Some kind of bearing noise...

[2005bay]

Hi all-

I have a 2005 bayliner 185 with a 3.0 merc and an alpha outdrive. I just put the boat in the water today, and of course, get it in the water, off the trailer and start pulling out into the water. Just as I start trimming down, I start hearing some awful growling noise. It follows engine RPM and makes the noise at idle without the drive engaged. Does this sound like a gimbal bearing?

Thanks in advance for any/all replies.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Some kind of bearing noise...

Sounds like a gimbal bearing to me.

 

[Mischief Managed]

Re: Some kind of bearing noise...

It does indeed, but it might be U joints. Pull the drive and have a look/feel.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Some kind of bearing noise...

Terrible way to start the day and season! Good luck!

 

[tinkerguy70]

Re: Some kind of bearing noise...

It's what mine sounded like when it was bad. Kind of a rumbling/growling noise.

 

[2005bay]

Re: Some kind of bearing noise...

Thanks guys. I'll pull it back out of the water and put it in my driveway this afternoon. Just figures all the marinas in my area are closed sundays and mondays. Ha, my luck couldn't be better. Anyway, I'm going to try to get a side-hammer on the gimbal bearing today and at least get it apart while I wait around for parts. I think I'm going to just do both the U-joint and the gimbal. With 8 seasons on them now, it seems silly not to just do both while its apart.

 

[airshot]

Re: Some kind of bearing noise...

Here is a classic example of why you should pull the outdrive at the end of each season to "check" things over. You then have all winter to get them fixed, and when you re-install in the spring you are ready to go with no surprises. In reading your story, can I assume you started the engine with the outdrive up? If so that should be a no/no, have the outdrive down into position before starting, being in the up position creates extra stress on the gimbal bearing and the u-joints. Going 8 seasons without checking things thoroughly could be a costly mistake. Good luck on your repairs.

Airshot

 

[mercs4mark]

Re: Some kind of bearing noise...

Check the stickies at top of the page....you can get the u-joints at your local automotive parts store

 

[2005bay]

Re: Some kind of bearing noise...

Thanks for the replies guys. Its a relatively new boat to me, but I'm pretty sure nothing major has been done to it before. My luck seems to not be improving. I pulled it apart and it seems there was some moisture in the u joint bellows. The gimbal was rough moving but had not spun, so I picked up a new gimbal and u joints just to be thorough.

There are a couple of tools I didn't have to do the job. I welded a pipe and a nut onto a socket to get the shift cable out. For the gimbal I took it to the place where I stored the boat, because I was afraid the bearing would come apart, and I didn't want to damage the bearing on the install.

I think I made a mistake there. He yanked the thing out with a slide hammer which I could have done myself, but it did come out in one piece. On the install, he put the groves face in. I asked don't you need to put those face out? No he says, that's just for the old bearings because you used to need a tool to pull the bearing which used those grooves. Doesn't sound right, but hey, he's the boat mechanic I'm not. Then he goes to install the new bearing with a tool that punches from the center. I thought you could only hit them from the outer race but hey, again, I figure the guy is doing his job and doesn't need me picking his work apart. Get the thing installed, tow it back home.

Go out there today to start installing bellows and notice the whole bearing is cocked inside the race. Great. They're closed tomorrow, so now I have to call the guy, explain to him he doesn't know how to install a bearing and that he owes me a bearing and my money back. What a mistake. I always do my own work, not sure why I made an exception this time.

Ordered a new cable and transom kit too, figured 8 seasons was enough on those parts too. Once I get the drama figured out I'll be installing bellows, shift cable and the through-transom oil fitting (pretty sure it was leaking too).

Thanks again for your help.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Some kind of bearing noise...

I think I made a mistake there. He yanked the thing out with a slide hammer which I could have done myself, but it did come out in one piece. On the install, he put the groves face in. I asked don't you need to put those face out? No he says, that's just for the old bearings because you used to need a tool to pull the bearing which used those grooves. Doesn't sound right, but hey, he's the boat mechanic I'm not. Then he goes to install the new bearing with a tool that punches from the center. I thought you could only hit them from the outer race but hey, again, I figure the guy is doing his job and doesn't need me picking his work apart.

Slide hammer removal is preferred. slot answer is all wrong. no REAL MECHANIC ever installs a bearing beating on the inner race
once the bearing is installed you need to center it with the coupler, its why you use an alignment tool

 

[dubs283]

Re: Some kind of bearing noise...

notice the whole bearing is cocked inside the race. Great. They're closed tomorrow, so now I have to call the guy, explain to him he doesn't know how to install a bearing

the merc tool for installing the gimble bearing is two pieces and when assembled correctly it does look like you would be installing the bearing with force on the center of the bearing, the outer shoulder of the tool actually presses on the outer race - but i wasn't there and i didn't see the tool or how he used it

you MUST align the gimble bearing with the coupler after installation, this could be why it is cocked - the bearing is designed to gimble

i'm not sticking up for the guy, just wanted you to be aware of certain points, hope it works out for you

 

[2005bay]

Re: Some kind of bearing noise...

Update if anybody is interested. I got my alignment tool in the mail (they are very cheap on ebay, I paid less than 30 dollars). Aligned the bearing with it, I will keep an eye on it. If it fails I happen to have another bearing so I would just install it myself. My slip is literally 100 yards from my house so I'm not going to worry about it for now. Incidentally, coupler to bearing alignment was good and the tool passed through effortlessly.

I did replace the through transom 90 degree oil fitting. I read a bit about this and others were saying it was difficult to replace. I think this is only true if you have a v6 or v8. With my little 4 cylinder, I had it out in 30 seconds, just have to stretch back to the transom. I used a pair of needle nose pliers to get the E clip out. Hope that helps somebody.

The brass nut on the end of the shift cable also seized in the bell housing. After made a wonderful round shape out of the nut, I drilled the fitting out with an 11/32 drill and then opened it up to 3/8. I got in there with a die grinder and took most of the nut material out to break the tension against the housing (the bottom of the nut head holds all the tension on the threads). Tapped in a screw extractor, and clamped the housing in a vice as another poster once described. Put a 3/8 extension on the extractor (upside down) and a long-handled adjustable wrench (a decent quality one with little slop). Just turned slowly and it came out. Basically cost me nothing.