Is this true about Bravo III Drives?

[jattea]

I'm considering buying a particular boat (a 2003 Searay 260 Sundancer), and when I asked the broker if any major work had been done on the boat, he answered "Major IO"

When I asked him to elaborate, he answered: "To prevent problems, a major IO should be done every 2-3 yrs. The drive is removed
and the belows are checked for leaks, u-joints are greased, water pump impeller is
replaced, the lower unit oil is changed, gimbal bearing is greased,oil pressure
checked and unit is aliened."

Is this true? Should I be wary of this?

Thanks...

 

[marine4003]

Re: Is this true about Bravo III Drives?

In a perfect world, all the above is done as recommended by the manufacturer, although, in reality,lower unit i change every year...no big deal...water pump 4-5....bellows...i change as needed or 5 yrs, this is all general maintenance, most of this work you can do yourself if your mechanically inclined. Dont let the dealer scare you,on the other hand...NOTHING about boating is cheap.

 

[Boatin Bob]

Re: Is this true about Bravo III Drives?

Just to add....that is all work required by pretty much any I/O not just the Bravo III, I certainly wouldn't have called any of that Major but just normal routine maintenance.

 

[Lou C]

Re: Is this true about Bravo III Drives?

I pretty much do what he says, but I do it every year. It seems like a lot but my boat is moored in salt water each season for 6 months. If you do it each year you will catch problems before they cause major damage. If you trailer a boat in freshwater then I think yes you could go every other year but not more than that. I/Os are high maintenance if you want them to be reliable. If this work is not done, the boat can take on water from a bellows leak, which will ruin the u-joints, gimble bearing and the surface of the input shaft that rides on the input seal. Expensive repair. If the drive seals leak and let in water and it's not fixed, bad things happen to gears and bearings. Expensive repair. If you want low maintence go outboard or straight inboard.

 

[oops!]

Re: Is this true about Bravo III Drives?

somthings fishy.......

the terminoligy of the dealer was "major i/o"........well.....

everything he described was called routine maintenance......

there might be more to it than that.



i agree lou with the straight inboard and out board being less maintenance.....but hes looking at a 26' dancer......the class of boat and the legnth wont give him those options

 

[oops!]

Re: Is this true about Bravo III Drives?

abd btw.....the b3 is a great drive.......what motor pkg?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Is this true about Bravo III Drives?

the Major I/O may be there terminology, so they can charge more for the i/o service. small i/o could just be a water pump.

 

[jattea]

Re: Is this true about Bravo III Drives?

abd btw.....the b3 is a great drive.......what motor pkg?

abd?

The 5.7l 300 hp. I'd have preferred the 6.2 l 350 hp, but this will do.

 

[oops!]

Re: Is this true about Bravo III Drives?

abd.....is a typo for "and"

typos are commom on this site where the answers must come as quick as the posts.......

the 300 hp 350 with a b3 is a good pkg..........it is under powered for the b3 so it will last a long time with that drive depending on how you run it.....

300 hp is the minimun you should run with a bravo.....

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Is this true about Bravo III Drives?

If someone told me "Major I/O" I would be expecting all that the dealer mentioned,,, plus the bellows. From your description it sounds like they just serviced the drive.

I would specifically ask if the bellows were replaced (service records?), if not it's time to replace them since they are most likely 5+ years old. Not a cheap job if done by the dealer and not something the average DIYer is going to be doing on a Saturday afternoon. As mentioned earlier, you can replace the bellows yourself if you are mechanically inclined and have the special tools, but it's kind of a pain. Been there, will do it again, but not on the top of my list of fun things to do...