What is causing this wear on my lower unit?

[imported_boatin clan]

We just bought this 1988 Sea Ray 19' bowrider with a Mercruiser 4.3LX V6. Two questions:

1) With the drive all the way up, I noticed the wear (see photos). Is this an alignment problem? What's going on here?
2) Also, I noticed that the trim tab fin on the lower unit has been cut off. What is the purpose of it and do I need to replace it?

Thanks for all the great advice!!

 

[Don S]

Re: What is causing this wear on my lower unit?

Ya forgot the picture!

Are you sure the trim tab was cut off?, or did it corrode off. Those are sacrificial anodes and do go away. Just replace it with a new one.

 

[Bondo]

Re: What is causing this wear on my lower unit?

BC,......

There's a Pinned Thread down in the Technical, Non-Boating forum that explains How to post a picture........

 

[imported_boatin clan]

Re: What is causing this wear on my lower unit?

Sorry, see if these photos will work now

 

[Bondo]

Re: What is causing this wear on my lower unit?

If your Gimbel Ring or it's attachment points are Worn,......
It'll allow the Drive to be Thrust to the side,+ cause the wear pattern that You see........

 

[imported_boatin clan]

Re: What is causing this wear on my lower unit?

How in depth is the repair and approx what would a shop charge to repair this?

 

[stevieray]

Re: What is causing this wear on my lower unit?

Clan - is that an Alpha One drive? If so, my '88 looks the same & has no mechanical issues. I'd consider it "fair wear & tear" & leave it be. If it makes noise or vibrates when you're running on plane & make a tight turn, then you might look at repairs.

 

[imported_boatin clan]

Re: What is causing this wear on my lower unit?

Stevieray, yes it is an 1988 Alpha One drive, no noises and no vibrations yet (whew, knock on teak). I'll keep an eye on it and see what happens.

 

[stevieray]

Re: What is causing this wear on my lower unit?

Where did that horrible white paint come from? Mercs are supposed to be shiny black. Black - black - black!

 

[imported_boatin clan]

Re: What is causing this wear on my lower unit?

:$ That's how we bought it - I actually would have preferred the standard Merc shiny black!

 

[MJ76]

Re: What is causing this wear on my lower unit?

I have seen SeaRays of that era with the white Merc drive - they came that way. It's a SeaRay thing.

A worn gimbal ring or steering pin wouldn't allow play between the gimbal ring (where the wear is) and the outdrive - the only connection between the two is the pivot pins that attach the bellhousing to the gimbal ring. There are fiber washers that are supposed to be there, and if they were missing, I could see some side-to-side movement that could cause that type of wear.

The trim limit switch and sender are mounted to the sides of the gimbal ring. Underneath the switches are the pins that thread into the bellhousing, which allow the bellhousing (and the drive) to move up and down. Look for the washers there.

Also, I think there should be plastic wear pads at the contact points on the outdrive itself. Look for those also.

 

[ParallaxBill]

Re: What is causing this wear on my lower unit?

I thought those kind of wear marks were normal. Mine has them and everything still feels tight, not sloppy loose and my boat is 33 years old.