1978 mercruiser outdrive help needed

[turborich]

Hey guys & gals, 1st post here because I just purchased my first boat.

Hello!

My boat is a 1978 17' arrow glass cheetah with a mercruiser I/O. inline 6 165 hp engine with the mercruiser outdrive. My question is, Exactly what outdrive do I have? Would this be considered a bravo? or does it pre date it. I'm asking because I need to keep my eyes open for a used outdrive as this one is leaking gear oil through the lower weep hole & it only has neautral probally due to a set of chewed up gears.


Thanks for any info/advice! Rich

 

[achris]

Re: 1978 mercruiser outdrive help needed

The drive is an MC-1, also known as a 'pre-Alpha'. They have nothing to do with Bravos. I believe a company in Florida does new outdrives really cheap... Someone will be along soon and tell us the name of the company, 'cause I forgot already Sorry

Chris..............

 

[turborich]

Re: 1978 mercruiser outdrive help needed

Thanks for the info, it will help me to find the correct unit. I edited the hp to 165. It was a slip of the fingers. :redface:

Thanks, Rich

 

[Bondo]

Re: 1978 mercruiser outdrive help needed

Ayuh,....

What you've got now is the Mod.1 drive in probably 1.84:1 gears,..

You can use the Pre-Alphas like you have now, or any Alpha 1s up to 1991,...
As long as you use the 8" input shaft on it...

The Brand New aftermarket drives Chris mentions are the SEI units....
I believe iboats sells them....

 

[achris]

Re: 1978 mercruiser outdrive help needed

The leg ratio for the 165hp 250cid is 1.65:1
That name Bondo said, that's the one I was thinking of...

Chris..........

 

[betayv]

Re: 1978 mercruiser outdrive help needed

hi there here is the link for the company they have good stuff and a great price and warranty

http://www.sterndrive.cc/

 

[willis3368]

Re: 1978 mercruiser outdrive help needed

I have installed meny Sterndrive Enginering drives. They are a very good company to deal with, very friendly and knowladgeable. They are very reasonably priced. When you call they will ask you year model and ratio, so have that ready. Not a bad idea to have drive serial number to.

They do not want to send you the wrong one.

You can get both upper and lower as a set or just the upper or lower.

The upper is $595, the lower is $695 and the set is $1195.

 

[chiefalen]

Re: 1978 mercruiser outdrive help needed

You took it apart? If not how do you know it's the gears?

 

[ziggy]

Re: 1978 mercruiser outdrive help needed

I need to keep my eyes open for a used outdrive as this one is leaking gear oil through the lower weep hole

maybe ya just got a shift shaft seal leak. need to pressure test the drive before condeming it i think.

it only has neautral probally due to a set of chewed up gears.

did ya drain the gear lub? bits and pieces of metal would lead ya to believe ya got gear or brg. problems. maybe ya just got shifting issues. like in a lower shift cable being bad. remove the drive and see if it shifts.....

 

[turborich]

Re: 1978 mercruiser outdrive help needed

Hey guys, Thanks for the good info & links! I appreciate it.

I got around to playing around with the boat today & I see that the shift cable is broke! So I unhooked it & tried to manually ingage the unit into forward or reverse. The cable hardly would move. I think the unit was pulled off & the cable wasn't lined up correctly.

I will get around to pulling the unit off in the next couple of days & see what's going on. Maybe the drive just needs seals & the cable was not lined up right? We will see. The guy I got it from may have screwed it all up.

 

[turborich]

Re: 1978 mercruiser outdrive help needed

Hey guys, I just got a good outdrive. It's off of a1972 boat with 302 V-8, 188HP engine. The drive says Mercruiser 888 on it. Can I use this on my inline 6 cylinder 165HP?

Thanks guys.

 

[achris]

Re: 1978 mercruiser outdrive help needed

Short answer is yes, you can use it... The ratio is slightly different... The 165 uses a 1.65:1 reduction and the 888 uses a 1.5:1 reduction... That's a 10% change, so you may need to drop down to a prop that is a couple of inches small (in pitch).... And you are going to need to change the input yoke... Use the yoke from the 165 leg and put it on the 888 leg...

If the shift cable is stiff without the leg on, then you'll also need to change it... Or the engine will stall when you shift...

Chris..........

 

[turborich]

Re: 1978 mercruiser outdrive help needed

forgive me for having a lack of knowledge, What is the "leg"? When you say change the input shaft, are you talking about the shaft that goes into the gimbal bearing? If so do I just remove it from the u joint?

Thanks!!!

 

[achris]

Re: 1978 mercruiser outdrive help needed

'Leg' is the complete drive unit. The bit that comes off in ya hand when ya take the 6 nuts off the studs in the bell housing. The 'leg' consists of a driveshaft housing or top box and a gear housing or lower box.

The yoke is the shaft sticking out of the top box that engages the coupler in the back of the engine... Yes, it goes through the gimbal bearing.... and you can remove it from the uni joints.

Chris........

 

[turborich]

Re: 1978 mercruiser outdrive help needed

Thank you for clearing everything up for me. I really appreciate your help!

 

[mr_goodwrench23]

Re: 1978 mercruiser outdrive help needed

1st post here just inherited a boat from my grandfather.

i dont know the year but its a newman boat with a mercruiser 888 ford 302. it doesnt have a lower foot on it and i was just wondering if there has to be a specific lower unit or if any older model mercruiser lower units would work all input will be greatly appreciated

 

[Bondo]

Re: 1978 mercruiser outdrive help needed

all input will be greatly appreciated

Ayuh,... Welcome Aboard,...
Start your Own thread,....
It's a No No to be tacking your problem onto somebody else's Year old thread....