breakingbass
Cadet
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2014
- Messages
- 29
hi all, a few months ago i bought an old 1986 galaxie v hull with an OMC stern drive 400 stringer. it ran great, was properly cared for with service records included, and was treating me great until last month when i lost drive to the propeller. i started with the simplest solutions and started off examining the propeller hub. that was ok, so i went on to the shift cabling. that was proper as well. when i ran the motor and tilted the out drive up, i could see the ball gear turning so i knew that the engine's driveshaft/coupler were still good.
once i removed the outdrive from the boat, i attempted to turn the ball gear on the upper gear case to see if i could get the prop shaft to turn. no dice. so now i have isolated my problem to the out drive and ruled out the motor. once i separated the lower from the upper gear case, i turned the spindle at the top of the lower case and was able to see the prop shaft turn. so now i ruled out the break in the lower gear case.
with the lower and the upper separated, i then turned the ball gear on the upper gear case and found that the shaft on the other end would not turn, or just barely turn. so now i have isolated the break to the upper gear case. after taking the entire out drive apart, i found that the two shafts in the upper gear case had stripped each other out. after lots and lots of reading and asking around, i was able to finally able to source the parts i needed for the repair and im happy to report that my out drive is back in action and running like new. here are a few thoughts for anyone attempting to DIY this repair in their own garage.
do lots and lots of research! start by getting the service manual and getting very familiar with how these out drives work. there are many great videos on youtube that show how these out drives can be taken apart safely.
instead of asking boat mechanics for help on your problem, ask a parts dealer. the mechanics arent going to give you knowledge that will keep you out of their shop, but a parts dealer cant wait to tell you how to make the repair yourself so that they can sell you the parts. the dealer i got my parts from even put me in touch with his shop's mechanic who guided me step by step on how to make the repair.
take lots of pictures. as i have done for many years with all of the engines i have worked on, utilize a digital camera and record all of the things you are taking apart. that way, if you forget how a particular assembly went together, you can go back in your camera and see.
make sure to get seal kits. along with the two shafts i needed, i ordered a seal and gasket kit, and replaced all of the worn seals and gaskets. i also suggest replacing the impeller while youre in there. its only 25 bucks and will give you piece of mind.
be patient, and use the torque specs and diagrams to help you along the way.
im not advocating that anyone try this at home themselves, but if you are a competent mechanic, have experience working on engines, or your car, and if you have a good set of tools, some time, and good buddies that are willing to help, then working on these out drives is completely doable by the home DIYer. i ran into a few people on forums that will discourage you from trying to perform this type of repair, i even ran into a few really smug people who made really smug remarks about trying this at home and that i will just end up taking my mess to a shop but if you are confident in your mechanical skills, dont let them persuade you. it would have cost me over two thousand dollars to get it fixed at a shop, but my total cost for repairs, including upgrades i made and parts and lube for the tune up, i spent about 400 bucks. what doing this repair will take the most from you is time. although i did want to pull my hair out over and over, i found the repair very rewarding and now feel a new sense of confidence in knowing these out drives inside and out and being able to better diagnose any problems i might face in the future.
once i removed the outdrive from the boat, i attempted to turn the ball gear on the upper gear case to see if i could get the prop shaft to turn. no dice. so now i have isolated my problem to the out drive and ruled out the motor. once i separated the lower from the upper gear case, i turned the spindle at the top of the lower case and was able to see the prop shaft turn. so now i ruled out the break in the lower gear case.
with the lower and the upper separated, i then turned the ball gear on the upper gear case and found that the shaft on the other end would not turn, or just barely turn. so now i have isolated the break to the upper gear case. after taking the entire out drive apart, i found that the two shafts in the upper gear case had stripped each other out. after lots and lots of reading and asking around, i was able to finally able to source the parts i needed for the repair and im happy to report that my out drive is back in action and running like new. here are a few thoughts for anyone attempting to DIY this repair in their own garage.
do lots and lots of research! start by getting the service manual and getting very familiar with how these out drives work. there are many great videos on youtube that show how these out drives can be taken apart safely.
instead of asking boat mechanics for help on your problem, ask a parts dealer. the mechanics arent going to give you knowledge that will keep you out of their shop, but a parts dealer cant wait to tell you how to make the repair yourself so that they can sell you the parts. the dealer i got my parts from even put me in touch with his shop's mechanic who guided me step by step on how to make the repair.
take lots of pictures. as i have done for many years with all of the engines i have worked on, utilize a digital camera and record all of the things you are taking apart. that way, if you forget how a particular assembly went together, you can go back in your camera and see.
make sure to get seal kits. along with the two shafts i needed, i ordered a seal and gasket kit, and replaced all of the worn seals and gaskets. i also suggest replacing the impeller while youre in there. its only 25 bucks and will give you piece of mind.
be patient, and use the torque specs and diagrams to help you along the way.
im not advocating that anyone try this at home themselves, but if you are a competent mechanic, have experience working on engines, or your car, and if you have a good set of tools, some time, and good buddies that are willing to help, then working on these out drives is completely doable by the home DIYer. i ran into a few people on forums that will discourage you from trying to perform this type of repair, i even ran into a few really smug people who made really smug remarks about trying this at home and that i will just end up taking my mess to a shop but if you are confident in your mechanical skills, dont let them persuade you. it would have cost me over two thousand dollars to get it fixed at a shop, but my total cost for repairs, including upgrades i made and parts and lube for the tune up, i spent about 400 bucks. what doing this repair will take the most from you is time. although i did want to pull my hair out over and over, i found the repair very rewarding and now feel a new sense of confidence in knowing these out drives inside and out and being able to better diagnose any problems i might face in the future.