bellows question.

[rwoodruff]

I have replaced my drive and exhaust bellows recently. The drive bellows seem ok, but I am having trouble keeping the exaust bellows on. They were a bear to get on in the first place. They were glued and clamped but popped of when the trim was taken up to move the boat out a week later. I am guessing that using a tube instead of the bellows would have been easier right? I am not sure of the difference.

I understand there is a bellows stretcher, but do I realy need it at this point? What can I be doing wrong here? Or should I just get a exhaust tube instead and what benift does the tube have over the bellow?

 

[Don S]

Re: bellows question.

What are we working on ?

 

[rwoodruff]

Re: bellows question.

Sorry I forgot to mention what it is.

1981 3 liter Merc with alpha one outdrive.

 

[rwoodruff]

Re: bellows question.

they popped off yesterday after I trimmed it to trailer to move it to the front of the house so I could take it for a water test today. It pulled off the bell houseing not the gimbal housing. thank goodness. I went ahead and cleaned and re glued it yesterday, and let the glue set overnight and just went out and tightened down the hoseclamp and raised the trim all the way up and its on, but I am worried now that it wont stay. I had thought of trying to put some heat on to it ethier with an old hair drier or lightly with a propane torch to try to make it remeber the stretch.

 

[brhodes]

Re: bellows question.

Even if it lets loose, it won't sink the boat, so don't worry too much about it. I've only done my bellows once, used the home made puller solution posted on a thread here, only cost a few bucks. Just my opinion, but I wouldn't mess with a torch, hair dryer maybe. Good luck.