Mercruiser Alpha 1 Gen 1 Maintenance Questions

[acdc96]

I need to service my alpha 1 drive to replace: Bellows, Gear Case Oil, impeller, and a couple of other things. i have not serviced the drive in a couple of years cause i have not used the boat. I've only changed the gear case oil and the impeller once since I've owned the boat. I've never taken the drive off and all the "How To Videos" are on the alpha 1 gen 2 drives.
I've made a "contraption" to hold the drive while taking it off. Here are my questions:

How much gear case oil/lube do i need?
On some of the videos their is a gear oil monitor inside the boat [on the engine] but my does not appear to have one?
The kit I'm buying comes with a Gimbal bearing. do i need to replace it? will it require taking the drive apart more?

The kit I'm buying comes with the following: Bellows for u-joint, Bellows for exhaust, Bellows for shift cable, 3/4 hose, 5/8 hose, Gimbal bearing, and various O-Rings and gaskets. [I've including a pic of what comes with it]

What are the 3/4 and 5/8 hose for?

1987 Mercruiser 260HP V8 with a 1987 Mercruiser Alpha 1 Gen 1 drive

the photos of the drive are old and the drive looks a lot nicer now then in the photos. i can upload more photos if needed
thanks in advance

 

[Bondo]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha 1 Gen 1 Maintenance Questions

I need to service my alpha 1 drive to replace: Bellows, Gear Case Oil, impeller, and a couple of other things. i have not serviced the drive in a couple of years cause i have not used the boat. I've only changed the gear case oil and the impeller once since I've owned the boat. I've never taken the drive off and all the "How To Videos" are on the alpha 1 gen 2 drives.
I've made a "contraption" to hold the drive while taking it off. Here are my questions:

How much gear case oil/lube do i need? Over a quart, less than two,...
On some of the videos their is a gear oil monitor inside the boat [on the engine] but my does not appear to have one? That's a Gen.II thing,...
The kit I'm buying comes with a Gimbal bearing. do i need to replace it? will it require taking the drive apart more? Until ya pull the drive, 'n check, assume ya need it,....
It's just the next piece to be pulled in the total sequence, nothin' Extra,...

The kit I'm buying comes with the following: Bellows for u-joint, Bellows for exhaust, Bellows for shift cable, 3/4 hose, 5/8 hose, Gimbal bearing, and various O-Rings and gaskets. [I've including a pic of what comes with it]
Get an OEM Merc Shift Cable too, yer there, Do it,...
What are the 3/4 and 5/8 hose for? Yer drive will use only the 1 that fits yer application,...

1987 Mercruiser 260HP V8 with a 1987 Mercruiser Alpha 1 Gen 1 drive

the photos of the drive are old and the drive looks a lot nicer now then in the photos. i can upload more photos if needed
thanks in advance
View attachment 220244View attachment 220245View attachment 220246View attachment 220247

Ayuh,.... See the Red above,...

Good Luck, 'n grab a Manual outa Don'S Adults Only section, at the top of this forum,...

If ya do the job, Exactly as explained in the manual, it'll be a rather easy job,...
Cheat, 'n cut corners, 'n you'll just screw it up along the way,...
Been there,.... Done that, the Right way is the Easiest way,...

 

[thumpar]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha 1 Gen 1 Maintenance Questions

The drive comes off by putting it in forward, removing the trim ram pin and the 6 nuts that attach the drive to the gimbal housing. I built a stand when I first started doing mine but later just man handled it. When you get it off you can check the gimbal bearing for smoothness to see if you need to replace it. While you are in there you might want to replace the lower shift cable too. Check the U-joints also. It will take around a bottle and a half of lube. You pump it in from the bottom and when it comes out the vent it is full.

The kits come with the 3/4" and 5/8" hose because some are different sized. That hose is what hooks the water being pumped in the drive to the transom. A tip on installing that is to put the end that goes on the transom in a boiling pot of water for a minute, not touching the bottom, to soften it up.

On the bellows make sure you get the adhesive.

 

[stonyloam]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha 1 Gen 1 Maintenance Questions

Don't forget to retorque the gimbal ring clamping screws (55 ft lb).

 

[americanmcss]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha 1 Gen 1 Maintenance Questions

As Bondo put it, do it right the first time. Take your time and do it slowly, as for a beginners it took me and my brother in law a handful of two to three hour sessions to install the kit and ditto on the shift cable and gimbal bearing. The OEM service manual is a MUST HAVE if you are not experienced in that section.

Looks like your outdrive has some corrosion on it. You will want a light scotch bright pad to clean up any mounting or gasket surfaces. We found it useful when we did ours.

Good luck with the refurb!

 

[acdc96]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha 1 Gen 1 Maintenance Questions

As Bondo put it, do it right the first time. Take your time and do it slowly, as for a beginners it took me and my brother in law a handful of two to three hour sessions to install the kit and ditto on the shift cable and gimbal bearing. The OEM service manual is a MUST HAVE if you are not experienced in that section.

Looks like your outdrive has some corrosion on it. You will want a light scotch bright pad to clean up any mounting or gasket surfaces. We found it useful when we did ours.


Good luck with the refurb!

Like I said earlier... The pics of the outdrive are old (about 5 years old). The drive is now a nice gloss black. I sanded it, primed it and painted it about 3 years ago... And probably going to paint it this spring. If the motor is good.

 

[littlebookworm]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha 1 Gen 1 Maintenance Questions

Keep an eye on how the hose clamps are directed. You want to put new clamps on, aimed in the same directions. Double 1/4" universal socket drives make it easier to reach the clamps to tighten them. Make sure hose is seated exactly as shown in diagram. Warming it helps it bend properly. Hy