Cracked bell housing? Please see pic

[Don S]

Re: Cracked bell housing? Please see pic

Take the bellhousing off, V out the crack and get it welded by a good welder.
If you had a 300 hp motor hooked to it I wouldn't say that, but you have 135 hp. You boat in fresh water, even a minor leak isn't going to be a super huge problem.
Then keep an eye open for a good used one. But don't waste the summer looking for a cheap part. Sellers know when to sell parts for higher prices.

 

[Jonnybbad]

Re: Cracked bell housing? Please see pic

Hmm. Thanks guys. What is the slide cavity for?

Take a look at my pics at the area where you leak is. The shift cavity is for the shift slide to sit in. The end of the shift cable is attached to the shift slide, which actuates the shift bellcrank, which is attached to the shift shaft you see going through the bellhousing exhaust cavity vertically. The lower end of this shaft interfaces with the linkage in the lower unit to shift gears.

I would say that the other side of your bellhousing has a crack in it also and water is entering from the cooling passageway into the bellhousing and leaking out the other side like your picture shows. This would mean water is getting inside the bellows and the gimbal bearing. This will ruin your gimbal bearing if it is not already. Running it in this condition in the water I would guess water will fill the bellhousing and enter the boat (no good). With this diagnosis I would certainly not run your boat in this condition.

P.S. - Seeing the RTV in your picture is not a confidence booster.
EDIT: Aww, heck.... thats just the orange junk from the gasket. Nevermind.

 

[04fxdwgi]

Re: Cracked bell housing? Please see pic

Thanks, yep I saw those but they're over 500 bucks

I guess either way would work. Replace / repair. What ever works best for you. Your's is an Alpha 1 gen2, right?

 

[fulano]

Hi Guys,

It's been a while since I've posted and I'm embarrassed to say that I've been driving with a cracked bell housing for the past 2 years.:faint2:

But i found a used one for a couple hundred bucks and I want to get her back in tip top shape. Now that I'm getting it fixed, I want to have it done right. While the outdrive is off, I want to replace everything that could be a labor intensive problem later on. So far I have the bell housing and trim limit switches. Here's some other things I thought of:

*Bell housing
*trim limit switch / sending unit
*Bellows (transom kit??)
*gimbal bearing
*oil and water hoses
*shift cable
*impeller and outdrive service
*u joints?? ( I did drive it with no limit switch for a while ) :tsk:

That's all I could think of... What else do you think I should replace while they're in there?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Grub54891]

You pretty much have it covered, there are also thin nylon washers on the pivot pins, sometimes they are ok, but replace them too. And the black nylon thrust slides on the sides could be worn also, I like to replace the nylock nuts that hold the drive on every few years also, the get torqued to 50 ft lbs, and you will get them tightened wrong if they are wore out. A good quicksilver transom kit should have the bellows/hoses/gimbal bearing included in the kit. Happy boating!

 

[fulano]

Thanks! I'll look for those parts to change them out too. I haven't had the boat out this year, but at the end of last year we made a trip to lake Havasu. We left the boat slipped and then next morning I had a bunch of water in the bilge. Pumped it out and drove it all day and took on minimal water. Slipped it again and kept an eye on it all night and it was bone dry the next morning. I think I'm taking on water when I drive in reverse. Do you think it's the bellows or maybe the Transom seal? I forgot to put that in my list but I'd like to change out the Transom seal as well. Is there just one on the outside of the transom or is there two? (one outside one inside)

 

[Grub54891]

There is one seal on the transom assembly, I believe the motor has to come out to remove the entire assembly. They usually don't leak, unless the transom is rotten. Just one more thing to check before ya buy all the parts. The upper pivot pin for the steering has a seal, usually don't leak while under way though. the only other seal is the shift shaft seal. but water wouldn't get into the boat that way unless the big o-ring on the drive is compromised, witch would make it through the gimbal bearing area.Oh yeah the shift cable boot would leak in to the boat also.

 

[fulano]

Oh ok.. No chance of rotting its all fiberglass back there, and I sure as heck don't want to pull the motor. Maybe I can have the mechanic look at it to see if it appears in good shape. I'm hoping its just the u-joint or shift cable bellows. I don't take on water while going forward. I always seem to notice it after I have reversed quickly. Makes me think the bellows go underwater for a bit and let it pour in. Does that sound likely? I'm pretty new at this so I could be way off base.

 

[Bondo]

I think I'm taking on water when I drive in reverse. Do you think it's the bellows or maybe the Transom seal?
No chance of rotting its all fiberglass back there,

Nope,..... There's wood in between the layers of fiberglass,....

'n yer's is Rotten,.....

Takin' on water in reverse says so,.....

The transom assembly is the backbone of the driveline, the motor mounts on 1 side, 'n the drive on the other,....
The transom assembly is the 1st thing into the hull, 'n the last thing out,...

If you could reach the nuts on the studs of the transom assembly, yer gonna find 'em, loose,....
No more wood to squeeze against,.....

 

[fulano]

Hmmm. I will see if I can reach the bolts to check. Would this be the only way water would come in when going in reverse?

 

[fulano]

Dropped off the boat to Bass Pro today to get an estimate. Service writer said she spoke to the mechanic and it would take at least a full day (8 hours @$100/hr) to do change out the bell housing and "gimble kit" as she called it.

Does this sound right to you guys?

 

[Grub54891]

Sounds about average to me. I've done them in 3-1/2 hours, others kick my a** and take all day. just depends on corrosion, and stuff. Just remember, if the transom is rotted, you may still have a leak. Bellows wont help that problem.

 

[fulano]

Thanks guys for your help and advice. I have asked the boat shop to check the transom.

 

[Newbie@boats]

I would assume you're going to have them check the transom BEFORE doing $800 just in labor to service the outdrive?

 

[fulano]

Yep. Had them check the transom and also the engine compression. Everything seems good. He said all cylinders are between 140 and 150, and to check the transom, he filled the bilge with water, raised the front of the boat and lifted on the outdrive. There was no leaking. I don't know where all that water came in that day??? I'm totally stumped. He pulled the drive and said my bellows looked good from what he could see. From where the bell housing crack was, he said he expected to see water in the u-joint bellows if anything, but it was dry, and the gimble bearing grease still looked fresh, so he doubts I was getting water in there. Said the u joints are the sealed kind and usually last a very long time, and the gimble bearing felt good. He really couldn't see if the shift cable bellows was leaking, but its a possibility.

I think I'll just have him replace the bell housing, put the new trim limit / sending unit on, replace all the bellows, put in a new shift cable (just in case), new impeller and outdrive service and call it good.

What do you guys think?

 

[Bondo]

put the new trim limit / sending unit on, replace all the bellows, put in a new shift cable (just in case),

Ayuh,.... All that stuff only lasts 5 to 8 years,... Good call on replacin' it while it's already apart,.....