stern drive replacement/repair procedure question

[asthesun]

i am about to replace the upper portion of my MerCruiser's R/MR/Alpha One I/O stern drive. i would like to know if this is a fairly easy thing for someone with no experience to do. i have gads of tools and am fairly mechanically inclined tho. also, is there some gaskets or something i should get when i order that upper unit?

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: stern drive replacement/repair procedure question

i am about to replace the upper portion of my MerCruiser's R/MR/Alpha One I/O stern drive. i would like to know if this is a fairly easy thing for someone with no experience to do. i have gads of tools and am fairly mechanically inclined tho. also, is there some gaskets or something i should get when i order that upper unit?

It's not all that hard to do. You'll need a gasket set, new raw water pump (if you haven't already replaced it), oil, alignment tool and an OEM service manual.

What happened to the old "upper"?

 

[asthesun]

Re: stern drive replacement/repair procedure question

It's not all that hard to do. You'll need a gasket set, new raw water pump (if you haven't already replaced it), oil, alignment tool and an OEM service manual.

What happened to the old "upper"?

previous owner hadnt kept oil in it for some time apparently, and the upper bearing disentegrated within 5 mins of being on the water, first time out. something i should have checked, but im a noob. damage was prolly already done anyway tho. all the rollers from the bearing along with pieces of the cap that holds it were trying to get sucked through the two gears that were there. people said i should just replace instead of fiddle with rebuilding it

 

[asthesun]

Re: stern drive replacement/repair procedure question

asthesun


You didn't put much in your profile, where abouts are you located?

i'm in gainesville, fl.
i'll look at the magnet. havent done much with the boat since it broke.
yes, SEI drive. referred to there from my previous thread

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: stern drive replacement/repair procedure question

i'm in gainesville, fl.
i'll look at the magnet. havent done much with the boat since it broke.
yes, SEI drive. referred to there from my previous thread

You should know that the "upper" and "lower" share oil.

If you put the old lower on a new upper........the whole mess won't last very long.....

 

[asthesun]

Re: stern drive replacement/repair procedure question

You should know that the "upper" and "lower" share oil.

If you put the old lower on a new upper........the whole mess won't last very long.....

good to know. previous owner said he replaced the lower with factory new unit, which looks to be true. i'll see if i can take the thing apart today and find out what i'm getting into

 

[asthesun]

Re: stern drive replacement/repair procedure question

i removed the lower unit and inspected to the best of my ability. nothing seems amiss. i dont see how they share oil, but i'm a noob so i could have missed it. is there supposed to be a gasket between the upper and lower units? after i replace the upper unit and i go to add oil, how much to put in? full to the top or what? where is the magnet mentioned before? also how much is an alignment tool mentioned before and what does it do and how do i use it? thx for bearing with my noob questions

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: stern drive replacement/repair procedure question

The drive oil is shared via the small orifice starboard side just forward of center [between upper and lower]if memory serves. here is a small o-ring type seal,quad ring ? Smaller then a dime between the halves. No there isnt 1 large gasket between the upper and lower unit. Lube oil cap is a little more then a quart. FILL FROM THE BOTTOM DRAIN PLUG HOLE W A PUMP, until it flows out the top hole. replace top plug, then remove fill hose from bottom hole [ QUICKLY] then replace bottom drain plug. The magnet is built into the bottom drain plug. Do a search on engine alignment for instructions. alignment bar min about $35.00 for a cheapo if I remember right. You got alot of homework ahead of you...

 

[BIGALF]

Re: stern drive replacement/repair procedure question

Did you have any oil in the outdrive? If so your bottom half should be ok. Usually the upper half goes first since the oil flows downward and the upper half is dry and the lower has oil. That's if you still had oil in the bottom half. If so if you flush it out and change the lower seal you should be ok with the lower half.

 

[asthesun]

Re: stern drive replacement/repair procedure question

what lower seal? i pulled the plug, about 3/4 cup of the blackest oil you've ever seen came out. the magnet on the plug had some small shavings on it, but i would guess they came from regular wear, not from the upper bearing failure. i have the parts coming, should be here friday. if that doesnt work, i'll only be out about $150, between parts and oil

 

[Bondo]

Re: stern drive replacement/repair procedure question

i pulled the plug, about 3/4 cup of the blackest oil you've ever seen came out.

Ayuh,... It shoulda been over a Quart...

 

[BIGALF]

Re: stern drive replacement/repair procedure question

The seals are o-rings on the shaft. You might want to do a pressure check on the outdrive to see if you have any leaks. An o-ring is an o-ring and they get old and need replacement especially iof there was no oil.

 

[vandentr]

Re: stern drive replacement/repair procedure question

asthesun,

Do yourself a favor and scan through the Service Manual for your unit:

Upper: http://www.boatfix.com/merc/Servmanl/6/6A3R3.PDF
Lower: http://www.boatfix.com/merc/Servmanl/6/6B3R3.PDF

If nothing else, at least you'll be be able to identify what goes where and how things are connected. There just isn't a lot of room for mistakes when you're dealing with outdrive repairs so take a close look at EVERYTHING while you've got it apart.

Good luck!
-TVB