Pulled outdrive tonight for the first time....how does this look?

[4js]

Bought my boat in January this year. The dealer I bought it from pulled drive, etc, etc. before I bought it and said all was well - so this is the first time I have pulled it (normal winterization).

This alpha 1 gen 2 has a gimbal zirk on the port side of the drive as you face stern of the boat, and I greased it pretty good this spring, so I'm guessing (?) that's what all the grease is in the u-joint bellows.

The gimbal bearing seems really smooth to me when I turn it,,,,but I have never turned one before so I don't really know what I'm supposed to be feeling.

It turns, easily, 360 degrees, with no 'catching' or grinding feel, or noise.

The U-joints feel really smooth.

Just by looking....what say you?

 

[picklenjim]

Re: Pulled outdrive tonight for the first time....how does this look?

Looks good. Appears to be no drive oil or water leaks. Check if the u-joints have zirks on them. Some do and some don't.

 

[achris]

Re: Pulled outdrive tonight for the first time....how does this look?

...This alpha 1 gen 2 has a gimbal zirk on the port side of the drive as you face stern of the boat, and I greased it pretty good this spring, so I'm guessing (?) that's what all the grease is in the u-joint bellows....

??? The grease nipple is on the starboard side of the gimbal housing. Doesn't matter if you are standing on your hands with one leg inside the bell housing and the other under the drain plug. The nipple will still be on the starboard side!

Best clean out that excess grease. The unis are sealed and 'greased for life'. The grease in them (I think it's called 'Klug', or something like that) is something like $5,00 per kg, so don't clean it out and try to squeeze new stuff in there.

 

[achris]

Re: Pulled outdrive tonight for the first time....how does this look?

Looks good. Appears to be no drive oil or water leaks. Check if the u-joints have zirks on them. Some do and some don't.

Those unis have orange seals, no nipples, 'greased for life'....

 

[4js]

Re: Pulled outdrive tonight for the first time....how does this look?

Yeah starboard. That's what I meant

 

[4js]

Re: Pulled outdrive tonight for the first time....how does this look?

So, achris...

Does it look OK to you?

Besides the gimbal bearing zirk being on the wrong side...

 

[stonyloam]

Re: Pulled outdrive tonight for the first time....how does this look?

It does not matter what the gimbal bearing looks like the important thing is how it feels. It must turn absolutely smoothly, not even the tiniest roughness is allowed. I would wipe it clean and then pump in new grease, turning it a little after each shot, then remove the excess grease and apply it to the driveshaft splines. When you put the outdrive back on don't forget to give the grease fitting in the coupler a shot too. The universals look fine, assuming you can't feel any excess play you should be OK.

 

[achris]

Re: Pulled outdrive tonight for the first time....how does this look?

So, achris...

Does it look OK to you?

What ^ said....

 

[4js]

Re: Pulled outdrive tonight for the first time....how does this look?

I meant does it look like the bellow is leaking or gear lube leaking? I am not a total idiot I know the gimbal bearing requires Touchy feely.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Pulled outdrive tonight for the first time....how does this look?

The joys of turning a gimbal bearing, very nice.

Everything looks good in pictures, so it is hard to tell, but no major flaws showing, as the others have said. U-Joints bellows often gets a nice coating of grease.

u-joints can 'feel' good to the touch, but can be noisy upon operation. So, that will tell for sure. A bad gimbal bearing will be more noticeable to the touch, and can easily be heard when running on the muffs.

 

[achris]

Re: Pulled outdrive tonight for the first time....how does this look?

I meant does it look like the bellow is leaking or gear lube leaking?

From the pictures, no. Looks good, but be aware that the Gen II hinge pins are about 1 thread too long. Swing the helm hard over to each side and check the outside of the bellows for chaffing. Any chaffing evident, replacement time.... Usually 5-7 years depending on use.

I am not a total idiot I know the gimbal bearing requires Touchy feely.

Nobody said you were.... But... if the cap fits ... Just messin' wif ya....

Cheers,

Chris........

 

[stonyloam]

Re: Pulled outdrive tonight for the first time....how does this look?

Nah your bellows looks fine. If it were leaking you would have either oil or water or oil floating on top of water in the pleats of the bellows. One other thing while we are back there and have easy access, retorque the gimbal ring clamping screws to 55 ft. lb. (nuts on back). Over time they can work loose and result in excessive ware to the square hole in the top of the ring where it clamps onto the upper swivel pin. Big $$$ to fix, should be done annually and I'll bet almost no one does it. My pet peeve

 

[brhodes]

Re: Pulled outdrive tonight for the first time....how does this look?

Looks good to me as well, only addition to the discussion. First time I pulled my drive to check the gimbal, it felt pretty darn smooth to me, but it was making a growel noise, so I replaced. Well, the growling went away, and I compared new to old, I could definately tell a difference. So my suggestion would be to use your ears as well to judge the gimbal. I probably still couldn't tell by feel without having a new one sitting there for comparison if a gimbal was slightly worn. Just my 0.02, gool luck

 

[30 Commander]

Re: Pulled outdrive tonight for the first time....how does this look?

Nah your bellows looks fine. If it were leaking you would have either oil or water or oil floating on top of water in the pleats of the bellows. One other thing while we are back there and have easy access, retorque the gimbal ring clamping screws to 55 ft. lb. (nuts on back). Over time they can work loose and result in excessive ware to the square hole in the top of the ring where it clamps onto the upper swivel pin. Big $$$ to fix, should be done annually and I'll bet almost no one does it. My pet peeve

I just coincidently read this on another website recently and am posting it as it offers a different opinion on the tightening of these bolts. You may keep in mind that these comments come from a site that sells these parts.

Just more food for thought.


There must be NO free-play between the gimbal ring and the shaft.

As you can see by the image above, there are two bolts passing through the gimbal ring. These bolts where torqued to 50-55 ft pounds when the unit was first assembled. It helped the gimbal ring clamp-down tightly on the upper steering shaft.

The ONLY time these bolts should ever be torqued is when the gimbal ring is new and it is being installed for the first time.

They should never be torqued in an attempt to eliminate free-play in the steering. Free-play is a result of wear and distortion in the gimbal ring.

If you have free-play, the gimbal ring has to be replaced. NEVER tighten the two retainer bolts if you have free-play. If you attempt to tighten these bolts there is a good chance the gimbal ring will snap and fail. This usually happens while you are on plane and going fast.

 

[achris]

Re: Pulled outdrive tonight for the first time....how does this look?

So, I wonder why re-torquing those very bolts is on the 20-hour service sheet issued by Mercury themselves!!!

 

[stonyloam]

Re: Pulled outdrive tonight for the first time....how does this look?

"Gimbal ring clamping screws-Retorque to 50-55 ft lb" every 100 hr or yearly.

The above is a direct quote from the Mercruiser alpha 1 manual.

I read the same crapola and since my ring was loose on the shaft I went to the extreme trouble of pulling the ring and sending it off to JR Marine for a rebuild. They said it was perfectly fine and sent it back to me. Reinstalled it, torqued to 55 and it was tight with no play. Retorqued every year since and it is perfectly fine. If it were still loose after retorquing, then it is time for a repair.

 

[achris]

Re: Pulled outdrive tonight for the first time....how does this look?

"Gimbal ring clamping screws-Retorque to 50-55 ft lb" every 100 hr or yearly.

The above is a direct quote from the Mercruiser alpha 1 manual.

I read the same crapola and since my ring was loose on the shaft I went to the extreme trouble of pulling the ring and sending it off to JR Marine for a rebuild. They said it was perfectly fine and sent it back to me. Reinstalled it, torqued to 55 and it was tight with no play. Retorqued every year since and it is perfectly fine. If it were still loose after retorquing, then it is time for a repair.

Just be careful, your ring might snap at high speed....