Volvo Penta I/O Gimbal Bearing and U-joint replacement cost mechanic labor cost

[Kingstown]

Got a tear in my Ujoint and the saltwater got in and gimbal bearing is showing some corrosion. Marina mechanic is quoting me 2200.00 to replace the Ujoint and 2300.00 to replace the bearing due to motor needing to be removed. The boat was running great and no noise now all of a sudden 5k to get this thing back in the water? Does this seem right for labor? The parts are only a couple hundred dollars so he is charging almost 3500 - 4k in labor. I moved the boat from one marina to the other and the old mechanic is saying it seems really high for labor but they have our boat already apart so we feel vulnerable and cannot drop it in the water with that tear to take it to the other mechanic and we do not have a trailer to tow it on. It seems like they are way over estimating the labor time.

 

[further]

Hopefully some of the very knowledgable folks on here will respond but I question why the motor needs to be removed to replace the gamble bearing and u joint. That's all done by removing the outdrive which should be done annually anyway. Not very hard to do at all. I'd get another quote and wouldn't feel vulnerable. Good luck!

 

[Thalasso]

Got a tear in my Ujoint and the saltwater got in and gimbal bearing is showing some corrosion. Marina mechanic is quoting me 2200.00 to replace the Ujoint and 2300.00 to replace the bearing due to motor needing to be removed. The boat was running great and no noise now all of a sudden 5k to get this thing back in the water? Does this seem right for labor? The parts are only a couple hundred dollars so he is charging almost 3500 - 4k in labor. I moved the boat from one marina to the other and the old mechanic is saying it seems really high for labor but they have our boat already apart so we feel vulnerable and cannot drop it in the water with that tear to take it to the other mechanic and we do not have a trailer to tow it on. It seems like they are way over estimating the labor time.

You better be looking for another mechanic. The motor doesn't need to come out for any of that work. They are putting it to you big time. I would borrow a trailer and bite the bullet and pay him and get the boat out of there.
What year (model) of drive do you have?

 

[Kingstown]

Thank you, it's a 93 Cobalt and the Gimbal bearing is in the bell housing so we were told the whole motor needs to come out. The ujoint itself didn't need the motor pulled just the bearing but the 2 separate costs seem a little far fetched with labor. With the bearing already showing a little corrosion I wonder if I would be ok dropping the boat back in the water to just get it up to the other marina and have the mechanic that knows the boat do the repair. Boat was running fine no noise just wanted to have the fuel sending unit checked and that's when the tear was found. I almost feel like they are quoting high hours because they have never worked on the boat before and are planning on taking extra time.

 

[Kingstown]

1993 740 B PS. The last Marina replaced the Ujoint and Exhaust Bellows and Water hose in 2010 all that with the seal kit was 1055.82 including labor so we are being charged more than double 5 years later for 1 of those three items to be replaced. Anyone got a trailer I can borrower :mad-new: Oh also suggesting a carb rebuild for 500.00 due to shutting off when low idle in reverse but not sure if that will even fix the problem!

 

[bruceb58]

1993 does not have a gimbal bearing. That is why the engine needs to come out. There are multiple driveshaft bearings and at least one of these has to be removed wit the engine out.

DonS used to say to change these bellows more often than a SX drive.

 

[Kingstown]

Hmmm, should that make me trust it even less? This is what I was sent. Shouldn't they know that before it is quoted?
Drive shaft bellow : $2318.88/ u-Joints, Seals, Yoke, Gear oil
Carburetor : $500.00
Fuel sending unit : $150
Gimbal bearing : $2380.00 - Pulling motor/Replacing all seal and blts in bel housing

 

[bruceb58]

It's weird they call it a gimbal bearing when its not really a gimbal bearing.

 

[Lou C]

It's not a gimble bearing, Volvo called it a Primary Drive Shaft (PDS) bearing; the design does not require it to gimble like on a Merc, Cobra or Volvo SX.