New sterndrive --- purchase or rebuild

[whiskeyRichard]

Based on some good information I got from here, I needed to replace the ujoints and drive shaft in my sterndrive and also do the seals in it.

I got the manual and looked through the procedure and determined it was beyond what I wanted to do myself.

I researched either having it rebuilt or purchasing an aftermarket one and determined I would rather have a mercruiser tech rebuild it with mercruiser parts.

I did some research and found a reputable service shop near me and called them. They told me that I would be way better off buying the aftermarket upper and scraping the old unit......I was very suprised, and now I have a new unit being shipped to me from Florida.

I hope they were right.

wR

 

[alldodge]

If you talking about a Alpha and going to an SEI then yes, best move

 

[H20Rat]

Rebuilding it takes skill as well as specialized tools to do it correctly. SEI manufacturers in quantities and get the cost way down, so yes, it actually makes far more sense. SEI's also come with their no-questions-asked 3 year warranty. A rebuilt one will probably come with a warranty that ends when you drive off the dealer parking lot.

 

[Rick Stephens]

U-joints, drive shaft and seals is not really a rebuild, that is maintenance. An Alpha drive doesn't even need disassembly to do those tasks. Unless the drive shaft mentioned is an internal shaft, I can see no excuse to recommend replacement over a simple maintenance repair.