Mercruiser exhaust.....tube or bellow?

[mmajor97]

Just wondering, I am about to replace all the bellows in my alpha one drive and I was needing to know what would be the easiest to install and most durable over time, tube or bellow? Any advantages or disadvantages in using one over the other? Thank you for your time!

 

[shopboy]

Re: Mercruiser exhaust.....tube or bellow?

If you are doing it yourself, the tube is much easier and you wont need a special tool to install it..

 

[mmajor97]

Re: Mercruiser exhaust.....tube or bellow?

That was kind of my way if thinking as well. Do you loose our gain anything by using a tube instead of bellow?

 

[Doernuth]

Re: Mercruiser exhaust.....tube or bellow?

The bellow is designed to be flexible so there is no crimping when you raise/lower the drive. A tube long enought to get the drive into trailering position could crimp at the lowest point. I don't think that would be a good thing to happen.

I would replace with the bellows. The factory put them there for a reason.

 

[mmajor97]

Re: Mercruiser exhaust.....tube or bellow?

Aren't the tubes designed to slip on and off the nipple on the drive when you lift the drive up? Where as a bellow has to stretch and bend as the drive goes up and down?

 

[zbnutcase]

Re: Mercruiser exhaust.....tube or bellow?

Aren't the tubes designed to slip on and off the nipple on the drive when you lift the drive up? Where as a bellow has to stretch and bend as the drive goes up and down?

Yes they do slip over drive nipple. I don't like them because you will get black exhaust soot on the transom as they don't seal well. I much prefer the bellows, and they CAN be done without the special tool, first shop I worked at didn't even own one.

 

[mmajor97]

Re: Mercruiser exhaust.....tube or bellow?

How is it possible to go the bellow route without the tool? Would that not be a total pain in the back side?

 

[zbnutcase]

Re: Mercruiser exhaust.....tube or bellow?

How is it possible to go the bellow route without the tool? Would that not be a total pain in the back side?

Not as hard as you might think

 

[mmajor97]

Re: Mercruiser exhaust.....tube or bellow?

What is the trick then? I dont see any way around it. My hands are not big by any means but there is no way I can get in there to slip it on to the nipple.

 

[Rocky_Road]

Re: Mercruiser exhaust.....tube or bellow?

I would replace with the bellows. The factory put them there for a reason.[/QUOTE]

And you are right...except that "The Factory" designed the tube as an upgrade for the 6 and 8 cylinder engines. The tube corrects a back pressure problem that those engines seemed to have.

It is concievable that a tube will last forever, since there is no expansion or contraction taking place. Since the engine is not intended to be running with the drive in the trailered position, the gap will be of no consequence. Besides...our engines will function just fine without the exhaust bellows even being installed.

The engine will breath a little easier with the tube installed, and most users have not noticed any additional exhaust noise. As for ease of installation...there is NO comparison!

Happy boating!

 

[mmajor97]

Re: Mercruiser exhaust.....tube or bellow?

Sounds like a no brainer to me, I am all about the extra $5 for the tube for the fact that it is easier to install and it lasts longer. I much prefer driving the boat than working on it! Thank you all for your time.

 

[brhodes]

Re: Mercruiser exhaust.....tube or bellow?

I am a rookie boater that just just replaced bellows on my Alpha one, I went with the bellows and not the tube. From reading, it is a bit less noisy. I thought I may not like the added noise while I was at idle waiting for a skier to get skis on, kid to get back on tube etc. I searched around here, found great threads, one that showed a homemade tool to install exhaust bellows. It worked fairly well. My thinking was (possibly flawed) that if I install it, but I screw it up and it falls off, no big problem. Now the other 2 ..................

 

[frank246]

Re: Mercruiser exhaust.....tube or bellow?

The tube set up wont scuff the U joint bellow when moving the drive up/ down.
Good luck!