I have a Mercruiser Alpha I Gen II (1997).
It all started with a shift cable that was tight. When I pulled the out drive saw water was in u-joint bellows. Found hole in bellows(small hole). Thought maybe I could patch for short fix. Replaced Out drive and when I started engine I could see water dripping out of the bellows that had I tried to patch.When I stuck my finger in hole I could feel water spraying around. Removed outdrive noticed more fresh water laying in bellows. Now these may or may not be a factor. First,when I was running the engine at one point the water muffs fell off the outdrive. I was in the boat and don't know how long they were off. When I put them back on first steam appeared to come out but then it started to pump fairly normal however the temperature guage was reading higher than normal(130). I thought I may have blown pump/seal etc. Second, I noticed the thick rubber round gasket where the drive line enters the gimbal housing was in pieces. So, I rebuilt the the water pump, and other than the impeller fins worn a little (3 Yrs old) everything looked ok. No water in oil or vs versa. Replaced the u bellows, gimbal bearing, and exhaust bellows. Now here come the interesting part. I started it up and it ran great but the shift cable was still a little tight, altough it was plenty loose after I had pulled it out and cleaned it prior to assembly. Then I noticed water on top of the engine valve cover. Water is dripping out of the end of the shift cable at the end of the sheath where the set screws are. ?????? I am wondering how this is possible. If water is getting into the shift cable it surely must be in the u bellows? But how is water getting into the u bellows from running it in on the muffs in the driveway. Is there a seal somewwhere that may have blown that would allow water to get into the shift cable and bellows area via the water pump/egress. It is pumping water well and engine temps are normal. I have not pulled the outdrive again yet. Can anyone shed any light on what I am experiencing. Thanks in advance.
It all started with a shift cable that was tight. When I pulled the out drive saw water was in u-joint bellows. Found hole in bellows(small hole). Thought maybe I could patch for short fix. Replaced Out drive and when I started engine I could see water dripping out of the bellows that had I tried to patch.When I stuck my finger in hole I could feel water spraying around. Removed outdrive noticed more fresh water laying in bellows. Now these may or may not be a factor. First,when I was running the engine at one point the water muffs fell off the outdrive. I was in the boat and don't know how long they were off. When I put them back on first steam appeared to come out but then it started to pump fairly normal however the temperature guage was reading higher than normal(130). I thought I may have blown pump/seal etc. Second, I noticed the thick rubber round gasket where the drive line enters the gimbal housing was in pieces. So, I rebuilt the the water pump, and other than the impeller fins worn a little (3 Yrs old) everything looked ok. No water in oil or vs versa. Replaced the u bellows, gimbal bearing, and exhaust bellows. Now here come the interesting part. I started it up and it ran great but the shift cable was still a little tight, altough it was plenty loose after I had pulled it out and cleaned it prior to assembly. Then I noticed water on top of the engine valve cover. Water is dripping out of the end of the shift cable at the end of the sheath where the set screws are. ?????? I am wondering how this is possible. If water is getting into the shift cable it surely must be in the u bellows? But how is water getting into the u bellows from running it in on the muffs in the driveway. Is there a seal somewwhere that may have blown that would allow water to get into the shift cable and bellows area via the water pump/egress. It is pumping water well and engine temps are normal. I have not pulled the outdrive again yet. Can anyone shed any light on what I am experiencing. Thanks in advance.
