Installing grease fitting Alpha 1

[Slice of Life]

After reading the how to install missing grease fitting on the Mercruiser How To sticky, I am going to attempt to install the fitting due to a slow leak from the steering arm. It seems pretty simple and self explanatory but I'm very cautious about drilling into my transom assembly. My understanding is that the grease fitting is actually going into the steering pin to release the marine grease inside the pin to help avoid any more water coming through and corroding, correct?

If I'm waiting to see steel shavings, how do I know if I've gone too far? Will the pin no longer turn properly? If the first drill with the #3 bit to 3/8 ths of an inch is enough as far as the fitting goes into and then the 3/64 bit up to one inch for the grease to be applied into the seal, wouldn't that make an entrance for more water to come in?

This seems like a very good way to ruin the whole assembly if not done exactly correct.

 

[alldodge]

Hey Bt Doctur clarification is requested

 

[Bt Doctur]

The pictures showing the install are very specific. If you locate a manual you will see exactly what the components look like. The cutaway pics show the bushing and seal area that corrodes The housing is approx a 1/2 inch thick so drilling and tapping for the grease fitting is not an issue. You must use the #3 drill because that is the correct drill to tap 1/4 x 28 thread.for the grease fitting.
Once thru the alum housing look for brass shavings . the brass sleeve is thin so watch carefully so you dont go thru it and into the steel pin without noticing
Once thru the brass look for steel shavings. use a magnet if possable to verify them.Once you see the steel shavings STOP
Install grease fitting and 4-6 pumps will see grease exit the steering arm.

 

[Bt Doctur]

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/engi...ring-arm-water-leak-updated-with-measurements

 

[Bt Doctur]

My understanding is that the grease fitting is actually going into the steering pin to release the marine grease inside the pin to help avoid any more water coming through and corroding, correct?

No, your providing a path for grease to go around the pin and exit above and below the brass bushing.Once your thru the brass bushing you hit the steel
and stop. without seeing steel for cant be sure you went thru the brass bushing and without the hole in the brass bushing the grease cant go anywhere.

 

[stonyloam]

In the original Alpha 1 drives that had the grease fitting the swivel shaft had a channel drilled down the center of the shaft. There was a hole in the lower bearing surface that connected to the channel, so that when you pumped grease into the fitting it went in, lubing the bearing surface, and also went up the center of the shaft and lubed the upper bearing too. Essentially it filled the entire space with grease. If you drill a bit into the bearing surface it should not be a problem. Guess Mercruiser decided it was too expensive to drill those extra holes.

 

[Slice of Life]

Probably saved a whole nickle on production cost.

 

[stonyloam]

You know I think I was wrong there, the original fitting was higher up on the housing and when you pumped grease in it went DOWN the center of the shaft and out of the hole in the lower bearing surface. My mistake.

 

[Slice of Life]

Don't understand why but it seems a #3 drill bit for the 1/4-28 tap seems near impossible to find locally. One comparison chart says 7/32 is closest, would this fractional equivalent be acceptable for this application?

 

[Bt Doctur]

If it is not available in your part of the world, a metric size drill and tap might be available

 

[Slice of Life]

Ok, got the fitting installed. A good way to find out for sure if you've drilled far enough it seems is to take a flash light and look as close as possible to the hole that was drilled, and move the drive a bit back and forth. You'll see the shaft moving inside through the tiny hole you made as you turn the drive. The brash bushing wasn't visible really when drilling, or wasn't for me because I was looking for bright brass shavings when really what you see is just extra dark shavings very briefly before you get to the steel.

Would some supertech walmart marine grease suffice for this, or should I use some 2-4-C?

 

[Bt Doctur]

regular marine grease or any waterproof grease will work best