Drive fluid leak on 3.0 mercruiser with alpha one

[mira4581]

Hi all, I need some help I have a drive fluid leak on my 2013 Bayliner 175 80 hrs with 3.0 mercruiser with alpha one drive somewhere. I took it to one mechanic and he told me it was cover nut inside the drive that was completely lose, I paid him to fix it, change oil, water pump, spark plugs etc... 3 weeks later I took the boat out for the 1st time since the fix and the oil is gone again (resevor completely empty after 30 min on the water). Took it to a different mechanic a few days ago and today got some pictures from him. He is shocked at what he saw when he took the drive apart. He said the whole thing is rusty from water getting into the drive for some time, he said he can't believe the 1st mechanic didn't say anything about it. He said the boat is pretty new with low hours and he has never seen anything this bad on such a new boat. He said I am looking at 1-2k fix... has anyone experienced this before? Am I missing something? Are they pulling my leg? The mechanic is making it sound like this is a really big deal so I asked him to write up a quote on what exactly needs to be fixed... he said something needs to be sent somewhere to get recoated or resurfaced or something like that.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Was water entering the boat when in the water?
Yes- bad bellows
No- high bilge level at some point allowed water to enter the bellow
Input yoke. U joints and gimbal bearing do not add up to that much

 

[mira4581]

Was water entering the boat when in the water?
Yes- bad bellows
No- high bilge level at some point allowed water to enter the bellow
Input yoke. U joints and gimbal bearing do not add up to that much

The bellows look perfect and no water when in the water. What would you recommend my next plan of action should be? What should be replaced at this point?

 

[Bt Doctur]

If your not taking on water then suspect a high bilge water level allowed water to enter the boot and splash around .
Input yoke.and seal U joints and gimbal bearing
You wont know the condition of the yoke untill you disassemble the drive. grooved or severly rusted, replace it along with the seal.
The cost of the U joints is pale considering the damage they cause when they explode.
Gimbal bearing just as a precaution because of the water/rust condition
What area are you in?

 

[mira4581]

If your not taking on water then suspect a high bilge water level allowed water to enter the boot and splash around .
Input yoke.and seal U joints and gimbal bearing
You wont know the condition of the yoke untill you disassemble the drive. grooved or severly rusted, replace it along with the seal.
The cost of the U joints is pale considering the damage they cause when they explode.
Gimbal bearing just as a precaution because of the water/rust condition
What area are you in?

Thanks BT, I am in Orlando FL... hopefully this mechanic will come up with the same diagnose

 

[alldodge]

This doesn't look right. Can see the bellows full of lube but don't see any signs of water. Does look like the drive was installed using silicone on the gasket. I'm wondering if the old gasket was torn and reused.

 

[mira4581]

This doesn't look right. Can see the bellows full of lube but don't see any signs of water. Does look like the drive was installed using silicone on the gasket. I'm wondering if the old gasket was torn and reused.

I think the 1st mechanic was pretty bad and didn't know what he was doing. Looks like he used the silicone instead of a gasket, but this rust must have been there for some time because after he fixed it I only dropped the boat into the water for about 1 hr. I am waiting for the 2nd mechanic to write up a quote for me to see what he suggests.

 

[mira4581]

Are the u joints suppose to be rusty ? I am so confused , the 1st mechanic finally just called me back saying the rust is normal he said as long as the groves are not rusty I am ok ... he pretty much said the 2nd guy who is telling me I need all this work is full of s*** and just trying to take advantage of me. He said when he opened it all up he checked and greeced everything and all looked normal but obviously the leak was not fixed.

 

[mira4581]

Just spoke with the mechanic and this is what he said. He doesn?t think the rust was caused by the boat filling up with water because the engine looks clean, he said the only other thing it can be are the bellows which is strange on such a new boat. He said the drive oil leak was caused by the shaft seal, maybe a lose cover nut caused the seal to break. He is saying to get it done right I need to change the bellows (parts $100), seal on shaft, o ring seal, drive resealed ($300), gumbo bearing $100, u joints ($160 each). He is saying there is rust on the shaft as well. Does this sound right?

 

[alldodge]

Don't know if there is something going on or not, but I would suggest going over to the shop which has your drive and get the serial number off the side of it. Like to verify if the drive is your original drive or another one

There should not have been that kind of rust on the joints with no water in the boat. Something is fishy and I don't know who smells on this one (the first or second mech)

 

[Bt Doctur]

Generally speaking
From my 2017 book GEN II bellows $84.00, U joints internal lock $52.00-$78.00 each, external lock $126.00 each Gimbal bearing $58-$78 , input yoke $118.00
A transom seal kit contains all 3 boots, gimbal, mounting gasket water hose and clamps $234.00

 

[mira4581]

Generally speaking
From my 2017 book GEN II bellows $84.00, U joints internal lock $52.00-$78.00 each, external lock $126.00 each Gimbal bearing $58-$78 , input yoke $118.00
A transom seal kit contains all 3 boots, gimbal, mounting gasket water hose and clamps $234.00

Thank you, the 2nd mechanic sounds more knowledgeable so I am having him do the work so we shall see how that turns out. He is telling me that he has to reseal the drive in order to fix the leak and that he uses another specialized shop to do it and they charge $300 ($20-$50 in parts and the rest is their labor). Does that make sense? Why would the drive need to be resealed if the seal on the shaft is bad?

 

[Bt Doctur]

because you have to disassemble the upper to replace the seal and reset the rolling torque seal is #18 on page 2-8
http://www.boatfix.com/merc/Techbk/97/97hs2.pdf