outdrive problem

[meesh]

1980 350/260 mercriuser1. Upper case. When i turn my drive shaft i can feel a rough spot in the same place at every revolution. From what I can see gears look great. No water intrusion, metal in the oil, or burned oil, looks good. My guess is a bearing is begining to fail. I know I could rebuild this but with the price of the tools I might as well pay to get it fixed. My gut tells me to get the Mercruiser repaired rather than go with an aftermarket drive.
Any thoughts?

Thank you!

 

[Don S]

Re: outdrive problem

Have you checked the raw water pump. The rubber impeller could cause the rought spot.
With the 2 sections seperated you can at least tell which side is causing the problem.
BTW. What does the gear lube look like?

 

[meesh]

Re: outdrive problem

Yes, they are seperated and its in the upper case.

Thanks Don

 

[meesh]

Re: outdrive problem

Gear lube is clean, like new.

 

[Don S]

Re: outdrive problem

Remove the input shaft and double bearing assembly and check the gears and the feel of the bearings.
You do have the OEM manual don't you?

 

[meesh]

Re: outdrive problem

Yes, have the manual, dont have the tools. Am trying to figure out if they are woth ordering or to just pay someone else. Cost of tools will add up.

 

[legoman67]

Re: outdrive problem

you dont need much in the way of tools, a good socket set, a good set of wrenches and a cresent, some WD40, and one of those disposable bottle torches. that will do most stuff. a rubber mallet and a sledge hammer are nice to have aswell

 

[meesh]

Re: outdrive problem

Basic tools are'nt a problem. Drive shaft retaining nut wrench, driven gear shimming tool seal kit and any damaged gears and bearings can add up real fast. Thus my original thought of going with an sei upper drive.

 

[meesh]

Re: outdrive problem

Took a second look at it. When you spin the yoke rapdily you can here the roughness in the bottom of the case. So I'm guessing its the lower bearing. Looking at $180 in tools if I rebuild. New SEI upper is $595. By the way, no metal in the oil so I caught this early. I still like the idea of having the oe rebuilt if it doesnt get too expensive. If it comes out about the same price as sei I still think I'm ahead. Have heard mixed reviews on SEI. Especially from their own tech section. Lot of unhappy customers.

 

[bomar76]

Re: outdrive problem

Took a second look at it. When you spin the yoke rapdily you can here the roughness in the bottom of the case. So I'm guessing its the lower bearing. Looking at $180 in tools if I rebuild. New SEI upper is $595. By the way, no metal in the oil so I caught this early. I still like the idea of having the oe rebuilt if it doesnt get too expensive. If it comes out about the same price as sei I still think I'm ahead. Have heard mixed reviews on SEI. Especially from their own tech section. Lot of unhappy customers.

Just buying the tools doesn't mean you have the ability to sucessfully rebuild a drive....
and the part about mixed reviews...
That's all in your head.
And By the Way...
if your upper is bad, I can guarantee your lower will soon follow.

 

[mcleaves]

Re: outdrive problem

Just buying the tools doesn't mean you have the ability to sucessfully rebuild a drive....

I have to agree. I can follow a manual as good as the next guy, but this is one component I would want someone with experience doing the work.

and the part about mixed reviews...
That's all in your head.
And By the Way...

I have yet to find someone with a bad review on these drives. Read a lot online and have spoken with about a dozen owners firsthand. Heard plenty of complaints about Merc drives though over the years . That doesn't mean Merc makes bad drives, just that every product has days.

I have a project boat I am working on and it will definitely have an SEI drive hanging off it this spring. I'd rather have a new 3 year warrantied SEI drive than old rebuilt Merc possibly shimmed to hell with a shorter warranty. As a soon to be owner myself, if you have references to these problems I'd like to read them. Please post them.

And if Bomar is right about the lower failing in short order a new complete drive looks even better.

M

 

[Bondo]

Re: outdrive problem

Ayuh,...

If you end up buying only 1 bearing set, or the gear set,...
You just spent More than the $600...

 

[meesh]

Re: outdrive problem

I've been in the automotive business all my life. Worked as a transmission mechanic for 12 years before going into another automotive area. Rebuilt plenty of automatics and differentials so I'm sure I can handle the job. The question remains are the aftermarkets going to last as long as my mercruiser did. The lower was done 5 years ago. I'm reading mixed reviews on the life span of aftermarket drives.

 

[mcleaves]

Re: outdrive problem

I'm reading mixed reviews on the life span of aftermarket drives.

Again, where?

 

[meesh]

Re: outdrive problem

Go to SEI own web site and go to the technical section were you will find some very unhappy customers as well as some very satisfied ones. What I'm trying to do is make an educated decision on which path to follow. Rebuild or SEI. Obviously SEI would be the most economical way to go, just want to make sure it's a wise purchase with a good life span.

 

[mcleaves]

Re: outdrive problem

I've crawled all over those forums in the past and just took a quick peek now to see if I could see anything glaring over the first few pages of the 116. I see problems, most covered by warranty and some covered that shouldn't be (chipped gears from high idle/shifting in one thread).

I see nothing other than incredible responsiveness from these guys to fix the issues. Any car or boat would have as many issues and then some. I just don't see where these drive are potentially crap..

I doubt a merc forum would look much different. I don't see where they air their dirty laundry so it's impossible to compare.

Maybe it's just not the drive for you.

M

 

[meesh]

Re: outdrive problem

Actually I'm having trouble finding that myself now. There was a ask a tech forum where they had people talking back and forth with one of their techs and now I cant find it either. Sorry about that. Look I'm not here to rip on the drives like it seems you think I am. Actually they look pretty attractive for the price. What I am trying to do is get some good feedback from people who have owned them and I thought this would be the right place to get that information.

 

[Don S]

Re: outdrive problem

It's easy to find posts about people having problems with ANY product.

When was the last time you posted on a site that your coffee maker, your TV, your VCR, your car or truck, your house, your furnace, water heater, or anything else that has worked flawlessly for you? I would bet never.

You could put a brand new OEM outdrive on a boat with a bad bellows or seal, and the drive will be junk in a short amount of time. BUT, it's not a fault of the drive. Be very sure you are not just fixing the problem, you need to cure the real problem.

 

[meesh]

Re: outdrive problem

Don
Thanks for the reply. I just did all that. New coupler new mounts perfect alignment. All new bellows, water tuber, trim senders and shift cable. I know your not the biggest fan of the aftermarket, but it sounds like your ok with these drives. Any feedback from you woujd be greatly appreciated.

Thank You!