Grinding noise only when turning left

[NatalieD]

We are new to boating — just bought our first boat in the fall of 2016, which is a Sea Ray Sundeck 240 with a Mercruiser 5.0. About a month ago, we heard a grinding noise and took it to a shop. They noticed right away that the shaft was bent, assuming that was the cause of the noise. So, they replaced the lower unit. We got it back yesterday and put it in the lake. Same. Exact. Noise. We know the lower unit did need replacing, but obviously that’s not the cause of the noise.

So, this time we took time to really pinpoint when we heard it. It’s only when turning the wheel to the left. It can be in gear or in neutral. I don’t think it happens at high speeds/RPMs, but that may just be that the engine is too loud to hear it. One other thing: when it makes the noise, you can feel at first a normal slight resistance that is the same as when you turn to the right, but then it feels like that resistance lets go. The boat actually steers and performs fine. It doesn’t actually act different when you turn the wheel left versus right. It just makes the grinding noise and feels like something in the steering is letting go. The sound is coming from the engine, too, not from anywhere near the steering wheel.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Scott Danforth]

I am guessing you are not pulling the drive for annual inspection

Pull the drive, service the gimble and inspect the u-joints and alignment. Also, plan on bellows and a raw water pump

 

[NatalieD]

I assumed that when the shop pulled the lower unit off, they inspected all of that, but maybe not. But they went ahead and replaced the water pump when they replaced the lower unit. Thanks!

 

[Scott Danforth]

Never assume

 

[Bt Doctur]

What are the first 3 letters of the word "assume"

 

[tpenfield]

Sounds like the shop just wanted to sell a lower unit.

Noise when turning is usually u-joints or gimbal bearing.

 

[NatalieD]

So, we have the lower unit off. The gimbal bearing doesn’t make any noise at all and seems fine, except of course it could be out of alignment. We'll replace the gimbal bearing and probably housing — pretty much anything that looks worn — just to be safe and since we're already in there. But, as you can see from the pictures, the obvious problems are that the U-Joints are nothing but rust and the ring nut that that goes into is missing a ”tooth.”

I'll post a couple of extra pictures, too, in case there is anything someone can see that looks off.

 

[tpenfield]

Looks ugly. Probably a u-joint issue causing the noise, but good to replace both u-joint and gimbal. Clean things up before you mate the outdrive back onto the bell housing. It looks like the outdrive has not been off in a while.

Any water found in the bellows when you too the outdrive off? Usually that is the case when you have rust like what is shown. If so, check the bellows for cracks/leaks, etc. If found then you will want to replace the bellows too.

 

[NatalieD]

Right now we are planning to replace the bellows to be safe, but we didn’t see or feel any water in there. My biggest concern is making sure we figure out how the water was getting in so that we fix the source of the problem and not just the symptoms.

 

[Alumarine]

The rust alone doesn't necessarily mean the ujoints are shot, bit it doesn't look good for them. Although there was definitely water intrusion.
You'll know more when you dismantle the ujoints.
Looks like they've been off before according to the reference marks on them.
That "tooth" on the bearing retainer could have been removed intentionally to allow easier removal of the ujoints.
It looks like they removed too much though.

 

[wahlejim]

My first call would be to that shop to see what they would give you for the whole outdrive. I personally can't believe they would replace the lower without even pulling the drive. If they did pull the drive and saw that mess, they should have advised you of further issues that needed to be addressed. Take whatever money they give you and buy an SEI unit. Change your bellows, slap the new unit on and enjoy the rest of the summer on the boat. The Gimbal doesn't look bad, if there is no play in it, that can wait until winterization of the boat. Bellows should be changed because they can become boat sinkers real quick and you don't know the last time it was done.

This is one of those moments in a boat owners life that you have to weigh time out of the water with money spent. You absolutely could rebuild your outdrive, but with it being your first time doing so, it will take time. I don't know how long your boating season is where you live, but I prefer to do major maintenance over the winter and enjoy my summer on the water. If the shop doesn't give you a decent amount, sell it on CL or FB marketplace. SEI units are bolt on replacements that are as good as OEM with a heck of a warranty to back it up. If you slap one of those on and change the bellows, you should be trouble free through next year, with a oil change being the only maintenance needed.



Just my .02

 

[NatalieD]

Rust on u-joints “normal”?

This is a continuation of an earlier thread I posted, but it’s a very specific question. I have a Bravo 3 that has a grinding noise only while turning the wheel to port. We removed the drive and are inspecting everything, and we will likely replace the gimbal bearing to be safe. But that bearing, and everything else seems to move freely and without noise as it should.

We went back to the shop where we just had the lower unit replaced and found out that they did pull the whole drive off, inspected the bearing and alignment, and determined that none of that was the cause of our problem. That plus the metal shavings they found in the gear oil when they drained it is how we wound up with the new lower unit.

What surprised me is that they said the rust I have on my u-joints is to be expected and not a concern since they move freely, which they do. The guy told me that condensation, etc gets into the drive over time and causes it. (To my knowledge the boat has never been in salt water.) Does this seem correct? See picture we took of our u-joint below.

 

[GA_Boater]

Since it's a continuation, now it's part of instead of a separate thread.

I don't believe your mechanic. Somewhere along the line in your boats life, the bellows leaked and caused the start of the rust. Water may not be present now, but it was.

 

[NatalieD]

I posted it separately because I’ve noticed people don’t read and reply to threads that aren’t recent, and my question is specific and a bit different than my original one. No one else has replied to this, or even viewed it I don’t think, other than you. So I’m going to try posting it again as a separate thread. If moderators want to delete it, then ok.

 

[NatalieD]

Rusty u-joints are ok?

I have a Bravo 3 that has a grinding noise only while turning the wheel to port. We removed the drive and are inspecting everything, and we will likely replace the gimbal bearing to be safe. But that bearing, and everything else seems to move freely and without noise as it should.

We went back to the shop where we just had the lower unit replaced and found out that they did pull the whole drive off, inspected the bearing and alignment, and determined that none of that was the cause of our problem. That plus the metal shavings they found in the gear oil when they drained it is how we wound up with the new lower unit.

What surprised me is that they said the rust I have on my u-joints is to be expected and not a concern since they move freely, which they do. The guy told me that condensation, etc gets into the drive over time and causes it. (To my knowledge the boat has never been in salt water.) Does this seem correct? See picture we took of our u-joint below.

 

[GA_Boater]

If you answer questions, the thread is bumped back to the top. Please keep everything here instead of repeating your questions in a separate thread.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,..... Raw unpainted steel, Rusts,..... It's a fact of life,......

The workin' surfaces of u-joints can't be seen, til taken apart,.....

With the noise ya got, I'd replace the u-joints anyways,......
Many times they "Feel" ok, but the crosses will have tiny grooves, which of course, will cause vibrations when spinnin', 'n articulated,....

 

[tpenfield]

U-Joints can 'feel' OK, but still be worn and making noise/vibration under load. Gimbal bearings are easier to detect wear.

I usually slobber the entire u-joint/yoke assembly with marine grease each year after greasing the u-joints themselves via the Zerks. It keeps the externals from rusting.

 

[NatalieD]

Thanks for all the advice! I’ve learned some great things for maintenance and for diagnosing future issues. I wanted to reply with what the problem ended up being: the power steering pump.

We got the gimbal bearing replaced, and it did look a little out of alignment with its carrier, but it was aligned with the engine. Regardless, that was not the cause of the problem. After replacing that and tightening up everything on the housing (because some things seemed loose), we got it back from the shop. The noise was still there, as was the weird feeling in the steering. I took a video of it and sent it to the mechanic from the shop. He offered to go out on the water with us on Sunday.

The hose on the power steering pump was leaking near one end, and he was able to cut the end off and re-clamp it to stop the leak. With that fixed and refilled with fluid, we were able to get the noise to stop, but there is still a leak and other damage from not having enough fluid, so we will get it replaced. But we’re safe to enjoy our boat at least for the trip we have planned for this weekend, as long as we keep a check on the fluid and fill as necessary.

The lower unit was something that had to be replaced also because the shaft was definitely bent, so I’m glad that the power steering pump problem caused us to take it in and find that problem before it damaged much else. Now we know that any time we hit anything at all, we need to more closely inspect everything. And we will be much more careful with our boat, too.