The art of Alpha One Gen One Maintenance

[GarySequim]

Greetings. I am a new boater who is learning the art of Alpha One Gen One maintenance at the ripe young age of 75 (If 75 is the new 55, what does that make a 50-year-old?). I have the Clymer and Mercruiser #6 manuals. I've watched videos and read forum threads. I just haven't yet done anything more than an impeller and water pump replacement.

To help me keep the sterndrive maintenance process straight, I've compiled a how-to guide for my own use. I would be most appreciative if any of you experienced boat mechanics would thumb through the attached pdf file and tell me if I've got any of it wrong or am missing something important. I deliberately left out gimbal bearing replacement because mine is fine for now. I can add that part in later, should it be necessary.

 

[Drivewayboater2]

Looks like your organized to the T..... throw out the climber manual... useless imho.... the #6 manual will give you the exact specs to get things write.
rebuild kits with all seals are readily available. I did mine last winter...took the entire upper and lower cases apart.... replaced all seals. it was the first time doing anything like this.. I’ve been and outboard guy since 93.... learned a lot.... very rewarding and saved a ton... many videos on you tube... many “ special tools needed “ but I was able to manufacture what was needed... take lots of pics as you disassemble....share on the site your progress or questions. The folks on this site are amazingly helpful. Go for it young man! You can do it.

 

[Scott Danforth]

clymer manuals make great knee pads, are only OK for use as emergency toilet paper, however really suck as a manual.

in addition to your factory mercruiser manual, there are videos and links in the stickies.

 

[achris]

Like the layout, but your links are to Mercstuff, and I've found a few of their videos a little less than impressive, and some are flat out wrong. Have a look at the videos in iboats stickies (link also in my signature)...

On Gimbal bearing, unis, bellows and shift cable... Mercs aren't like Volvos. There is no 'scheduled replacement interval'. You replace them when they need to be, least you are just giving Merc money unnecessarily. All mine are still original at 15 years old.

As for parts suppliers, as much as it pains me, I tend to stay OEM, especially with anything containing rubber (impellers, bellows)... I've used non-genuine bellows ONCE, and I will NEVER use them again.

Good luck, and keep posting.

 

[GarySequim]

Looks like your organized to the T..... throw out the climber manual... useless imho.... the #6 manual will give you the exact specs to get things write.
rebuild kits with all seals are readily available. I did mine last winter...took the entire upper and lower cases apart.... replaced all seals. it was the first time doing anything like this.. I’ve been and outboard guy since 93.... learned a lot.... very rewarding and saved a ton... many videos on you tube... many “ special tools needed “ but I was able to manufacture what was needed... take lots of pics as you disassemble....share on the site your progress or questions. The folks on this site are amazingly helpful. Go for it young man! You can do it.

Thank you. The specs are from Manual #6, unless I missed something when rechecking them.

 

[GarySequim]

Like the layout, but your links are to Mercstuff, and I've found a few of their videos a little less than impressive, and some are flat out wrong. Have a look at the videos in iboats stickies (link also in my signature)...

On Gimbal bearing, unis, bellows and shift cable... Mercs aren't like Volvos. There is no 'scheduled replacement interval'. You replace them when they need to be, least you are just giving Merc money unnecessarily. All mine are still original at 15 years old.

As for parts suppliers, as much as it pains me, I tend to stay OEM, especially with anything containing rubber (impellers, bellows)... I've used non-genuine bellows ONCE, and I will NEVER use them again.

Good luck, and keep posting.

Thank you. I've read a bunch of your posts and watched a lot of videos. I appreciate all you've shared, past and present.

The problem for someone who hasn't done much work on an Alpha One yet -- save for water pump and impeller replacement -- is to distinguish the good on-line info from the not so good. I'll go back over the iboat videos you mention and see what I've missed or misinterpreted.

My boat is taking in water at a fair clip and I have yet to find where it is coming from. That's what started all this. The boat was well maintained and not used a lot over its long life. The issues with the old 224 CI engine -- ignition and charging systems -- were addressed by a previous owner. It has Pertronix ignition and an alternator. It's the water leak that's got me stumped. The sterndrive is off now and the bellows all look good: No water in the u-joint bellows and the shift bellows looks fine.

I put marine sealant around the transom plate. Didn't help. Put in a new rubber seal where the water line enters the boat. Stopped a leak, but not THE leak. Checked motor hoses, etc. It's still a mystery. The good news is that the sump pump works well.

 

[nola mike]

Thank you. I've read a bunch of your posts and watched a lot of videos. I appreciate all you've shared, past and present.

The problem for someone who hasn't done much work on an Alpha One yet -- save for water pump and impeller replacement -- is to distinguish the good on-line info from the not so good. I'll go back over the iboat videos you mention and see what I've missed or misinterpreted.

My boat is taking in water at a fair clip and I have yet to find where it is coming from. That's what started all this. The boat was well maintained and not used a lot over its long life. The issues with the old 224 CI engine -- ignition and charging systems -- were addressed by a previous owner. It has Pertronix ignition and an alternator. It's the water leak that's got me stumped. The sterndrive is off now and the bellows all look good: No water in the u-joint bellows and the shift bellows looks fine.

I put marine sealant around the transom plate. Didn't help. Put in a new rubber seal where the water line enters the boat. Stopped a leak, but not THE leak. Checked motor hoses, etc. It's still a mystery. The good news is that the sump pump works well.

Start a new thread about the leak, a few possibilities not related to the drive

 

[GarySequim]

Start a new thread about the leak, a few possibilities not related to the drive

Thank you. I'll start a new thread if my next attempt at diagnosing the water leak fails. I have a new checklist to work through this week, part of which entails leaving the engine cover at home. I'll put the boat in the water and have a friend drive while I try to thoroughly inspect the engine and transom areas without falling into something that's rotating or hot. Running the motor in the driveway on a garden hose didn't turn up the leak.

 

[GarySequim]

It's clear that Clymer's manuals are not held in high regard on this forum, a warning I take to heart. For that reason, I have now double-checked my material carefully against the Merc #6 manual. I even re-watched some of the videos I'd already seen.

I did not find anything wrong with what was in my original maintenance process, but I did make three or four minor changes. The latest version of my maintenance sequence is attached. If anyone finds anything wrong, misleading, missspellled or culturally inappropriate, please let me know. I'm a newbie looking for help from those who've done this work before. I won't be offended by suggestions.

 

[GarySequim]

Greetings. I am a new boater who is learning the art of Alpha One Gen One maintenance at the ripe young age of 75 (If 75 is the new 55, what does that make a 50-year-old?). I have the Clymer and Mercruiser #6 manuals. I've watched videos and read forum threads. I just haven't yet done anything more than an impeller and water pump replacement.

To help me keep the sterndrive maintenance process straight, I've compiled a how-to guide for my own use. I would be most appreciative if any of you experienced boat mechanics would thumb through the attached pdf file and tell me if I've got any of it wrong or am missing something important. I deliberately left out gimbal bearing replacement because mine is fine for now. I can add that part in later, should it be necessary.

I can't figure out how to delete the file attachments in posts 1 and 9, but here's the 4-20-21 updated version. As you can tell, the how-to document is a work in progress.

 

[GarySequim]

Greetings. I am a new boater who is learning the art of Alpha One Gen One maintenance at the ripe young age of 75 (If 75 is the new 55, what does that make a 50-year-old?). I have the Clymer and Mercruiser #6 manuals. I've watched videos and read forum threads. I just haven't yet done anything more than an impeller and water pump replacement.

To help me keep the sterndrive maintenance process straight, I've compiled a how-to guide for my own use. I would be most appreciative if any of you experienced boat mechanics would thumb through the attached pdf file and tell me if I've got any of it wrong or am missing something important. I deliberately left out gimbal bearing replacement because mine is fine for now. I can add that part in later, should it be necessary.

I'm replying

I can't figure out how to delete the file attachments in posts 1 and 9, but here's the 4-20-21 updated version. As you can tell, the how-to document is a work in progress.

Okay, here, I hope, is my final revision of the how-to guide. This time it is based on having done the job, not just reading about it. And yes, the boat runs fine and hasn't sunk yet ... and I'm a 75-year-old first-time power boat owner.

 

[Kubaat3lover]

Gary great file! Thanks,

Question to more experienced colleagues here, whats wrong with Seloc/Clymer? Any examples? im just curious and happy to know! take care