Swivel shaft preventative maintenance tips needed

[wisebob]

Just installed a new Bravo transom shield. Looking for tips on preventative maintenance to extend the life of the swivel shaft and protect from corrosion.

I always trailer my boat.

Thanks.

 

[alldodge]

Well boat doc is a firm believer of drilling a hole in the upper bushing and installing a grease fitting. He has a thread on how to install one.

Bought my 20 year old Rinker new and there is no issues. I boat in fresh water and it sits on the trailer most it's life, with only a month or so every year sitting in the water.

 

[alldodge]

Don't know what happened, tried to edit to change to BT doctor but said I couldn't do it. Bt Doctur

 

[crazy charlie]

Are you referring to the ujoints?? Charlie

 

[Bt Doctur]

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/engi...stall-the-miissing-grease-fitting-bravo-alpha

 

[wisebob]

Kind of hesitant to drill through a brand new transom shield but what about the following alternatives?

1) Routinely shoot grease in from the inside transom plate to the swivel shaft area (not that much different from the nipple?)
or
2) If you are in saltwater, use fresh water to rinse the inside after each trip?
or
3) Spray something more liquid than grease after every trip from the inside like CorrosionX, Boeshield, Corrosion Block, etc...?
or
4) a combination of the above?

 

[stonyloam]

Originally (my alpha 1 sq/sq) upper pin had a hole bored through the center and a hole bored through the lower bearing surface. There is a seal under the lower bearing, so when you pumped grease in through the grease fitting it went in then through the hollow shaft and out into the lower bearing. I an pretty sure the seal was designed to keep water OUT, so the excess grease squeezed out past the seal. So the whole upper part stays full of grease. If you tried to pump grease in from the outside it would not get past the lower bearing seal. So the only way to get grease into the upper part of the housing is to add a grease fitting. It appears that all of the sq/sq pins (Alpha and Bravo) are the same part number, so adding a fitting should work on either.

 

[wisebob]

New swivel shafts are not hollow anymore from what I can see.

 

[stonyloam]

Yeah, I thought maybe. The doc's fix does essentially the same thing. The grease can go directly into the lower bearing and fill the space around the seal.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Kind of hesitant to drill through a brand new transom shield but what about the following alternatives?

1) Routinely shoot grease in from the inside transom plate to the swivel shaft area (not that much different from the nipple?)
or
2) If you are in saltwater, use fresh water to rinse the inside after each trip?
or
3) Spray something more liquid than grease after every trip from the inside like CorrosionX, Boeshield, Corrosion Block, etc...?
or
4) a combination of the above?

If you go to the link and scroll down to the housing cutaway you will see its impossable to get grease to the seal area..the corrosion you see is on a 2 year old housing

 

[wisebob]

If you go to the link and scroll down to the housing cutaway you will see its impossable to get grease to the seal area..the corrosion you see is on a 2 year old housing

Was that a trailered boat or boat in the water?

 

[Bt Doctur]

Barnaget Bay