2000 Mercruiser Alpha Gen II Drive Lube Monitor - Broke the fitting in the transom!

[Reds Green]

2000 Bayliner 1850 Capri 4.3 carb Alpha I Gen II Mercruiser - While working on a bellows replacement, I broke the drive lube monitor hose fitting barb off while removing the bell housing - dang it. I didn't know the thru-hull drive lube monitor fitting was made of plastic! Now I have to figure out how to get in behind the engine and try to get the old one out and the new one in. Ugh.

Anyway, here's my questions:

My local dealer has Bulkhead Fitting part number 22-861150A1 in stock. My research tells me this part number has been superseded by 22-861150A2. The A2 part number has been superseded by 22-861150T02.

What is the difference in the part numbers?

Should I skip the A1 part, and hold out for the T02 part? If Mercury has improved this component, I'd like to go with the latest greatest version of it. If the changes are due to something like an OE vendor change only, and the part numbers are identical when laid side by side, then I'd be okay with the A1 version.

The reason I'm asking is I don't have good trust in the plastic part. I know that some drives actually use a completely different part number which is made of brass (which I like the idea of because its less fragile than the plastic part over time - Connector - part number 22-18922.

Is the brass part an alternate part that I can install in place of the plastic one?

By the way, I've read and learned a ton on how to do a bellows replacement on this site, even fabricated my own bellows sleeve puller and pusher tools based on the guidance here. WAY WAY helpful. Thanks so much. Hope I can give back to the group.


TIP:
If you are removing the bell housing on YOUR boat, WATCH OUT - if you yank too hard on the drive lube monitor hose, you'll break the barb right off at the transom side and create more problems for yourself.

Thanks,
Sean
Lincoln, NE

PS - If this topic has already been discussed, I appologize in advance. I did search the forums but didn't see anything on this topic. If it has been discussued, please post a link to the thread so this thread doesn't duplicate.

 

[ziggy]

Re: Drive Lube Monitor - Broke the fitting in the transom!

Re: Drive Lube Monitor - Broke the fitting in the transom!

My local dealer has Bulkhead Fitting part number 22-861150A1 in stock

imho, if that's the part they got in stock. in the name of getting back on the water, that's the part i'd go with. get while the getting is good...

 

[cr2k]

Re: Drive Lube Monitor - Broke the fitting in the transom!

Re: Drive Lube Monitor - Broke the fitting in the transom!

Super glue!

 

[Reds Green]

Re: Drive Lube Monitor - Broke the fitting in the transom!

Re: Drive Lube Monitor - Broke the fitting in the transom!

---Update on the drive lube monitor thru-hull fitting replacement ---

Bought the A2 part from the local dealer - $4 - Don't know the difference between each part number, evidently nobody here does. Grabbed the one my local dealer had in stock. After all, its boating season.

Removed the two big bolts that hold the steering mechanism to the transom inside the boat, and removed the clevis pin that connects the steering mechanism to the gimbal so I could begin to even see the e-clip that holds the fitting in the transom. Once I got the steering mechanism pushed up and back, the e-clip became somewhat visible. Thanks to poster Ziggy, the e-clip was successfully removed with a 6" #1 flat blade screw driver. Installing the clip on the new part was more difficult. We ended up using a angled hemostat to position the clip, then, with some luck, pressuring it over the fitting with thumb. Be advised, once you get your hand down in there, you can no longer see the fitting - its all done by feel. Thanks to Ziggy for being the 'eyes' of the operation by looking across from the opposite side of the engine to guide the clip into place.

TIP:
Don't break the drive lube monitor hose fitting in the transom when removing the bell housing! Just cut the hose. The hose, even with the clamp removed, is on there so tight you won't get it off (either end). Then slit the hose end over the hose barb in the gimbal so you can remove the hose without breaking anything. Then replace the hose with a new one. Its Parker B704 (?") from Mercury. I used Aeroquip FC332 since my local Mercury dealer didn't stock the Parker B704. About a foot of it should be plenty.

 

[tlcnate]

TIP:
If you are removing the bell housing on YOUR boat, WATCH OUT - if you yank too hard on the drive lube monitor hose, you'll break the barb right off at the transom side and create more problems for yourself.

Thanks,
Sean
Lincoln, NE
.

I need to remind myself to read the iboats forums BEFORE I start any work on my boat. I had a water intrusion in the U-Joint bellows and I did EXACTLY what the OPs tip says not to do. Just caused myself a couple more hours of difficult work by breaking the fitting discussed on here. Replacement from Amazon at a reasonable price.

 

[Fun Times]

I need to remind myself to read the iboats forums BEFORE I start any work on my boat. I had a water intrusion in the U-Joint bellows and I did EXACTLY what the OPs tip says not to do. Just caused myself a couple more hours of difficult work by breaking the fitting discussed on here. Replacement from Amazon at a reasonable price.

Yes tlcnate, reading tips like Reds Green's here on iboats can sometimes be helpful to avoid additional issues such as one like this. Sorry to hear that you have to replace your fitting too.

Just for clarification of a question above, No the later plastic design and older brass design fittings is not interchangeable basically due to the hole cut size in the transom assembly.

That mentioned, as you read more tips throughout the forum, please try to keep an eye on the topic dates as here on iboats (and most forums), anything over 90 days becomes considered an archive and is preferred to only be read vs being brought back up from the past....For more information about archived topics, please see the "Help Tip" at the top of the forum....Thanks and good luck, iboats mod team.