Issue attaching alpha one bottom housing to top housing

K

kaspern83

Cadet
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
26
Hey guys new to the forum.. Hope someone here can help me out. I've done a impeller replacement on my outdrive before, but this time around when I was trying to attach the bottom housing to the upper housing it kept getting stuck. It felt weird so I decided to look up to where the shaft from the lower unit slides into I saw a broken O-Ring up where the spline is. I removed the O-ring and I am not exactly sure where it goes. It looks like it has a spring going around it. I googled and I think its called a "quad seal" but I am not exactly positive and from looking at the parts diagram I cannot make out which O-Ring it is. Hope someone can shed some light on this. Thank you for any help!
 
8

84EdH

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Apr 30, 2011
Messages
575
Re: Issue attaching alpha one bottom housing to top housing

Kaspern, which alpha drive is it? gen 1 gen 2 ? if you have the serial number of the drive that is even better.
 
Don S

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Aug 31, 2004
Messages
62,321
Re: Issue attaching alpha one bottom housing to top housing

No oring on Gen II drives, sounds like you may have damage the seal in the upper gear housing.

Sounds like you may be trying to do this job with the upper still on the boat. If that's the case, it's not a good idea, there is also maintenance to be done in the bellhousing and ujoints, that you miss if you only pull the lower.
Plus it makes it a pain to line everything up.
 
K

kaspern83

Cadet
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
26
Re: Issue attaching alpha one bottom housing to top housing

you are right, I did leave the top housing on the boat.. Is replacing the seals on the upper housing a pain? Or is it something I would be able to to do myself? Thank you for the reply
 
M

MarkSee

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Sep 10, 2010
Messages
1,172
Re: Issue attaching alpha one bottom housing to top housing

At this point, your best course of action would be to remove the upper from the boat then take a picture of exactly what you are referring to as typically the "quad" oring is the little one that seals the gear oil passage between the two halves.

As Don pointed out, other maintenance also needs to take place with the upper off.

Mark
 
ktbarrentine

ktbarrentine

Lieutenant
Joined
Dec 12, 2011
Messages
1,296
Re: Issue attaching alpha one bottom housing to top housing

kaspern83 said:
Ive been doing a little bit of research and I think I might have to do a yoke seal replacement.. The seal that I removed from the upper housing is this https://www.dropbox.com/s/51qzneorauvr20w/2013-01-13 13.37.25.jpg?m. I think there might be more to it but it all fell apart or possibility of it still being inside.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum... And I wish all the best of luck in your maintenance endeavor..... But, having said that, I'm interested in where you are doing your "research"... All the answers you will need are right here in this forum if you search the threads, ask the "right" questions (which means any think is fair game), provide as much background info as you can (drive ser#, engine# (when applicable), and post pics of the problem area (good pic of that seal... now post a pic of where in the drive it came from).
IMHO, I recommend you get a cup of coffee and sit down with the "good" (OEM) service manual (which you can get online right from this forum), study the exploded diagrams carefully, and get a good handle on the names of the areas and the parts.
From your description so far, without taking the upper half free from the boat, you wont know if you are really into a yoke seal replacement (unless you had water in your drive oil, and even that is not conclusive until you see the condition of things in the drive bellows area).
Again... best of luck and welcome, and I'll be following this thread to see how it is going.
BTW..Pay real close attention to the advice of Don S, Achris, Bond-o and the other "seniors" on here. They have saved my butt many a time!
KB
 
Don S

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Aug 31, 2004
Messages
62,321
Re: Issue attaching alpha one bottom housing to top housing

kaspern83 said:
Ive been doing a little bit of research and I think I might have to do a yoke seal replacement.. .
Click to expand...

If you're doing improper research, your results are worthless, and you loose a seal in the bottom of the upper housing (which you did after looking at the picture) why would you "Think" you need a seal on the yoke in the FRONT of the drive housing?

That's like having a flat tire on the rear of your car and replacing the front tire to fix the rear tire.

Research means nothing if you don't know what you are searching for, or if what you find has anything at all to do with your problem.
 
K

kaspern83

Cadet
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
26
Re: Issue attaching alpha one bottom housing to top housing

ktbarrentine said:
Welcome to the forum... And I wish all the best of luck in your maintenance endeavor..... But, having said that, I'm interested in where you are doing your "research"... All the answers you will need are right here in this forum if you search the threads, ask the "right" questions (which means any think is fair game), provide as much background info as you can (drive ser#, engine# (when applicable), and post pics of the problem area (good pic of that seal... now post a pic of where in the drive it came from).
IMHO, I recommend you get a cup of coffee and sit down with the "good" (OEM) service manual (which you can get online right from this forum), study the exploded diagrams carefully, and get a good handle on the names of the areas and the parts.
From your description so far, without taking the upper half free from the boat, you wont know if you are really into a yoke seal replacement (unless you had water in your drive oil, and even that is not conclusive until you see the condition of things in the drive bellows area).
Again... best of luck and welcome, and I'll be following this thread to see how it is going.
BTW..Pay real close attention to the advice of Don S, Achris, Bond-o and the other "seniors" on here. They have saved my butt many a time!
KB
Click to expand...

Thank you for your reply, I am doing my research right right from google searches.. My cousins was the one that used to do the maintnance on the boat and I would simply help him out before. I moved to florida and just brought the boat down from connecticut after 3 years of dry storage. I myself don't have much experience actually doing the work other than watching and passing the tools. Ive helped with the impeller replacement about 3-4 times before that's why me and my brother decided do go on this endevour ourselves. I was not aware of this forum until I started doing my research... I wasnt convinced that I have to do a yoke replacement, but from doing some reading it seemed like it was a good posibility. I know for a fact that the seal is from the upper housing unit, and I did get the alpha one service manual so I will be reading through that this week see where it will get me. Gonna go to a few marinas and talk to a mechanic to see if I can get any information from them. I honestly cannot tell which seal it is from looking at the parts list and diagrams. Once again thank you for all of your replies!
 
ktbarrentine

ktbarrentine

Lieutenant
Joined
Dec 12, 2011
Messages
1,296
Re: Issue attaching alpha one bottom housing to top housing

What version of service manual are you using (OEM, Clymer, Seloc)? Again, until you get comfortable with the nomenclature, part numbers, etc., posting as many close-up photos of the area in question helps a great deal. The forum can then point you at the right repair parts and strategy.
 
ktbarrentine

ktbarrentine

Lieutenant
Joined
Dec 12, 2011
Messages
1,296
Re: Issue attaching alpha one bottom housing to top housing

kaspern83 said:
http://www.maxumownersclub.com/forum/site_files/manuals/mercruiser/14.pdf Is the manual I have found. Here are some pics where the seal came out of. I had to use long needlenose pliers to get seal out.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nzaj2bjwhqb6n95/2013-01-13 17.33.38.jpg?m
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1ql83l3lj4zjqdh/2013-01-13 17.33.56.jpg?m
Click to expand...

Hmmm... who told you this was a gen II? Can you please post the year/serial# of the drive? I think I am looking at a pre-genII upper water pocket cover (see how important and helpful photos are?). You may have the wrong manual....
The upside is that the seal you need to replace (if that's all it is, and it is the one I believe it is,) is replaceable without further disassembly of the drive. Several threads on this forum discuss the repair.
 
K

kaspern83

Cadet
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
26
Re: Issue attaching alpha one bottom housing to top housing

"Look at your trim cylinders. If they are connected to your out drive via C-clips its an Alpha 1 gen 2. If they are held on with nuts its an Alpha 1..."

If above is true then I do have the first generation drive...
 
ktbarrentine

ktbarrentine

Lieutenant
Joined
Dec 12, 2011
Messages
1,296
K

kaspern83

Cadet
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
26
Re: Issue attaching alpha one bottom housing to top housing

thank you =) man i am so lost with all this..
 
Don S

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Aug 31, 2004
Messages
62,321
Re: Issue attaching alpha one bottom housing to top housing

If you would only look at the stickies, you would know what drive you have.

You would have run into this picture.

attachment.php
 
ktbarrentine

ktbarrentine

Lieutenant
Joined
Dec 12, 2011
Messages
1,296
Re: Issue attaching alpha one bottom housing to top housing

That's what this forum is here for! Now....let us have the ser# of the drive, and maybe a pic or two of the top of the vertical shaft that goes through that seal. Just checking to see if there is an O ring on the shaft.... That very often causes issues with that lower seal in the upper housing.
I would also advise reviewing the "stickys" at the top of this forum. A wealth of info for guys who are "so lost with all of this".
 
K

kaspern83

Cadet
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
26
Re: Issue attaching alpha one bottom housing to top housing

Its an alpha 1 gen 1 drive for sure then. I read elsewhere that if i dont have a bottom plastic impeller housing then its a gen 2 drive. I will stick to this forum from now. Glad I found it and I really thank for all your guys help!
 
K

kaspern83

Cadet
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
26
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top