MerCruiser gimbal bearing and u joints

1toboat

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I have a 1990 Bayliner with a MerCruiser. I got an estimate of $2800 to replace the gimbal bearings, U joints, seals, and bellow. does that sound reasonable?
 

alldodge

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Howdy
Depends on where you live and if this was a dealer quote, and what drive
 

1toboat

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Thank you. I live in Missouri. It is a Bravo. The estimate is from a shop at a local marina.
 

achris

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There's about $500 in parts and about 4 to 6 hours in that job. $2800 seems excessive.
 

alldodge

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Also agree, marina is on the high end, a dealer wouldn't charge that much

If your up to it, me can supply info for a DIY
 

1toboat

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Thank you. I live in Missouri. It is a Bravo. The estimate is from a shop at a local marina.
 

1toboat

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Hmmm here’s the parts list and labor cost.
 

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1toboat

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I don’t have the tools or help to diy. Seems like maybe I should get a second estimate?
 

1toboat

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The local authorize MerCruiser dealer won’t touch it because it’s older than 20 years.
 

achris

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Ok, I'm going to pull this quote apart....

Kit-Transom seal. There is a whole bunch of parts in that kit that you don't need. All you need is the uni joint bellows and the gimbal bearing. Those 2 together are $230.

Labour to remove the drive, pull the gimbal bearing, bellows and old shift cable, and replace takes 4 to 6 hours. Let's call it 5 hours. The quote makes it $200/hr. Even here that's double the going rate!

The uni joints. The quote is for a complete yoke assembly, which involves pulling part of the upper housing apart. To replace unis, just replace the unis. They are $80 each, and it takes less time to do 2 unis than pulling the drive to bits. That then also means the seals, nuts and washers associated with the stripping aren't needed anymore.

Shift cable. The quoted cable is non-genuine. Do yourself a favour and insist on genuine parts. They do cost a little more initially, but are better value in the long run.

Trim senders. I have no idea why there is a $203 item there (18-7634), because the one below it has all that's needed (both sender and position switch)...

He's also quoting a non-Merc oil. Not recommended for the bravos. Use ONLY Quicksilver High Performance Gear Lube. And he's only quoted for 1.5 quarts. A Bravo needs around double that. Unless he only plans on draining enough to open the top housing and refilling it. :facepalm:

Chris........

Just googled that sierra 18-7634, and it's a trim sender, for an OMC!
 

dubs283

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full bravo transom rubber with senders and gimbal bearing, shift cable kit (which does not sound like you are getting, just an adjustment) complete ujoint assy including driveshaft and yoke replacement and full drive reaseal with oem parts from a reputable shop. $2800 sounds about right to me

it has always been a mystery to me why a shop would completely remove a lower shift cable to replace just the bellows and not the entire cable/kit? if the cable is old enough for the bellows to have failed, surely the cable has worn a lot too

can't speak for your local marina tho
 

Furbird

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I find it funny that one person basically says the job can be done for half that then 30 minutes later someone else says it's about right.

I know two things. 1, there is no possible way I could justify that type of outlay of cash for that kind of work. That's a lot of tools, parts, even paying for help so that you can get the experience and knowledge (and accomplishment) of DIY. 2, you must REALLY like this 30 year old Bayliner to consider dropping 3g's into a repair. Just being totally honest here, that probably exceeds the value of the boat.

I'm glad achris broke that down because if u-joints for a boat cost over 600 bucks I was going to start forging boat u-joints and quit my day job. Pretty sure it's like most other marine-markup items though (SARCASM TO FOLLOW) and it's a $12 Oreilly part with Mercruiser stamped on the box.
 

nola mike

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Yeah, I've used Moog unis at $15 each. Not sealed though. Was a full drive reseal part of that? That's a lot more work, as is the yoke replacement. I'd be suspicious that all that work is necessary.
 

nola mike

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Of course, at the end of the day if they're the only game in town and you can't diy, then it doesn't matter if it's reasonable or not.
 

alldodge

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It does take some tools but some can be borrowed from the local auto parts store. Achris is on the right path
 

tank1949

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Ok, I'm going to pull this quote apart....

Kit-Transom seal. There is a whole bunch of parts in that kit that you don't need. All you need is the uni joint bellows and the gimbal bearing. Those 2 together are $230.

Labour to remove the drive, pull the gimbal bearing, bellows and old shift cable, and replace takes 4 to 6 hours. Let's call it 5 hours. The quote makes it $200/hr. Even here that's double the going rate!

The uni joints. The quote is for a complete yoke assembly, which involves pulling part of the upper housing apart. To replace unis, just replace the unis. They are $80 each, and it takes less time to do 2 unis than pulling the drive to bits. That then also means the seals, nuts and washers associated with the stripping aren't needed anymore.

Shift cable. The quoted cable is non-genuine. Do yourself a favour and insist on genuine parts. They do cost a little more initially, but are better value in the long run.

Trim senders. I have no idea why there is a $203 item there (18-7634), because the one below it has all that's needed (both sender and position switch)...

He's also quoting a non-Merc oil. Not recommended for the bravos. Use ONLY Quicksilver High Performance Gear Lube. And he's only quoted for 1.5 quarts. A Bravo needs around double that. Unless he only plans on draining enough to open the top housing and refilling it. :facepalm:

Chris........

Just googled that sierra 18-7634, and it's a trim sender, for an OMC!

And I thought that only automotive shops gouged people. Perhaps shop really doesn't want to do the job or is packed with repairs ahead of him? However, as a DIY person, I'd already have OD off.
 

alldodge

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Thought about something
Why are you asking for the work to be done?
You hearing or seeing something?

If the gimbal bearing feels smooth when rotating by hand then it doesn't need replacing.

Lets find out what caused the estimate before deciding what needs to be done
 

jonny rotten

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I have a 1990 4.3 Mercruiser and just did this exact same job last week. I've never done it before and it went pretty smooth doing it by myself without a helper. I bought the parts awhile ago and want to say the parts were around $400. I wouldnt drop almost 3 grand on my old boat but a DIY project is worth it to keep the boat going. It's not difficult for the most part and there are many youtube videos to help you. Plan on a full weekend with some aggravation mixed in but it's doable with minimal tools and no experience
 
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