Mercruiser I/O 3.0 Alpha 1 water/oil leak and dry rot

[jkloppe]

Hello, this is my first boat. 89 Dixie 170 BR, with a Mercruiser 3.0 alpha 1. Taking it out today i noticed leaking water and what seems to be an oily water mix in the bilge area. I am attaching several pictures that show some of the problem. I have a few questions, i will be doing the repairs myself.

I am taking water on the boat and i know that should not be there so i need to fix it. all of the boots for the transom are busted and need to be replaced bad, i think that is why its leaking so much water but hopefully beyond that not much else needs to be fixed. I will be pulling it out and replacing the boots once i order them and get them in. My question is, would these boots being rotted out cause the engine to leak oil into the bilge area? or is the oil not related to that area.

Another question, while on the water today the boat seemed running good little rough at idle. heading back in as i accelerated the engine seemed to slip or something and rev higher than it should and then i would pull back on the throttle, i tried several more times and same reaction, run fine then at acceleration it felt like it was revving high until i pulled back.

In the picture i am pointing, i am pointing to the area it was leaking while on the water. Also the boat does not leak while on muffs just on the water.

Any advice or help is greatly appreciated. thank you.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Mercruiser I/O 3.0 Alpha 1 water/oil leak and dry rot

Main bellows are ripped open that's your water leak into the boat and also water in the outdrive. The water entering the drive is displacing the oil and the oil is leaking out of the drive from the input shaft seal into the bellows that leads into the bilge.. U-Joints are most likely shot and need replacement. Also the gimbal bearing needs replacement by now. The exaust boot,(lower one) will not leak water into the boat, just cause a louder exaust.
You r second question may be the prop or a low oil level in the drive that is self-destructing

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Mercruiser I/O 3.0 Alpha 1 water/oil leak and dry rot

You`ll need this too http://www.boatfix.com/merc/Servmanl/6/6covr3.pdf
May not work with Chrome, use IE

 

[jkloppe]

Re: Mercruiser I/O 3.0 Alpha 1 water/oil leak and dry rot

OK awesome thank you for the quick response. and thank you for the link to the manual. I will be doing this maintenance myself over the next week or two. I am going to order a transom repair kit i found online with replacement boots seals. I will post on here during the repairs and see how everything is going.

 

[jkloppe]

Re: Mercruiser I/O 3.0 Alpha 1 water/oil leak and dry rot

One more question. Its this a gen 1 or 2 engine?

 

[ktbarrentine]

Re: Mercruiser I/O 3.0 Alpha 1 water/oil leak and dry rot

The "Gen" refers to the drive, not the engine..... By your year info alone I would say Alpha-1 (Gen II came out in 91). But post your drive serial number to be sure (located on upper part of drive, port side....you'll find drive serial number and gear ratio).
Also visit the stickies at the beginning of the mercruiser forum to get valuable info and tips, like doing a pressure test on your drive before and after you do seal/impeller changeouts. Best of luck!

http://forums.iboats.com/mercruiser...tdrives/adults-only-no-exceptions-288430.html

I think you will be very fortunate if you are not looking at an entire new drive just resulting from the hole in your drive bellows (the bellows with the u-joints in it). One thing to consider (after draining and inspecting drive oil) is to pop the top cap off of the drive upper housing to inspect the upper gears for pitting/corrosion from the water intrusion (use care on those top bolts; if they are corroded from the type of water this boat has been in, they can break off when attempting to remove). Send pics of your progress.

 

[ziggy]

Re: Mercruiser I/O 3.0 Alpha 1 water/oil leak and dry rot

I will be pulling it out and replacing the boots once i order them and get them in.

get the more expensive mercruiser boots (bellows). especially don't get the mallory ones. buddy of mine did the non consequential exhaust boot w/mallory and it didn't last 1 season before ripping again.

heading back in as i accelerated the engine seemed to slip or something and rev higher than it should and then i would pull back on the throttle, i tried several more times and same reaction, run fine then at acceleration it felt like it was revving high until i pulled back.

hopefully, bd is right about the prop hub slipping. that'd be and easy fix. if gears, ya might as well get a new drive. another thought would be the coupler. if it started to overheat while slipping that could be a cause too.

you may also be in for some drive repair from the water leak at the drive shaft bellows. the ft. seal of the drive gets ruined after water intrudes into the drive via rust that forms on the drive gear yoke. thus not sealing the drive at the ft. seal. your'll be taking the drive apart far enough then to be feeling your gears to be sure they're good.

follow the service manual real close for your repairs and you'll get a good repair. anything ya don't understand about the s/m ask here on iboats for some great feedback.

 

[ricohman]

Re: Mercruiser I/O 3.0 Alpha 1 water/oil leak and dry rot

I am curious as to why you would put it in the water with those old torn bellows? Did you inspect this boat when you bought it?
Anyway, I wouldn't order anything until I pulled the drive and had a look. You may be need a lot more than bellows by the looks and sounds of it. U joints, seals, bearings, maybe a drive.
Pull it, tear it down, and make a list.

 

[ziggy]

Re: Mercruiser I/O 3.0 Alpha 1 water/oil leak and dry rot

Anyway, I wouldn't order anything until I pulled the drive and had a look.

x2 ^

can't say how many times i pre ordered parts only to find i needed more or less or something else. might as well make the order after ya find out what ya need....

 

[jkloppe]

Re: Mercruiser I/O 3.0 Alpha 1 water/oil leak and dry rot

ok i got some stuff pulled off and im not sure of what condition it is in. I have read for the gimble bearing i think its called to see if it still spins well, the bearing spins pretty damn good for having water over it. I will still replace it as a precaution. What do you guys think of what the pictures look like, any suggestions. everything came off surprisingly well.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Mercruiser I/O 3.0 Alpha 1 water/oil leak and dry rot

ok i got some stuff pulled off and im not sure of what condition it is in. I have read for the gimble bearing i think its called to see if it still spins well, the bearing spins pretty damn good for having water over it. I will still replace it as a precaution. What do you guys think of what the pictures look like, any suggestions. everything came off surprisingly well.

Ayuh,..... Welcome Aboard,... The gimbal bearin' should turn Smooth as butter when turned by hand,.....

The shift cavity had water in it, so throw in a new lower shift cable, as it'll die soon from the bath it took,...

The u-joints might survive with a greasin',... donno,...

The Big oil seal behind the yoke, Probably is gonna go out, if it ain't already,...
The rust on the yoke, grinds against the rubber of the seal,...

'n make sure ya remove the ole gasket material, before ya put the drive back on,...

 

[jimbo_jwc]

Re: Mercruiser I/O 3.0 Alpha 1 water/oil leak and dry rot

Yep 600 bucks for gimbal bellows job next year,1600bucks top Timken brg will go out even with new Lower unit oil , pump replacement , cable replacement , universal grease job just makes easier to put back together , shift interrupt micro might not work , then one trim switch might not work ,carb rebuild , new mech fuel pump, but reliable for next 10yrs ,still clean points and fill carb bowl to start first time,drain plugs before freeze Glade I went from 120hp Chrysler OB to to reliable 3.0 Gm 4 banger HaHa just venting but not mixing oil in gas for this luxury .Mine u couldn't see any holes .

Ayuh,..... Welcome Aboard,... The gimbal bearin' should turn Smooth as butter when turned by hand,.....

The shift cavity had water in it, so throw in a new lower shift cable, as it'll die soon from the bath it took,...

The u-joints might survive with a greasin',... donno,...

The Big oil seal behind the yoke, Probably is gonna go out, if it ain't already,...
The rust on the yoke, grinds against the rubber of the seal,...

'n make sure ya remove the ole gasket material, before ya put the drive back on,...

 

[ricohman]

Re: Mercruiser I/O 3.0 Alpha 1 water/oil leak and dry rot

Yep 600 bucks for gimbal bellows job next year,1600bucks top Timken brg will go out even with new Lower unit oil , pump replacement , cable replacement , universal grease job just makes easier to put back together , shift interrupt micro might not work , then one trim switch might not work ,carb rebuild , new mech fuel pump, but reliable for next 10yrs ,still clean points and fill carb bowl to start first time,drain plugs before freeze Glade I went from 120hp Chrysler OB to to reliable 3.0 Gm 4 banger HaHa just venting but not mixing oil in gas for this luxury .Mine u couldn't see any holes .

I'm totally lost at this response??
Is it in the wrong thread?

 

[wrench 3]

Re: Mercruiser I/O 3.0 Alpha 1 water/oil leak and dry rot

Your slippage is most likely the prop hub. Anything else will usually make a rattle or clicking noise.
Sierra sells a transom reseal kit 18-2601-1 that includes the Gimbal bearing. I've had real good luck with them.
You can check your "U" joints by applying a rotational pressure on them by hand wile flexing them through their sideways travel, If they flex smoothly, grease and re-use.
Was there evidence of water in the gear lub?

 

[jkloppe]

Re: Mercruiser I/O 3.0 Alpha 1 water/oil leak and dry rot

alright kinda at a stand still right now. I have the lower unit removed. im getting ready to remove the bell housing to get to the gimble and replace the bellows. Do i need to remove the shift cable or can i just let it sit there as i do the replacements? if i do have to remove the shift cable do i need a special tool or is there a way that i can do it with local tools that i have here.

 

[jkloppe]

Re: Mercruiser I/O 3.0 Alpha 1 water/oil leak and dry rot

ok got the bell housing off today, kept the shifter cable attached (that bellow looks pretty good and was replaced recently). I did however run into another thing i need to fix. The trim indicator cables are worn pretty bad, im assuming the last time the housing was removed and put back on they were pinched and over time of trimming up and down they were worn to nothing and one is gone. I am posting pictures of them, What am I looking at as far as replacement, is this something pretty intense of fairly easy. Anyone have a part number i need to order to get these new cables?

Thank you

 

[wrench 3]

Re: Mercruiser I/O 3.0 Alpha 1 water/oil leak and dry rot

You wouldn't usually remove the bell housing to replace the bearing and bellows. However you do need to remove the shift cable to replace the small bellows on it. When you disconnect the forward end of the cable from the linkage, it should slide in and out very easily. If not, it will need to be replaced.
If you are going to reuse the cable, file the forward end of the inner cable smooth were the pinch screws flatten it, pull the inner cable out the back and lub it with engine oil.

 

[wrench 3]

Re: Mercruiser I/O 3.0 Alpha 1 water/oil leak and dry rot

It looks like our last two posts overlapped. But anyway, make sure you check that cable.
The trim sender and limit switch can only be purchased as a wire and switch/sender assembly. Sierra part number 18-7633.
It's not a bad job once the bell housing is off but they will have to be adjusted after assembly. So you will need a repair manual. You can also try here for a download Boatinfo - The library, containing manuals, brochures and other technical documents from the last hundred years! . The manual will also have the proper routing for the wires to keep them out of trouble.