Replaced Bellows now gears won't engage fully?

[Bondo]

Now you tell me! How long has it been like that? LOL

Ayuh,.... Atleast as far back as when Don S was still with us,.....

He told me about it after I welded 2 Snap-on sockets together,.... $30. bucks plus, wasted,....

 

[flashback]

Thx, better late than never...I don't weld so I spent an hour grinding flats on a deep well until a larger one would fit the flats..

 

[capecodtodd]

Wow that cable casing was really hard to cut. I thought it was just a hard plastic but it had steel wire inside it! I finally got it done using a sawzall after throwing everything else at it.
I have now found out why the brass nut was not coming out even with the special socket and it is the worse case scenario. The nut broke off in the bell housing. I tried extracting the piece that is caught but my bit that is designed for such a chore started chewing in to the soft metal and eating away at.

What are my options now?

 

[flashback]

It's essentially a pipe fitting and you twisted the head off. I would drill it out with a smaller bit stepping up in size until it's thin enough to pic out assuming it's brass...

 

[kenny nunez]

Try using a blunt punch that is just under the outer diameter of the cable jacket. Try to drive the remains of the cable forward and out. the wire in the cable jacket is almost impossible to drill out and just dulls the drill bit. If you manage to get the remains out then drilling the rest of the brass fitting until you can collapse it. Good luck

 

[flashback]

If you are successful getting the mess out you will need to chase the threads with an appropriate tap.. there is no stress on this fitting so test the new fitting and if the threads grab then install with perfect seal so you don't have this situation again..

 

[capecodtodd]

Try using a blunt punch that is just under the outer diameter of the cable jacket. Try to drive the remains of the cable forward and out. the wire in the cable jacket is almost impossible to drill out and just dulls the drill bit. If you manage to get the remains out then drilling the rest of the brass fitting until you can collapse it. Good luck

Good news is the cable is out. The ring of brass remains stuck in the hole. I'm so nervous about damaging the threads on the bell housing but going slow with the appropriate bit... why do things like this happen in the worse spot to work in? This whole job has been a nightmare.

 

[flashback]

You got to get your mind right! It's not a nightmare but a challenge..if you have some left handed bits available they may even get it out in one piece.. luck!

 

[kenny nunez]

Use a piece of 1/4”npt pipe as a gauge to select the right size drill bit so that you do not take out too much. A hog nose punch will catch and drive out the remainder of the brass fitting. Even if the threads get banged up some just run a 1/4” npt pipe tap into the hole. It does not take too much to hold the shift cable in the bell housing.

 

[capecodtodd]

Well the good news is what was left of the brass threads from the gear shift cable that were stuck in the bell housing is now out. I bought an extractor set and went to work on it. The bad news is I broke a chunk out of the bell housing. A quick look online has used ones at $250 and new ones up to $900.
On the bright side I'm not really missing much this season. June was cold and so far everyday this July it has been rainy. This morning it rained, the wind is blowing now and we might get a thunderstorm later. Not good boating weather.
What a mess.

 

[flashback]

You might be able to repair it. Post a picture.

 

[capecodtodd]

You might be able to repair it. Post a picture.

It would be great if I could fix it. I can't believe it cracked and chunked like it did.

 

[flashback]

I could be wrong, probably am, but that doesn't look like a fresh break.. it may have been cracked for a while.. fixing it is beyond me but thanks for the picture and it may help...

 

[capecodtodd]

Is there any chance of repairing this and what would I use?

 

[flashback]

A good welder might be able to fix it. There's nothing there that's under stress it just needs to secure the cable and be watertight.

 

[Scott06]

Is there any chance of repairing this and what would I use?

It’s aluminum take it to a welder who can TIG weld it and build up material and retap it for 1/4” npt

 

[flashback]

Don't dis yourself, I think a previous owner changed the cable and ran it in to tight and cracked the darn thing. Look at a manual and confirm that thought...

 

[capecodtodd]

Don't dis yourself, I think a previous owner changed the cable and ran it in to tight and cracked the darn thing. Look at a manual and confirm that thought...

I don't know. I bought this boat when it was about 4 years old and I do not think the cable would have been changed. I blame myself for beating on this too much. It is just crazy that the brass threads wouldn't release. It was like it was glued in there. This is the nightmare, to have to redo everything that I struggled to do with installing those bellows and the dreaded retaining ring. Back to square one and now I have to go deeper and pull the bell housing. UGH. This is a prime example of 1 step forward 2 steps back. Thanks guys.

 

[capecodtodd]

I finally got to meet up with the local welder that works on boats etc and he said that the break is in a really difficult spot to access and considering there are threads involved he could not guarantee the work so now I'm in need of a new/used bell housing. I found one on Ebay that looked great, contacted the guy and asked him about it. We chatted about it and boats etc.. I came back from the welders with the intent to Buy it Now and it was gone. Another guy beat me too it by mere minutes after it being on Ebay for weeks. UGH!
The one I missed looked to be in really good condition for $300 with Free shipping. Now I'm stuck looking at rough ones for more.
Any hints on where I can find a Mercruiser Alpha One Gen 2 bell housing #806031 that isn't beat up and will not break the bank?

 

[Scott06]

just by google...

MerCruiser Alpha One Gen 2 Bell Housing Sterndrive Mount Gimbal Helmet 806031 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for MerCruiser Alpha One Gen 2 Bell Housing Sterndrive Mount Gimbal Helmet 806031 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Here's the whole transom https://www.ebay.com/itm/155655345994?_trkparms=amclksrc=ITM&aid=1110006&algo=HOMESPLICE.SIM&ao=1&asc=20201210111314&meid=c836842f108f4ee099528c97b1ab3f01&pid=101195&rk=1&rkt=12&sd=235056895760&itm=155655345994&pmt=1&noa=0&pg=2047675&algv=SimplAMLv11WebTrimmedV3MskuWithLambda85KnnRecallV1V4ItemNrtInQueryAndCassiniVisualRankerAndBertRecall&brand=MerCruiser&_trksid=p2047675.c101195.m1851&amdata=cksum:155655345994c836842f108f4ee099528c97b1ab3f01|enc:AQAIAAABYNaJCFP3eaFlNU%2FMPxRY0TCMczVKEUB5MsBytoCwPnd71M08lfrVO4PuTCchnU42KC4W4fZqxBROE%2BM7tSL%2BgZgL1kWiIUBRsEpydVTA61DhOJDUizwNgM7HKYQEqSaBlADtHB20WwsjqpMgb8UUyiZjIa%2FDJhWGuKwfn%2F5%2BSmxSRz0uhvbO9iHdZ9xMSPj903lKYj0Z3FwJz%2FlTTMLTwqS1hWxZHEeY6t3lV1ZHfKmbhB9BU%2BBVbpDy%2B6VPWekr0zKJVTLc2pHnfRw1xnWLHEsvB6qPVFksp9pF5kb%2FMFfKLnbY3JsyVBYB9S%2FB%2BjSicyhv6MeMfld3Hv8tpyVuDuVSVXZtNyh9K9j7EouXwm6%2FzH3iz6w%2BHCjyIQWmvxdFE1vHeDxAbmxfQRVTxbYEPgJqAmkiFbaKcI9rt8PYVjwcN3bULEGO6NXq4MkiTzJ1Wh3f3Smu2koSwrJDrzM3y4o%3D|ampidL_CLK|clp:2047675

another transom https://www.ebay.com/itm/275558692606?_trkparms=amclksrc=ITM&aid=1110006&algo=HOMESPLICE.SIM&ao=1&asc=20201210111314&meid=f239b6089c8f4019917d0475675bbec1&pid=101195&rk=6&rkt=12&sd=235056895760&itm=275558692606&pmt=1&noa=0&pg=2047675&algv=SimplAMLv11WebTrimmedV3MskuWithLambda85KnnRecallV1V4ItemNrtInQueryAndCassiniVisualRankerAndBertRecall&_trksid=p2047675.c101195.m1851&amdata=cksum:275558692606f239b6089c8f4019917d0475675bbec1|enc:AQAIAAABYNaJCFP3eaFlNU%2FMPxRY0TCMczVKEUB5MsBytoCwPnd71M08lfrVO4PuTCchnU42KC4W4fZqxBROE%2BM7tSL%2BgZgL1kWiIUBRsEpydVTA61DhOJDUizwNgM7HKYQEqSaBlD%2F%2FmaMlsQY%2BiC1Ti1sng41zaEZGzOUIy%2B3%2FQt3%2Bi6D84xJ4a57j6JvTkwZyuG%2B0HLb5MVoxJNlTedHx4XFPo8%2Fs4ZmgbOEQ2dnTJsWp58eogRSyEOQO6CgACdDIit%2B%2FAtet%2BvW3JdhBbPJgPVf0XzjYnOyob%2FzP6bvWEHUQCa4S1%2BSS3XglSx9oNhuko4jyrNV09jr4wvo%2Fp6R0VO28ZMMZFG4wEYgcyZdnbhL3Kkm6N6CvchrAwplhNldMNhYoVsceHhPKQibVZJWk%2FkgGDjXXtXbGEbEeRvsHLbW%2FkXXmFZI1O%2BMHYLydyvuwesBeaE9%2Br6GWvaq4sZ8f5l0cSHQ%3D|ampidL_CLK|clp:2047675

you may have to buy more and sell off what you dont want

This guy is in michigan makes a living parting out freshwater boats https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_tr...rksid=p3542580.m47492.l71970&_ssn=anniepooch1