now these other issues plague me.
Some more details...
the boat was used mainly in salt water, 2-3 times a year, then it would sit the rest of the time, sat 2 complete years before I got it.
The bellows are firm and I cant find any holes with my hands, although it is very greasy in there.
The gimbal bearing in pretty clean and spins freely and doesnt seem to get hung up at all for a full 360 degrees.
When I removed the top plate on outdrive the bearing and upper gears look VERY clean...no browning...no white residue...nothing, I drained the oil before removing it last spring so I cannot comment on oil color etc right now, but it was merky...cloudy, I doubt it was ever changed prior to my ownership.
So.....any help? I have read up on replacing bellows and it appears to be VERY difficult..... Any recommendations? Obviously Im trying to stay away from having the outdrive resealed etc simply for financial purposes.
I dont expect this boat to last a hundred years, but I dont like to leave to much to chance....my father thinks I should put the motor in...bolt the drive on and run it.....change the outdrive oil frequently...should I do just that?? thats not really my style.
