what outdrive should I buy?

[betayv]

hello there I have a 1993 mercruiser with a 5.0 xl need a complete outdrive but I dont know of is a gen 1 or 2 and the boat dont have outdrive just the transom assembly what should be 1 or 2 thanks.

 

[elkhunter338]

Re: what outdrive should I buy?

take pictures and talk to sei outdrives. I purchased a sei 106 complete unit this spring and so far I am happy. Put 104 hrs on the outdrive this summer.

 

[cr2k]

Re: what outdrive should I buy?

My recommendation would not be a Gen II.

They have some issues with waterpump housing and vertical driveshaft seals.

Nothing you can't live with but why bother.

I have read several posts here touting the SEI units value and quality.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: what outdrive should I buy?

My recommendation would not be a Gen II.

cr2k, if the gimbal housing is for a Gen 2, he has no choice but to use a Gen 2 Alpha, nothing else will fit.

You should have a Gen 2, cause it came out in 1992. But it's not impossible for a 1993 boat to have gotten a Gen 1.

I'd look for the serial numbers. They'll be on the engine somewhere. Post them on here and Don S will tell you for sure what you have. Then you can decide who you want to buy the outdrive from. I too, recommend buying an SEI drive. They are available right here on iboats.

 

[Don S]

Re: what outdrive should I buy?

Actually, the Gen II drives came out in 91. But it is still possible you could have an older generation on your boat. A couple of easy checks would be to look at the ujoint bellows. The Gen II has the SS ring insert in the drive end of the bellows. Another obvious was is to look at the shift shaft. If it's stainless steel, it a Gen II the older versions were brass.

You could also have a Bravo drive on the 5.0L engine. Which has a completely different transom shield and bellhousing.
The shift cable coming out of the bellhousing is just that a cable with a round end on it sticking out. No shift shaft or anything but the cable for shifting.

 

[zbnutcase]

Re: what outdrive should I buy?

Geez, has anyone seen a SEI after a year in saltwater??? And the last 2 I installed had severe gear whine....you get what you pay for. 'nutcase

 

[daboys72]

Re: what outdrive should I buy?

Geez, has anyone seen a SEI after a year in saltwater??? And the last 2 I installed had severe gear whine....you get what you pay for. 'nutcase

Nutcase...bought my drive (Alpha I, Gen II) Spring 2008 from SEI mainly for their 3yr warranty. This summer I did notice the paint on the upper unit was pealing off terribly. Last month when I installed the shift cable and had to take the drive off I had a buddy look at and turn the prob and shaft. They were WAY to hard to turn. Contacted SEI about both those issues. They said send both upper and lower units to them. They did say the paint issue was caused on a batch they produced back in 2008 that had more moisture in the paint process and was a problem they admit to. I sent both units to them, I had to pay for shipping. After a week I got a call from them and they said something broke in the upper unit. They would replace the upper unit completely and replaced all parts in the lower unit but kept the housing previously used. They paid for shipping back. When I received the two units it was a nice surprise to see they had already installed the water pump in the lower unit. They were very friendly to deal with and stood by their warranty.

 

[elkhunter338]

Re: what outdrive should I buy?

The gear whine is because they say they do not lap and polish the gears. Yes mine had gear whine. After about 20 hrs it started to diminish, then by about 80-90 hrs the outdrive is smooth sounding. I changed the oil at 8 hrs then 104hrs. Fuzz on the magnetic plug both times, which I would assume would be the case with the gear noise. So far 104hrs on it and no problems. Paint on mine is fine after a summer at the coast (20-25 days in the salt water). I purchased spring 2009.
I am sure a new mercruiser is probably a better unit, but if I can get decent life out of the sei I will be happy. so far so good