The bearing is out!

[lamphega]

What a bear but the gimbal bearing is out. My 74 Aristocraft nineteen with I6 165hp Mercruiser needed a new bearing. First I had to get the snap ring out and tru to name the ends snapped off. After much drilling, prying and cursing I got that out. Then the bearing came apart but finally I got it all out.
My question now is I have read that putting the new one in the freezer for a bit will make it go in easier but normally before I install any bearing I pack with grease.
Now that I will have the gimbal bearing buttoned up the outdrive is in my garage as a winter project, chack and replace impeller if needed, pressure check, etc.

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: The bearing is out!

if its a grease-able bearing then you can grease it using the zerk on the side of the out drive after its in.
As for the freezer, I have never tried it, but it sounds logical. leave it in there over night so its good and cold. the colder it is the smaller it will be.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: The bearing is out!

`74 may not have the provision to grease a gimbal bearing, install the new one (if greaseable) with slots aft.You can make the tool to grease it once removed from the carrier.

 

[Oshkosh1]

Re: The bearing is out!

The freezer method has proven itself useful many times while putting new pistons in a snowmobile. I put the new wrist pins in the freezer...and viola...they slide in like butter! Also worked on a 64 Bug I had to rebuild on my front porch "back in the day"! Actually come to think of it...I just had to replace the CPAS in my Envoy. The new one was a little tight, but after a couple of hours in the freezer...good to go. Contracted the O-ring just enough.

 

[ziggy]

Re: The bearing is out!

fwiw, my '75 is externally greaseable via a zerk.

as for the install. i've only done the one i got now. but i did use the proper merc. tool to install. mine didn't put up much resistance going back on.

a service bulletin on gimble brg service..

 

[fishrdan]

Re: The bearing is out!

If your gimble housing has the zerk to grease the gimble bearing, be very careful aligning the carrier with the housing, so the grease channel matches up with the carrier's hole. My 72 doesn't have the grease zerk while Ziggy's 75 does, you'll have to verify yours.

If you don't have the zerk, pay close attention to BT's advice so you can pull the bearing to re-grease it in the future.

I doubt freezing the bearing is going to help installing it since the tolerance ring is convoluted spring steel, it's not going to shrink, it's made to go in kind of tough. I do the heat/shrink thing all the time on bearings and press fit things, but don't see it helping here. I use a piece of 2x4 whittled down the last time I installed a gimble bearing, 5-10 whacks and it was seated, worked fine.