starting with drive up

[Surfshoptom]

Hi - Quick question.

The other day I put the boat in the water. It's a 4.3 with Alpha One. I started the engine in neutral and revved it a couple times and then realized I hadn't put the drive down at all. I quickly put it down. Everything seemed fine. Is it a big no-no to start and rev with the drive up or is it OK if you're in neutral?

thanks....

 

[45Auto]

Re: starting with drive up

You shouldn't run it with the drive all the way up because it makes the u-joints work at a severe angle. Doesn't matter whether you're in neutral or in gear, the input shaft (with u-joints) is turning any time the engine is running.

Doing it once for a few seconds isn't going to hurt anything, I've tried to back mine off the trailer a couple of times and couldn't figure out why it wouldn't move, then realized that the drive was still up.

My neighbor across the street runs his boat with the Alpha drive all the way up on muffs after every time he goes out to flush the engine (about twice a week). He's been doing it for 6 years now with no problems. I talked to him about it once when he first got the boat, he lowered the drive for a week or so then went back to leaving it up. You didn't bother yours at all by doing it once.

 

[ziggy]

Re: starting with drive up

agree w/45auto. i too have made the mistake of forgetting to put the drive down and starting it. done it a couple of times. no ramifications. under 1k rpms, idle. i prefer not to do that if i can remember. mostly i do.

 

[Surfshoptom]

Re: starting with drive up

thanks. that's kind of a relief. so the engine must engage the prop down in the lower drive if the u-joints are turning when in neutral. that makes sense. I just replaced the Gimbal. I was able to hear the bad Gimbal when idling in neutral.

 

[45Auto]

Re: starting with drive up

so the engine must engage the prop down in the lower drive if the u-joints are turning when in neutral.

You're correct. The input shaft, u-joints, bearings and gears in the upper unit, and the vertical shaft in the outdrive are turning anytime the engine is turning. The shifting is done in the lower unit to engage the vertical shaft with the propshaft.