Quad ring

Wyomingman

Seaman Apprentice
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Mar 26, 2009
Messages
38
I replaced my impeller last week on my Alpha One Gen 2 outdrive. In doing so I either lost the quad ring or it did not come in the kit so i placed a new o ring into the slot where the gear lube travels between the upper and lower housing. I have not had the boat in the water yet and have not noticed any oil leaking out of the drive. My concerns after reading another post is that the seal is not just an o ring but a special quad ring. Is this going to cause an oil leak and water to get into the gear lube? I hate to drain the gear lube again, take apart and replace with a quad ring if the o ring will do the same job. But i also don't want any damage done. Pleas let me know your thoughts.

Thanks
 

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
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Aug 31, 2004
Messages
62,321
Re: Quad ring

It depends on the thickness of the oring. It may be thick enough to keep the oil in with no pressure, but what happens when the drive gets hot and the pressure builds?
 

Bondo

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Re: Quad ring

Ayuh,..... I've never tried it, but if it's thick enough,.. I guess it oughta work.....
 

ziggy

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Jun 30, 2004
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Re: Quad ring

so the pros (posts 2 and 3, the guys i learned a whole lot from) 'think' it 'might' work... well that sounds to me like it might not too...
while i don't have a genII drive. on my mc-1, to replace the quad ring only, ya'd just have to separate the lower and upper a little bit to access the quad ring. remove it and put in the proper part....
that part does seal out water and seal lub in.. sure would be a bummer if it failed and ya got water in your drive that way. water isn't much of a lub for gears i don't think. or it let the lub out... that don't lub gears either...
maybe drain the gear lub out and pressure test it? that'd let ya know if it's sealed or not. ya'd only be lossing time. ya could reuse the gear lub since it's new and not even used once yet..
 

mpdive

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Apr 23, 2011
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567
Re: Quad ring

I agree with Ziggy about seperating the halves a slight bit. You dont have to go much.
 

MarkSee

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Re: Quad ring

Not too long ago I was doing some research about o-rings and found out that different materials are used for different o-rings and that some will disintegrate depending on what fluid comes in contact with them. Though I was checking about brake fluid, could the o-ring you used be a material that the HI-PO gear oil might attack, wear away, then you have no o-ring at all.
Something to think about or the experts here might throw in an opinion on.
Mark
 

achris

More fish than mountain goat
Joined
May 19, 2004
Messages
27,468
Re: Quad ring

Lay the drive in its port side, remove the nuts and bolts holding the halves together. Split the drive a couple of inch and fit the quad ring. Bolt the lot back together. You shouldn't lose any oil, and you then have piece of mind that there'll be no leak there. With just a standard 'O' ring, I wouldn't trust it!
 

Wyomingman

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Mar 26, 2009
Messages
38
Re: Quad ring

Ok. Went to the boat dealer after work, bought a quad ring then went home and installed it. Had to drain the oil and take lower housing off. I did not want to chance it and worry about it each time I was on the lake.
 

dubs283

Vice Admiral
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
Messages
5,333
Re: Quad ring

Ok. Went to the boat dealer after work, bought a quad ring then went home and installed it. Had to drain the oil and take lower housing off. I did not want to chance it and worry about it each time I was on the lake.

did you pressure test the drive before re-filling it with lube??
 
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