Gimble Ring Replacement

PitterPatter

I had a quote of $2400 to replace my port side gimble ring on my 96 Fiesta Vee 300. Does this seem reasonable? I am in the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. Thank you for your input.

GMSLITHO

The gimble ring or transom assembly? 

reneechris14

I would think $300+ parts and maybe 3 hours labor.
Gimbal and bellows are you having more done then that. Did not see ring ,so price is right.

skennelly

gimbal ring alone is like $800.  Are they doing the upper steering pin as well?

$2400 seems reasonable to me.

PitterPatter

So much to digest with everything they are saying. They said the parts were $1200 so I would say yes on the steering pin. I was priced $240 for u-joints and shift cables.

rasbury

Would it seem odd that only the gimble ring needs to be replaced? If the ring is "bad" I would think the rest of us would be crap. Seems like I was able to find complete asy off eBay for like 2500 bucks- including trim Rams...if I was going to replace the ring I would seriously consider going that way....if I had not already replaced my all my bellows and bearing I would have leaned that way. I was leaking around the gimble ring so replaced the seal and cleaned it up. You did not mention why they said it needed to be replaced?

PitterPatter

GMSLITHO. The gimbal ring

69fastback

When I needed my gimbal ring replaced, and I also had the steering pin issue, the boat was a little over 10 years old which is the age Mercruiser recommends replacing the transom assembly anyways. For just a few hundred dollars more than replacing the ring and fixing the steering pins, I was actually able to replace the entire transom assembly, which includes all the bellows, lower shift cable, trim cylinders, ect..... because there’s less labor involved in replacing the entire assembly, rather than tearing it apart. 

PitterPatter

Rasbury-  I have about 3-4 inches of play left to right. I an also experiencing sone water in my bilge.

cmelt2003

Having the transom assembly replaced on my 99 270 right now. Gimbal was shot, had at 
least 6” of play. Costing me about 3200 with some other stuff being done.

rasbury

I rebuilt mine with a new steering pin and still has play which has been a discussion before. To me, if the steering pin is bad you would grab the top of the out drive and move it side to side. You have a u bolt on the out dive and a pin on the gimbal and to be honest, that pin would really have to be worn to move it side to side. If you grab it at the foot and move it side to side, that's in the steering components and not the pin- which I can still do. I think people get taken on this and it's a steering adjustment some how and maybe not a pin. My seal around the gimbal was bad which caused my leak....I took it all apart, painted and new seal and I think good to go...I do need to figure out if there is an adjustment to the steering....my boat is a 270.

PitterPatter

Thank you Rasbury. That is something to look into.

GMSLITHO

Last year I replaced my ring and pin once you get into it it’s pretty much everything except the transom assemblythet you replace if I were to do it again I would replace the whole assembly 

rasbury

Yep @GMSLITHO, I should have done that but had already replaced most of the parts....

GMSLITHO

I thought it would be easier than moving the motor and it was but it wasn’t much cheaper than the whole replacement 

cmelt2003

That’s why I just had the whole assembly done on mine. It’s a 20 year old boat, why try to piecemeal it when it’s not that much more to do the whole thing...

rasbury

Hind sight is 20 20...

69fastback

cmelt2003 said:

That’s why I just had the whole assembly done on mine. It’s a 20 year old boat, why try to piecemeal it when it’s not that much more to do the whole thing...

Exactly why I did it too. Besides, it's likely due for bellows and such anyways. It's just makes sense to do it all.