Water in the drive shaft bellow

[Fisherprice]

Hi here boat lovers
My Sea Ray 220 has a 5 litre MRI fitted to a Alpha1 drive
I’ve recently bitten the bullet and removed the stern drive in order to change the bellows as my boats bilge pump has been operating every 10 minutes.
Has anyone had issues with water in the prop-shaft bellows. All the inside of the chamber containing the gear change mechanism and cable is full of salts that seem to be due to corrosion. The bellows seem to be intact so I’m thinking that the water has started to bypass the joint gasket. The universal joint is rusty but has no play. Can water get from here into the boat?
Best Regards Fisherprice

 

[JASinIL2006]

Yes, if you have water leaking into the driveshaft bellows, it can get into your boat. Even a fairly small hole in the bellows, or a bad seal on the bellows, can let water in.

 

[Scott06]

Hi here boat lovers
My Sea Ray 220 has a 5 litre MRI fitted to a Alpha1 drive
I’ve recently bitten the bullet and removed the stern drive in order to change the bellows as my boats bilge pump has been operating every 10 minutes.
Has anyone had issues with water in the prop-shaft bellows. All the inside of the chamber containing the gear change mechanism and cable is full of salts that seem to be due to corrosion. The bellows seem to be intact so I’m thinking that the water has started to bypass the joint gasket. The universal joint is rusty but has no play. Can water get from here into the boat?
Best Regards Fisherprice

Why don't you post some pictures of what you have so we can take a look.

Inspect the bellows closely when they are on the boat they are tough to see the cracks. If your u joint is rusty you are likely getting water in there and into the boat that way.

 

[nola mike]

Why don't you post some pictures of what you have so we can take a look.

Inspect the bellows closely when they are on the boat they are tough to see the cracks. If your u joint is rusty you are likely getting water in there and into the boat that way.

Couldn't tell from the description whether this was the shift cable bellows as well as the drive shaft bellows. You can also get water into the boat through the shift cable

 

[Fisherprice]

Moving on with my repair I have split and drawn off the gearbox and slackened the bellows before removing the swivel from the gimbal the section of the large bellow shows it was badly fitted. This has left the universal joint rusty but as it uses sealed bearings I think it’s survived. Not like the gimbal bearing that is knackered.
What a pantomime to get that out. New one ordered. New gear change cable fitted and ready for assembly, I’ll keep you posted.
Thanks for your input

 

[flashback]

If you're smart you want to replace all the rubber bits. And the u joints as well. Rust on the outside probably means the bearings are pitted.