Bellows Replacement Tips and Tricks? Alpha 1...

[Drewmeister]

OK, so I have removed the bell housing and all of the old bellows and dry rotted water xfer tube on my Alpha 1. I am learning that hose clamp placement and orientation is KEY in doing this job, I bet I have spent an hour total just figuring out how to orient the clamps for ease of tightening later! Following the Merc manual, I have the following back in place -

1. Water xfer tube. Boy that is a b*tch to get back on the transom side!! I hope I have if far enough on. It is connected to the bell housing as well.

2. Exhaust bellows connected to the gimbal housing (i.e. transom side).

3. U-joint bellows connected to the bell housing.

4. Shift cable bellows on the cable and partially crimped on the narrow end.

5. All hose clamps oriented for ease of tightening (I think) and I have a flexible socket.

I DO NOT have a bellows tool as the Merc manual suggests, but have other tools I think will work.

SO, my question now for those who have done this job one or multiple times...any hints on getting this all back together? My plan of attack was to connect the U- joint bellows first and tighten, then pull the exhaust bellows on and tighten then connect the shift cable bellows and tighten. Any thoughts? It's gonna be real tight work of course!!

Drew...

 

[dollarten]

Re: Bellows Replacement Tips and Tricks? Alpha 1...

OK, so I have removed the bell housing and all of the old bellows and dry rotted water xfer tube on my Alpha 1. I am learning that hose clamp placement and orientation is KEY in doing this job, I bet I have spent an hour total just figuring out how to orient the clamps for ease of tightening later! Following the Merc manual, I have the following back in place -

1. Water xfer tube. Boy that is a b*tch to get back on the transom side!! I hope I have if far enough on. It is connected to the bell housing as well.

2. Exhaust bellows connected to the gimbal housing (i.e. transom side).

3. U-joint bellows connected to the bell housing.

4. Shift cable bellows on the cable and partially crimped on the narrow end.

5. All hose clamps oriented for ease of tightening (I think) and I have a flexible socket.

I DO NOT have a bellows tool as the Merc manual suggests, but have other tools I think will work.

SO, my question now for those who have done this job one or multiple times...any hints on getting this all back together? My plan of attack was to connect the U- joint bellows first and tighten, then pull the exhaust bellows on and tighten then connect the shift cable bellows and tighten. Any thoughts? It's gonna be real tight work of course!!

Drew...

put the bellows on the swivel assy. where the out drive attaches to and then push the whole works onto the gimble housing . There is a screwdriver hole to access the bottom screw which should be at 6:00 postion . You will feel the bellows slide over the ridge that is inside the bellows and on the gimble housing . Use the bellows adhesive that Mercury sell also . The exhaust belows tool is the way to go , buy one and save the aggravation . Hope this helps

 

[svxtech]

Re: Bellows Replacement Tips and Tricks? Alpha 1...

you could also just put an exhaust tube on the transom housing and skip the bellows.

 

[Drewmeister]

Re: Bellows Replacement Tips and Tricks? Alpha 1...

svxtech - I've heard this from several people and understand it is standard on the Alpha I Gen II outdrive. Does the exhaust tube just exhaust air and water from it to the water and skip going through the prop?

dollarten - I've already got the exhaust bellows on the gimbal vie the screw access hole (this is on the exhaust bellows, not the U-joint bellows) and the U-joint bellows attached to the bell housing. From what I've read this will allow you to line up the U-joint bellows, then reinstall the hinge pins and pivot the bell housing up to tighten the bellows clamps on the exhaust, u-joint and drive cable. I know the procedure, just looking to see if there are any "tricks". May need to get the bellows tool for the exhaust bellows. Bottom line is I can reassemble and start the engine and attach the exhaust bellows later before putting the boat in the water.

Thanks!

Drew...

 

[Rocky_Road]

Re: Bellows Replacement Tips and Tricks? Alpha 1...

The tube is not standard on the Gen II, but is often used as an upgrade.

And it directs the exhaust through the prop as usual, when the drive is lowered into run position. A slight amount makes it past into the water, and that is the reason that the tube was developed: larger displacement engines were having an exhaust backflow issue.

Next time you are doing an exhaust bellows replacement, you would do well to use the tube!

Happy boating!

 

[Drewmeister]

Re: Bellows Replacement Tips and Tricks? Alpha 1...

Rocky,

Ah, so the tube just makes contact when the engine is down...makes sense.

As for doing this job, do I have it right? So as I put the bell housing on, I need to push the U-joint bellows on far enough to get them to stay on while I rotate the bell housing to tighten the clamp. Once this is done I can tilt up the bellhousing to attach and tighten the clamps on the exhaust shift cable bellows. Make sense?

Drew...

 

[svxtech]

Re: Bellows Replacement Tips and Tricks? Alpha 1...

yep, make sure the surfaces are clean (if not already stated) also i find if you put the bellows adhesive on, set the bellows into position, go grab a beer di-mean soda... and come back 10 min later it makes the clamp easier to tighten, sometimes the bellows has a tendancy to slip off the collar. more so on the shift cable, never had a problem with the ujoints because of the lip, just got into the habit i guess.

 

[NHGuy]

Re: Bellows Replacement Tips and Tricks? Alpha 1...

To get the clamps tightened well you will need a long 1/4" extension with a spring type flex extension for the end. The universal joint style just flops to the side so get a spring type extension. You want the clamps placed so they can be reached through the access holes in the transom plate. I can't remember exactly but as I recall the main drive bellows gets a clamp facing down on the starboard side of the casting. There is also one that is reached from the port side with a horizontal reach, that's probably the exhaust bellows which you have on already.
As far as installation, shove on the water tube well & set the clamps. Put the bellows onto the bellhousing & tighten the bellhousing clamp. Then put the clamp on the inner bellows end with enough contact so it won't slide out of position, push the bellows against the transom casting & shove it over the casting ridge so it is in place. Now set the clamp tension, install the pivot bolts with some locktite, and install the sensors.

 

[Drewmeister]

Re: Bellows Replacement Tips and Tricks? Alpha 1...

Thanks all. NHGuy, as I said in my post, I have the flex extension, thanks.

 

[Drewmeister]

Re: Bellows Replacement Tips and Tricks? Alpha 1...

GRRRRR....I STILL cannot get the U-joint bellows to go on. I put the bell housing in place and line up the bellows with the mounting surface and push hard and they only go on a short ways. I have pushed from inside with all sorts of tools (worried about pushing too hard with say a screwdriver and puncturing the bellows). I thought I had them on far enough but when I tightened the clamp they came off. There is a recessed ridge in the mounting flange and a ridge in the bellows. I assume these need to mate (i.e. the bellows need to go on till the ridge rides in that recess)? Then the hose clamp pushed down right above this area to seal.

The issue here I think it that there is VERY little space on the top side of the flange, as the water hose rides against it, I think this is what is keeping the bellows from going on further. Would the bellows expander tube used to pull the exhaust bellows on work well for pushing the U-joint bellows on as well? I have ordered one, really didn't want to spend the extra $$, but I've got so much time and money into this engine and outdrive work, I figured I might as well just get the damned thing. Wish I'd ordered it with the rest of the transom seal kit and hinge pin tool!

I've read all sorts of posts about people having difficulty pulling the exhaust bellows onto the bell housing without a tool, but nobody else seems to have the problem getting the U-joint bellows on like I am.

Also, is it easiest to put the shift cable bellows on the transom side and just have to push hard to get the shift cable to slide through, or leave them off and mount once the U-joint bellows are on?

Drew...

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Bellows Replacement Tips and Tricks? Alpha 1...

The issue here I think it that there is VERY little space on the top side of the flange, as the water hose rides against it, I think this is what is keeping the bellows from going on further. Would the bellows expander tube used to pull the exhaust bellows on work well for pushing the U-joint bellows on as well? I have ordered one....

Also, is it easiest to put the shift cable bellows on the transom side and just have to push hard to get the shift cable to slide through, or leave them off and mount once the U-joint bellows are on?

The water hose can get in the way and it it needs to be turned so the natural curve of the hose bends in the proper direction, it also needs to be the correct length so it doesn't get in the way or get stretched, not sure of the length off hand. The bellows have a dent or recess in them to allow some additional clearance for the water hose. If the Ujoint bellows is not clocked properly, it will hit the hose.

I've done bellows 3-4 times and never had a problem getting the Ujoint bellows on my M1 drive. I take the Ujoint Bellows and put the transom end in a pot of water, boil it a bit to soften the rubber, then slip the warm bellows over a plastic container (quart size?) to stretch the bellows a tad, just a little bit. After the bellows cool, it will hold the shape for a while.

DonS suggests shooting the bellows with some "PowerTune" to help the bellows slip on. I've never done it or seen/used powertune, guess its a fast drying solvent that wets the surface and drys quickly. Might be worth a try.

Here's a link to a homegrown exhaust bellow tool I made. Might be too late since you ordered one all ready. Possible to cancel your order?

Get the Ujoint and exhaust bellows finished, then do the shift cable bellows. Slide/push/twist/cuss the shift cable sheath though the bellow (have fun with that), screw it into the gimble housing, assemble the cable ends, then once the cable is completed, attach the transom clamp and pinch clamp (or zip tie). This bellows has a measurement, bellows need to be clamped at the correct length.

 

[svxtech]

Re: Bellows Replacement Tips and Tricks? Alpha 1...

I've used the power tune trick also, it does work. again wait for it to dry or it will help it slip off as easy as it did helping it go on. be sure you have the bellows and clamps aligned correctly as fisherdan said, if not they will leak. yes the ridge must be seated in the recess of the transom plate to be fully installed. do you have the inner spring of the bellows installed, if not twist it out and reinstall after clamps are tightened, might give you some more flex to work with just make sure it doesn't overlap when you reinstall it into the ribs.

 

[Drewmeister]

Re: Bellows Replacement Tips and Tricks? Alpha 1...

fishrdan and svxtech, thanks for the info. I did not realize the bellows had a specific orientation to accommodate the water tube, but thinking about it now at work, the WAS a flat spot on the first ridge of the bellows I wondered about! Definitely good to know I need to mate the ridge with the recess in the housing. I will take the bellows off the bell housing (put them on with bellows adhesive though, so have to clean that up?) and try putting them in hot water and making sure the flat spot is oriented correctly. Hadn't read anywhere about taking the bellows wire out. May try that too.

As for the tool, I already ordered it unfortunately. BUT, I also ordered a Merc Manual #6, which I will be returning since I have the manual in PDF form from this forum! That's 80 bucks right there! I am surprised the bellows tool is available used on Ebay.

Drew...

 

[Drewmeister]

Re: Bellows Replacement Tips and Tricks? Alpha 1...

fishrdan, Turns out bellows expander was on backorder so I canceled the order (for now). I am going to try and build the tool you posted and try that out this evening.

Drew...

 

[Drewmeister]

Re: Bellows Replacement Tips and Tricks? Alpha 1...

This evening, I took the U-joint bellows off of the bell housing, dropped them in hot water for 15 mins and tried to install them on the gimbal housing. Even with nothing in my way (I moved the bell housing out of the way), I STILL cannot get them to go on all the way. I got the top to go all the way on till the ridge in the bellows goes in the trench in the casting of the flange, but not the bottom. What is going on here friends? Could I have gotten a set of bellows that are too small? HELP!! If I can't get them to go on without any restrictions, how will I get them to go on when the other end is attached to the bell housing?

Drew...

 

[NHGuy]

Re: Bellows Replacement Tips and Tricks? Alpha 1...

Sorry I did not see that you had the springy extension... As to the bellows, if it's that tight you might be smart to recheck your part #s.
I would be leery of removing the bellows expander spring. When I had mine out I couldn't reorient it into the bellows without removing the bellows and starting over.
Keep at it you are almost there!

 

[svxtech]

Re: Bellows Replacement Tips and Tricks? Alpha 1...

This shouldn't be that hard, are you sure you have the correct P/N? it should just pop onto the housing with minimal effort...

 

[Drewmeister]

Re: Bellows Replacement Tips and Tricks? Alpha 1...

NHGuy and svxtech,

I ordered a transom seal kit for the Merc Alpha 1. All other parts match up correctly and the bell housing side of the bellows fit just fine. I can get the gimbal housing side on a little bit, but getting it to go further on such that it mates with the ridges just is not happening. I have tried a screwdriver, prying the inside and trying to push it back at the same time to no avail. I am going to try again tomorrow and if it doesn't work, I am going to buy a new set of bellows by themselves and see if that works.

Drew...

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Bellows Replacement Tips and Tricks? Alpha 1...

dropped them in hot water for 15 mins

Did you stretch it over a cup/tub/quart sized container/ice cream container while it was warm, to expand it. Heating it up will make it more pliable, but stretching it out is the key. You are tying to stretch it out so it will slip right on. Remove the cup and quickly slip it on as it will shrink down to it's original shape in, I dunno, 10-15 seconds, maybe less...

You might have to stretch it a little bit at a time while working your way around, to get it on. From the inside, push out, then forward, working your way around the bellows.

Do the new bellows look like the old ones, size, shape?

 

[svxtech]

Re: Bellows Replacement Tips and Tricks? Alpha 1...

drewmeister, any way you could post pics, just not seeing why it is giving you trouble.