Are these an automatic replace?

[CurrentObsession]

Just bought a 1998 Sea Ray 290 Sundancer

​Everything except the out drives and props are in amazing like new condition. This was supposedly a freshwater all its life boat, but looking at the drives, I wonder. I have ordered an alignment tool and plan to pull the drives as soon as it arrives to check the gimbal and bellows. Should I just order new drives based on what these look like?

 

[Lou C]

Come to any salt water region, ours all look worse! Fix that broken skeg and give em a good paint job!

 

[QBhoy]

Seen a lot worse....I'd imagine if this was in fresh water...it was because the marina berth it might have been on wasn't earthed properly ? It causes the weakest point to corrode...basically the aluminium drives act as an anode for anything of a higher galvanic rating attached to the jetty.
Anyway....seen worse and as mentioned...get the skeg ally welded and repaired....rub down the rough stuff and re paint with mercury phantom black paint (2 coats)...job is a good 'un

 

[QBhoy]

Also...when having stainlesss props on and aluminium drive...it's essential to keep your anodes in good form. Sure you know that anyway.

 

[Bt Doctur]

lose the SS props , install ZINC zincs ,and check the bonding of the drives to the engines.. Sometime a bad charger will do the same thing.

 

[CurrentObsession]

and check the bonding of the drives to the engines..

How do I do that?

 

[tpenfield]

You can probably save the outdrives, but they certainly have been neglected. Fresh water will kill an outdrive if given the opportunity. . . . i.e. no anodes or not replaced often enough.

 

[Bt Doctur]

there are SS wires from the trim cylinders the housing, there is a SS wire from the gimbal housing to the transom housing, there is a wire from the steering arm to the transom and from the transom to the rear housing bolt on the engine.. All the negative battery posts are connected together and the engines have a battery cable between the engines

 

[scoflaw]

There is a prop nut anode available for that LU. Make sure your macathode system is hooked up and is tested to be working. Merc offers a bonding kit that BT is referring to.

 

[Scott Danforth]

How do I do that?

its in the manual