Pulled Alpha 1 Gen II Drive question on play in the gears on upper unit

lkgboater71 said:

Hi -

I pulled my drive for normal maintenance, water pump impeller etc and everything looks ok except for an engine alignment and there appears to be about 2mm of play in the gears in the upper unit. I've attached a pic to show what I mean. This may not even be a valid test... The u-joints seem to be intact as there is no play in them, but if I hold the whole U-Joint assembly I am able to rotate it about 2 mm before the gears in the upper unit make contact. Do I have an issue or is this because the drive is split and I should not worry about it.

Thanks.

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Bond-o said:

Ayuh,... Welcome Aboard,.... Ya, there's abit of lash there, not sure on the 2mm though...

Was there Metal in the drained oil,..??

If not, don't worry 'bout it...

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Don S said:

It's impossible to tell what lash you are feeling, rather gear, or spline lash from the lower unit vertical shaft and maybe more, up to the impeller.
The only way to check the upper for gear lash is to check the gear heights for the drive gear and the driven gear using the special tools.

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