First major issue. Need help!!

[dave68iou1]

Got a call today from the in-laws telling me that the boat is drydocked temporarily. Apparently, while out tubing, the upper unit stripped her gears. Not sure what the cause is, since the lake was deep and did not bottom out the prop. I have plans to take my son out this weekend and it will be a shame if we can't enjoy the boat. It's a 1985 Thundercraft Citation with a 3 litre Mercruiser 140 engine. Engine. Mercruiser 140, Model MCM140. S/N A433050
Drive Unit: A462307
Transom Assembly: A467994. I have a boat dealership that will sell us the upper unit for $600. Says it will bolt right on and he'll even give us a taillight warranty (Warranteed until he can't see the taillights anymore)
1) Is it possible that the driveshaft is out of alignment as I just replaced the gimble bearing and bellows?

2) Is this a good price for an upper unit?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

 

[Don S]

Re: First major issue. Need help!!

IF the gears are stripped out of the upper, all the metal is also in the lower. You need a new drive. Otherwise you will put a new upper on your contaminated lower, then loose them both.

 

[dave68iou1]

Re: First major issue. Need help!!

Is there any way to flush this?

 

[SuperNova]

Re: First major issue. Need help!!

That's the standard price for an upper, you probably wont do better. No, the driveshaft being out of alignment shouldn't cause that failure. It's just sounds like metal fatigue to me; It happens. I've had the same thing happen. Lime4x4 has an upper from a four cyl. for sale for $200. He just paid 600 for a new upper because he needed a different gear ratio, but he got a 3 yr warranty on his. I don't know where he got it from. What is your location?
--
Stan

 

[SuperNova]

Re: First major issue. Need help!!

Never mind, Don "flying fingers" S got to it before me.
--
Stan

 

[Coors]

Re: First major issue. Need help!!

I lost an upper on my OMC, and the old techs flushed the lower good enough, that I have no problems a year later, and no metal in the oil.

 

[dave68iou1]

Re: First major issue. Need help!!

I am in MA. Boat is in NH. Thanks again for all the help!

 

[dave68iou1]

Re: First major issue. Need help!!

If I were to flush the lower unit, any advise as to what type of solution I should use and best practice? How big a job will it be to remove the upper and replace it? I don't have any manuals with me as they're al with the boat and I'll be up there tomorrow.

 

[Dakota47]

Re: First major issue. Need help!!

diesel fuel will work good to flush it..

 

[MikDee]

Re: First major issue. Need help!!

I wiped out the upper gears on my old SeaRay awhile back, I think because unawares to me, a seal went bad and let some seawater in.

 

[dave68iou1]

Re: First major issue. Need help!!

Is there anything specificall I should be looking for as I flush this out. The upper unit is scheduled to be picked up this afternoon. I should be able to put this together tonight or tomorrow afternoon. Wondering if there is more I should be looking at doing or replacing while I have the outdrive out. Cheers!

 

[CharlieB]

Re: First major issue. Need help!!

A complete upper unit is available with a 3 year UNLIMITED warranty from
www.sterndrive.cc
right about 600 plus freight
roughly the same for a lower unit
I've sold many of these, they work great.

Your lower should be resealed, while it's apart changing seals, CLEAN IT.

Don't even think of 'flushing' it out or changing oil a couple of times, guarenteed you will be buying another upper AND a lower next year.
Do it right the first time and be done with it.

 

[tommays]

Re: First major issue. Need help!!

The metal from the BAD gears gets rolled into the GOOD bearings and gears in the lower ,just think of makeing a snowman


Generaly there is a LOT of metal flakes in there before the total failure



Tommays

 

[Bondo]

Re: First major issue. Need help!!

Don't even think of 'flushing' it out or changing oil a couple of times, guarenteed you will be buying another upper AND a lower next year.
Do it right the first time and be done with it.

Ayuh,....... I Agree,.....

Without a Complete Teardown, Cleaning,+ Inspection,......
Another Catastrophic Meltdown is Inevitable..............

 

[lime4x4]

Re: First major issue. Need help!!

I got my upper from sterndrive.cc $665.00 shipped with a 3 year no fault warranty. 600 just for a used upper is way too much many.. As supernova pointed that's why i'm only selling my used one for 200 bucks. you can also get a complete upper and lower unit from those guys for around 1200 bucks

 

[dave68iou1]

Re: First major issue. Need help!!

Thanks everyone, unfortunately I needed this information before this afternoon as the upper has already been purchased. Since I purchased the boat for 1300, I'm not trying to double the price this year. I'm hoping for some advice as to how to flush the lower half effectively without a complete teardown. I need the boat for another 2 months and then I can sell it or part it out. Next year will bring a newer model with (hopefully) less maintenance required.

 

[SuperNova]

Re: First major issue. Need help!!

I had a set of uppers let go a couple of years ago. It really all depends on how much damage there was. It it just sheared a couple of teeth off, like from metal fatigue, it's better than if it ground them off, like from bad meshing. Mine sheared and all I did was drain it, seperate the upper from the lower, install new gears in the upper and reinstalled and refilled the drive with fresh gear oil. It's been fine since. If you want to flush it, I would seperate the upper and lower, remove the lower drain plug and fill the lower with 5-minute motor flush (kerosene or diesel is equivalent) and rotate the drive shaft in both directions. Plug the hole with your finger to let it fill up a little and then pull it away to drain some out. I would do this until the fluid comes out clean and then I would install a magnetic drain plug. It is as good as you'll get without a complete teardown and you just have to recognize that what will be- will be. It'll either work or it won't. But there is a lot more forgiveness built into those outdrives than most people realize, so I really think you'll be alright. Once again it all does depend on the amount of original damage. Hope this helps.
--
Stan

 

[dave68iou1]

Re: First major issue. Need help!!

Thank you again for the help. Tore it apart and put it together after flushing, so we'll see how it goes. When I opened up the upper outdrive, there was no gear oil up top for some reason. Had it pressure tested and it held 5 psi for 15 minutes, so the seals seem good. Going to pull it apart this week to look inside and figure out if there's a leak somewhere, or if there was an airbubble from the last time we filled the gear oil. I will keep you posted!