Changing U-joint bellows....question

[thunderroad]

I removed the drive to grease the u-joints and found some water in the u-joint bellows. Upon inspection, I found a tear in the upper side of it. My question..basically what does it involve to change it? Does the gimbal housing have to come off? I changed the exhaust bellows last year without removing the drive and it was a PIA. Is this something a DIYer can do? I'm not totally opposed to hiring it done, but the nearest shop is 70 miles away. I've got the Mercruiser manual for my boat now but the only thing I can find about it is basically "remove universal joint bellows" then "reinstall universal joint bellows". Can anyone point me to some type of a step-by-step thing so I can decide whether to tackle it myself?
thanks

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Changing U-joint bellows....question

remove drive,(pre alpha )hinge pin nails, hinge pins, exaust boot ,gimbal housing,water inlet hose. (post alpha)trim & tilt senders,hinge pins,(12pt allen),gimbal housing,
Merc manual has a pretty good description of the how-to`s

 

[thunderroad]

Re: Changing U-joint bellows....question

thanks...any real world tips on getting the hinge pins out? I talked to the original owner of my boat and he said the boat had never had those pins removed before. Also...do I have to disconnect the shift cable?

 

[thunderroad]

Re: Changing U-joint bellows....question

Well....it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. Took about 4 hours start to finish..but....I may be imagining it, but it seems like I have a slight vibration around 1500 rpm that I can't remember having before. I've had the drive off 3 other times this summer and never noticed this before. It slipped right together so I can't really think what might have happened...if anything. It may be a "ghost" thing. I'm always listening or feeling for things after I work on something for the first time.
Oh yeah...one other thing. I bought the tube of "bellows adhesive" that it called for. When I used it I thought it smelled familiar. I got out my tire patch kit and compared the labels of the Monkey Grip glue and the "bellows adhesive". Identical....
"Bellows adhesive" $10.49. Monkey grip glue $1.19.