HeadAbove
Cadet
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2023
- Messages
- 12
Hi All,
Based on the photo, is anyone able to tell whether this is a sealed or greaseable gimbal bearing?
To be clear, I have no issues with my boat. The bearing looks and feels perfectly smooth and well lubricated and makes no noise when underway. But I would like to know if it is a sealed or greaseable bearing.
This is a 2008 Alpha One Gen2 transom and drive. Sterndrive s/n 1A246749. I cannot find the transom s/n anywhere (may be under layers of AF paint), so I don’t know whether it came from the factory with a sealed bearing or not. (I believe 2008 was the transition year.) But as I am not the original owner, I also don’t know how many times the bearing might have been replaced since 2008.
A few more clues:
• The dot has no color, but I note it is not at the 10 o’clock position, so somebody made no effort to line it up correctly on installation, possibly suggesting sealed.
• The gimbal housing has a grease zerk fitting and not a block-off set screw. This suggests greaseable. But I have found other work and upgrades on my boat that a PO did not complete correctly.
• The grease seal is still in place behind the gimbal bearing. But again, this wouldn’t be definitive, either way.
• When I pump grease into the zerk, I see some squeeze-out from around the outer diameter of the bearing and also behind the bearing. This might suggest sealed. And if so, I understand that I may risk damaging something if I keep adding grease & pressure through the zerk. This is the main reason I want to know for sure whether the bearing is sealed or not.
I’d appreciate any light that can be shed!
Based on the photo, is anyone able to tell whether this is a sealed or greaseable gimbal bearing?
To be clear, I have no issues with my boat. The bearing looks and feels perfectly smooth and well lubricated and makes no noise when underway. But I would like to know if it is a sealed or greaseable bearing.
This is a 2008 Alpha One Gen2 transom and drive. Sterndrive s/n 1A246749. I cannot find the transom s/n anywhere (may be under layers of AF paint), so I don’t know whether it came from the factory with a sealed bearing or not. (I believe 2008 was the transition year.) But as I am not the original owner, I also don’t know how many times the bearing might have been replaced since 2008.
A few more clues:
• The dot has no color, but I note it is not at the 10 o’clock position, so somebody made no effort to line it up correctly on installation, possibly suggesting sealed.
• The gimbal housing has a grease zerk fitting and not a block-off set screw. This suggests greaseable. But I have found other work and upgrades on my boat that a PO did not complete correctly.
• The grease seal is still in place behind the gimbal bearing. But again, this wouldn’t be definitive, either way.
• When I pump grease into the zerk, I see some squeeze-out from around the outer diameter of the bearing and also behind the bearing. This might suggest sealed. And if so, I understand that I may risk damaging something if I keep adding grease & pressure through the zerk. This is the main reason I want to know for sure whether the bearing is sealed or not.
I’d appreciate any light that can be shed!
