1989 Chaparral 2100SX, 5.7 Merc MCM with Alpha One, gen 1 outdrive. Two seasons ago I pulled my engine and replaced the engine coupling. I had a shop replace my bellows and the gimbal bearing. I just didn't want to do that job again, so I paid someone to do it. So last year when I did my normal winterizing I must have caught the rubber seal that goes on the inside of the input housing when I put my outdrive back on. When I removed my outdrive yesterday to do my normal winterizing there was goop in the bellows. Water and grease, just this ugly grey goop. A part of the rubber seal was inside the bellows and the rest was still seated around the input housing. So basically it looks like last season I ran the boat with water in the bellows all season. My brand new gimbal bearing is grinding and obviously needs to be replaced again, bummer. In addition, when I went to drain the outdrive the same grey, ugly oil came out. So obviously somehow my outdrive was compromised. Everything ran fine last season, the last time I ran the boat a few weeks ago there were no issues. There were no metal flakes on the outdrive oil drain magnet. So I have a few questions.
How did water get in my outdrive?
What does it mean for my outdrive as far as longevity?
Does my outdrive need to be resealed?
What is entailed in resealing the outdrive and what is a typical cost associated with that?
I mean, I know the bellows and gimbal bearing need to be replace again now, but I'm concerned about my outdrive. So I'm a little bummed at my bad workmanship. Like so many of you I work really hard to keep my boat in great shape and try to do as much as I can to save money, but do things right. And now this time my hard work did not pay off and its got me questioning whether the maintenance is something I should keep doing myself. Thanks guys!
How did water get in my outdrive?
What does it mean for my outdrive as far as longevity?
Does my outdrive need to be resealed?
What is entailed in resealing the outdrive and what is a typical cost associated with that?
I mean, I know the bellows and gimbal bearing need to be replace again now, but I'm concerned about my outdrive. So I'm a little bummed at my bad workmanship. Like so many of you I work really hard to keep my boat in great shape and try to do as much as I can to save money, but do things right. And now this time my hard work did not pay off and its got me questioning whether the maintenance is something I should keep doing myself. Thanks guys!