Re: Alpha 1 Gen 1 Came out of gear
As far as I know the Alpha's horisontal gear shaft, is only supported on one end of the gear. This just makes for a failure waiting to happen. The smallest amount of wear on the bearings, or there preload, and the two gears will tend to want to push away from each other, and cause a failure. I think the Bravo 1 and above are supported on each end of the shaft. Also the OMC Cobra is supported on both sides of the gear. I never owned a Alpha, but about 10 years ago, a freind of mine had one, with a 454 in a 27' boat. We had to rebuild the top end every year. After about three years of doing this, he found a good Bravo 1, problem solved. I know the Alpha is only rated for 300HP, but I never could cosy up to an Alpha design. I know I may get beat up on this opinon, but its my .0002.