Exhaust bellow slipped off

affa

Petty Officer 1st Class
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May 20, 2003
Messages
213
Hi, I replaced the bellows on my alphaone gen2 drive, when I tested the boat in the sea it sounds like the Exhaust bellow has slipped off, more engine noise then before, is there any problem using the boat this way?
 

Fun Times

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Hi, I replaced the bellows on my alphaone gen2 drive, when I tested the boat in the sea it sounds like the Exhaust bellow has slipped off, more engine noise then before, is there any problem using the boat this way?
The exhaust bellows down under the U-joint bellows?
Often without using the mercruiser exhaust bellows install tool, and following the guidance of the Alpha, Gen 2 service manual number 14, the exhaust bellows has a tendency to keep slipping off if only tried by hand to install.
The stern drive has to be off to use the tool for the correct install procedure.

Or in some cases another easier to install with one hose clamp would be a Mercruiser Exhaust Tube for Mercruiser Alpha and Bravo Stern Drive... (Merc Number 78458A1 / Sierra Marine 18-2760).

The slipped off bellows could start chafing into the other components down in the area so be careful of that with frequent visual inspections when possible.
 

Jmunk

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Jan 31, 2007
Messages
324
Did you install the exhaust bellow dry or did you use bellows adhesive? The ones I’ve done, I’ve installed dry with no issues.
 

affa

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
May 20, 2003
Messages
213
I didnt use adhesive on the bellhousing side, and I guess its there it`s off
 

muc

"Retired" Association of Marine Technicians...
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Jul 7, 2004
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2,341
MerCruiser tech support has been recommending super glue for exhaust bellows that slip off. Works for me, I use the gel version.
 

Fun Times

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MerCruiser tech support has been recommending super glue for exhaust bellows that slip off. Works for me, I use the gel version.
Hopefully without too much of a thread highjack scenario here, by chance Muc, Jmunk and any others, do you all know of any floating rumors out there of the quicksilver bellows adhesive not holding up (or should I say on) like years past?

I have been seeing on different, active MerCruiser talking websites like Facebook, where a number of active service technicians are starting to put on the U-joint and shift cable bellows on dry with said good results as some have experienced slipping off with adhesive used... The reason I ask is I myself had a new OEM bravo shift cable bellows with new OEM clamp slip off about 2 weeks ago with bellows adhesive used.

OEM clamp is being mentioned because recently a friend I was helping bought an aftermarket shift bellows and the clamp that came with it walked off as I was just tightening the clamp down not even to specification yet...Put the old OEM clamp on and worked out good thereafter.
Thanks...
 

Scott06

Admiral
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Apr 20, 2014
Messages
7,487
Hopefully without too much of a thread highjack scenario here, by chance Muc, Jmunk and any others, do you all know of any floating rumors out there of the quicksilver bellows adhesive not holding up (or should I on) like years past?

I have been seeing on different, active MerCruiser talking websites like Facebook, where a number of active service technicians are starting to put on the U-joint and shift cable bellows on dry with said good results as some have experienced slipping off with adhesive used... The reason I ask is I myself had a new OEM bravo shift cable bellows with new OEM clamp slip off about 2 weeks ago with bellows adhesive used.

OEM clamp is being mentioned because recently a friend I was helping bought an aftermarket shift bellows and the clamp that came with it walked off as I was just tightening the clamp down not even to specification yet...Put the old OEM clamp on and worked out good thereafter.
Thanks...
I had the oem clamp walking off the exhaust bellows on the bellhousing side of my gen 2 when I did it a couple years back. I think the transom end I put on with adhesive, bellhousing end popped off when I tightened the clamp. So b6 the time I got it to stay there was not much adhesive left, just snugged the clamp and left it , that was 3-4 years ago,
 

Pmt133

Lieutenant Commander
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Jan 6, 2022
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1,697
Hopefully without too much of a thread highjack scenario here, by chance Muc, Jmunk and any others, do you all know of any floating rumors out there of the quicksilver bellows adhesive not holding up (or should I on) like years past?

I have been seeing on different, active MerCruiser talking websites like Facebook, where a number of active service technicians are starting to put on the U-joint and shift cable bellows on dry with said good results as some have experienced slipping off with adhesive used... The reason I ask is I myself had a new OEM bravo shift cable bellows with new OEM clamp slip off about 2 weeks ago with bellows adhesive used.

OEM clamp is being mentioned because recently a friend I was helping bought an aftermarket shift bellows and the clamp that came with it walked off as I was just tightening the clamp down not even to specification yet...Put the old OEM clamp on and worked out good thereafter.
Thanks...
Dad never used bellows adhesive on his personal boats with no ill effects. He always used it on customers boats for the sake of law suits... I've never owned a gen II or bravo but on my alpha I've done it both ways... I also only use the exhaust tube. No reason to **** around with bellows there IMO.

I have 2 tubes of bellows adhesive, the one I used in 21 is a somewhat different consistency than the one I purchased recently for my water tube (install reducer for transom fitting) and replacement shift cable bellows. I did have the hose clamp push the bellows off. It seemed to take much longer to get tacky and wasn't as tacky. I cleaned off the surface and used the old tube and all was fine after. Much like the PVC stuff we use I suspect a new, lower, VOC formula was used.
 

tpenfield

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Loud pipes, save lives . . . not sue if you can go with the tube instead of the bellows on the Alpha, but it sure save the agony of getting the bellows to stay connected.
 
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