Gimbal bearing and u-joint lube procedures not in the book!

[scooper77515]

Is this a "dealer-only" job? My book talks about taking it in for the work, but does not share how to do it myself.

If it needs to be taken in, how long does it take and how much does it cost? Should it be done yearly?

Is there a way i can verify that there was a problem before they charge me for broken parts and replace them, even if they weren't worn (I don't trust shops, and do ALL my own work on all my vehicles!).

I don't mind paying for broken or worn parts, IF they are broken or worn. I hate shops that say they had to replace it all, charge you for it, and don't actually do the work they say they did. I don't want to get screwed.

Of course, if it is something I can do myself...

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Gimbal bearing and u-joint lube procedures not in the book!

The drive has to be pulled to check or grease the u-joints.
It should be done yearly anyway to inspect the bearing,bellows,alignment,ect...

Not a hard job to do yourself.
6 nuts hold the drive on and 2 hold the trim rams,pull those off and give it a yank.2 people work best as the drive is on the heavy side.

 

[DBreskin]

Re: Gimbal bearing and u-joint lube procedures not in the book!

If you already do your own mechanical work on other components, you should easily be able to lube your gimbal and u-joints. They should be lubed at least annually. This type of service in normally done in conjunction with the annual bellows inspection.
I don't have the information on VP drives but I'm sure someone on iBoats can point you in the right direction.

There are some good links here: http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?p=2360521#post2360521

 

[dingdongs]

Re: Gimbal bearing and u-joint lube procedures not in the book!

you can do it all yourself with a small outlay on tools.can be quite costly as most marine mechanics charge $100 /hour.look on youtube as they have some good videos to get your head around what your trying to achieve.can get an alignment tool off ebay now for $10.worth its weight in gold

 

[DBreskin]

Re: Gimbal bearing and u-joint lube procedures not in the book!

can get an alignment tool off ebay now for $10.worth its weight in gold

My alignment tool weighs a little over 9 pounds (144 ounces). Gold is selling for over $1300/ounce. That's over $187,000 worth of alignment bar! Maybe the alignment bar is only worth it's weight in silver (about $3000).

 

[scooper77515]

Re: Gimbal bearing and u-joint lube procedures not in the book!

Thanks guys.

So, is it heavy enough I should pull out my engine hoist? Would that even make the job easier?

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Gimbal bearing and u-joint lube procedures not in the book!

I set the skeg on wooden blocks so the drive is about horizontal after removing the trim ram rear anchor pin.
remove the shift connect block,remove the 6 drive holding nuts, support the rams up out of the way with a bunggee and slide it off.
not hard, customer showed up last friday to pick his boat up, said he had asked for the bellows to be changed ,wasnt on my work order so it wasnt done.
that was about 2:30. they moved the boat around, backed it in the bay, that was about 2:50, new gimbal bearing and bellows were installed,drive reinstalled and shifting tested and water ready at 4:10.
but ya have to remember, it was friday afternoon and beer thirty was rapidly approaching so all 3 watched me do it while I explained what why and how it was going.
however I think by 03 the ujoints were the GKN style with no grease fittings.

 

[Alpheus]

Re: Gimbal bearing and u-joint lube procedures not in the book!

I changed my U-joints this spring because my old ones did not have any zerc fittings to add any grease...

 

[pec2402]

Re: Gimbal bearing and u-joint lube procedures not in the book!

I was under the impression you could grease your gimbal bearing without removing the outdrive. I have never done this before, but was looking into this season and a mechanic at a local marina told me there was a fitting on the transom (i believe right side?) where you can use a grease gun and he said "10 to 15 pumps" should satisfy. Can anyone verify?

 

[mrsmith35sg]

Re: Gimbal bearing and u-joint lube procedures not in the book!

I was under the impression you could grease your gimbal bearing without removing the outdrive. I have never done this before, but was looking into this season and a mechanic at a local marina told me there was a fitting on the transom (i believe right side?) where you can use a grease gun and he said "10 to 15 pumps" should satisfy. Can anyone verify?

I second this question. Replaced about everything just wondering whether I should grease gimbal before I put in, or if i can do it on the boat so i could get used to doing it like that each year before i winterize

 

[NHGuy]

Re: Gimbal bearing and u-joint lube procedures not in the book!

Yeah Mercruiser Alphas have a zerk on the transom outer plate at about 4 Oclock. I don't know about other brands.

 

[Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1]

Re: Gimbal bearing and u-joint lube procedures not in the book!

I perfer to grease my Alpha one gimbal bearing while the drive is off, so I can see when the bearing is full, give a couple of turns with my fingers and top it off.

If you hit the zerk with grease while the drive is still on, your gimbal could be full, and puking up the excess, filling up the bellows without knowing it.