New noise

Dream_Inn

So, 2 weekends ago we were out with boat on plane and I was thinking boy she sure sounds nice.  We slowed down and pulled in to anchor.  I jockeyed around a little and then heard a noise that sounded a little like a helicopter way off in the distance, but it was from the engine room.

Last weekend I decided to stay nearby and not go on plane till I  get it fixed.  I noticed that at idle, not in gear, I  hear the noise from my stbd motor.  It's actually from aft of engine and is accentuated when I turn the wheel.  I'm thinking maybe the main ujoint at the end of the shaft on the outdrive.  I know it wears out if putting drive up too high?  Mine is not very old and I don't ever trim drive too high.

Any thoughts?  I do have a work order in and should be taking it over on Sunday to drop off.

I should add that it is not very loud and it took a good ear to listen.  Definitely not always there either.  I greased the coupling, but that didn't help.

Dream_Inn

Ok, doing a little more reading, it could be the gimbal bearing.  I believe the sound is a little more noticeable when I turn hard towards stbd more than any other direction.

@Alswagg - being that the noise is really subtle and just started, do you think a 20 min ride on plane to my mechanic would mess anything up more?

Liberty44140

Hey Dream, when my gimbal bearing started making noise my mechanic said my planned trip of 15 miles each way was just fine to do prior to repair and he was right, was ok for trip and then did repair. But my noise was ticking and it was indeed the bearing. 

javhav

Maybe the o rings on drive shaft i had a similar problem when I would turn you could hear it. i drove the whole season with the sound but on the off season i pulled the drive off turned out to be the o rings quick fix

Handymans342

Oh no Dream! Not another problem! LMAO

goalie59

Dream, I feel your pain just spent more $ on my outdrives than I think the boat is worth. If there is a replacement boat in my future it will not be outdrives. Best of luck and hoping for a simple fix 

Michael T

@goalie59 ....you can still "get the shaft" with direct drives - maybe outboards? Lots of neat options with outboards now. For my new smaller boat (20 feet) I went to jet drives and wasn't sad to lose all the worry and maintenance of those big Blll X drives! 

Handymans342

Alswagg said:

Dream, you should be fine for the short drive.   

Well what is it?

Willhound

I'm betting gimbal. Or u joint but that sound I'm pretty sure is gimbal bearing just beginning to go. Starts off as a whup whup like a helicopter and as it gets worse it's chug chug like a train.

Handymans342

Thanks Al. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

212rowboat

yeah that whoop whoop is gimble more times than not.  it's been my experience it starts at a certain trim angle and then starts to follow more trim positions as it worsens.  find where the angle is less stress on the gimble and you've got time- every time you trim into the range it is struggling you're making it worse quicker.  

Dream_Inn

So, I just dropped it off about a hour ago.  The owner had the sling out ready for me as I pulled in.  He listened to it and thought it was gimbal bearing.  He listened to other one as well and it was very faint as well.  Going to replace both and have alignment and everything else checked.

@Alswagg both are the newer sealed gimbals.  Thanks guys!

Handymans342

Dream_Inn said:

So, I just dropped it off about a hour ago.  The owner had the sling out ready for me as I pulled in.  He listened to it and thought it was gimbal bearing.  He listened to other one as well and it was very faint as well.  Going to replace both and have alignment and everything else checked.

@Alswagg both are the newer sealed gimbals.  Thanks guys!

How much????

Dream_Inn

I'll let you know when I get the bill.  But, it won't be cheap after paying for haulout as well.

aero3113

Haul out is such a rip off! Such a money maker!!

Dream_Inn

aero3113 said:

Haul out is such a rip off! Such a money maker!!

I agree, but I imagine paying g for that travel lift can't be cheap.

aero3113

True, but that was paid off 15 years ago.

Willhound

And the time for a trained operator and the potential liability. I see some of the huge dry stack operations in Florida that are 40 feet in the air and just know they drop a few here and there.

Dream_Inn

Yeah, it's all part of owning a boat I guess.  After all these years of boating, I've tried to take it more in stride and just be happy knowing I have the best family of mechanics taking good care of my boat.  I don't do enough kudos, but I'll say everyone at Rhode River Marina does a fantastic job and will do it correctly.  Not many places where you have the cell phone number of the owner and his son & will meet you on a Sunday to pull your boat (it's not something I ever try to overuse).  Let alone chat you with and listen to your boat to help make sure the problem is diagnosed properly.  I was able to sleep well last night!

aero3113

Dream_Inn said:

Yeah, it's all part of owning a boat I guess.  After all these years of boating, I've tried to take it more in stride and just be happy knowing I have the best family of mechanics taking good care of my boat.  I don't do enough kudos, but I'll say everyone at Rhode River Marina does a fantastic job and will do it correctly.  Not many places where you have the cell phone number of the owner and his son & will meet you on a Sunday to pull your boat (it's not something I ever try to overuse).  Let alone chat you with and listen to your boat to help make sure the problem is diagnosed properly.  I was able to sleep well last night!

Wish I was able to find that around here! My cousin was having a hard start issue (first start of the day only). He dropped it off just to have it scanned and find out a code. The boat was there for a week without even being looked at, a scan takes less than a half hour to do! My cousin ended up taking the boat out and use it for the weekend. He brought it back and they finally scanned it. Turned out to be the map sensor. I don’t understand how these places tell you to bring it in and they will look at it then it will just sit without anything being done. My cousin and I keep saying we should open our own shop and do the opposite that most shops do. We would be the busiest shop in the area!

J3ff

Pulling mine out today for the exact same noise, if you could let me know how much it cost you for just one drive (bearing and alignment) that would be awesome.  As far as sealed bearing vs unsealed, So far it sure seems like the sealed ones suck... never heard of these kinds of problems with previous boats that had unsealed.. what is the point of having a "sealed" bearing if a little water gets in there and destroys them? Doesn't that mean they aren't "sealed"

Liberty44140

The bearing itself is under $200, maybe even closer to $100 but parts have gone up in the last couple of years since I bought one. Labor to pull the drive and replace them is probably 2-3 hours..... then the famous haul out fees which vary WIDELY!

PickleRick

Pulling the drive is the easy part.  The alignment can be a pain.  Especially single handed.  

I always keep a spare mounting gasket or two on hand.  I seem to tear them less when i have a spare.

J3ff

Liberty44140 said:

The bearing itself is under $200, maybe even closer to $100 but parts have gone up in the last couple of years since I bought one. Labor to pull the drive and replace them is probably 2-3 hours..... then the famous haul out fees which vary WIDELY!

I got mine for 50 bucks with the gaskets - going against the grain and getting a non-sealed... drive will just have to come off again in a year anyway with the way things are going. 

Dream_Inn

I'll let you know @J3ff .  As mentioned, the part is pretty cheap.  But, when they are in there I tell to replace whatever is needed, since pulling the boat and time is just as important.  I do hear you on the sealed ones.  Both of them in there right now are sealed ones.  Curious how bad they look.  Shouldn't have been any water in there as everything is pretty new including bellows and entire transom assemblies 2 years ago.  Maybe alignment ended up a bit out after a couple years.  

Again, the sound is very faint and most may never hear it.  I've gotten tuned to hearing this crap and like to jump on getting it fixed right away if possible.

J3ff

The chopper noise is exactly how mine sounds, but was loud as heII! 

212rowboat

@Dream_Inn make sure your trim limit is perfect... if not perfect err on the side of caution by limiting its raise or "out" position by a quarter to half an inch (short, not long).  It doesn't seem like a lot, but it is.  

That awkward position of the shaft kills more bearings than likely anything else.  I'm not saying thats what killed yours,  but it costs many theirs. 

Liberty44140

Drew, are you saying that having the drive go farther down than even when you put the drive all the way down will kill gimbal bearing? All the way down should be “flat”. I have seen a lot of drives go down “extra” far to help with getting on plane 

212rowboat

Nah... make it easy and follow the guidance.  For an alpha gen2 the highest (longest) you want a stanchion exposed is 21 and 3/4 inches.  You want to measure eye to eye on the rams... 

Double check what I said about alpha gen 2 and check what a b3 is supposed to be.... but that is where you'd want it set as a high limit.  

Dream_Inn

Drew, I have thought about if the trimming could be messing mine up.  I only put them up maybe 1/4 on the display.  When looking at the drives on my lift at that, they really don't move a lot.  But, that is where it seems to sound better.  I've always tried to be cautious about no putting them up too much.  

Now, I do go thru a "cut" or back door that at high tide (when I can't fit under a bridge) I go thru an area that is 3-4 feet deep and maybe 150-200 feet in length.  I will put the drives up to maybe 1/2, at most, on my gauges and only at idle.  I may do that 10 or so times a year.  I've really never raised my drives above that.  She sits on a lift and drives are all the way tucked in. They are B-2 drives.

Liberty44140

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