ok- time to get started on my bellows repair

davidbrooks

Welllllll. If it was me i would be reaching for the chisel and hammer.  It would be in pieces but it would come out.  

rasbury

Saturday up date: I decided to work on getting the bell housing off and I did but they day was cut short. The trim sensors- don't even bother with a regular screw driver, I grabbed my impact wrench and still messed up one of the screws. Dremel slotted the screw head so I could get the impact back on it and got it off. Then there are those pivot pins, some fun they are. I broke the right aide loose and then went to the left so they were both loose before I removed. I broke the bench I was sitting on with the force ir took to break the left side. Next, removed the nut holding the shift cable, deep socket 10mm. The hose for the water tube I just broke out the plastic piece that goes into the end. The part is cheaper than the tool so will replace. I decided to just cut the hose for the drive oil as I dis not want to risk breaking that fitting- I can't see or feel how it comes apart so when I put it back together, I will know for next time. So, that should be it, right? There is a grounding wire from the bell housing to the gimbal ring, it has a torague which should be no big deal...it has a piece sticking up in the middle that has to go inside the tool to engage, who the f came up with that fine idea? Also, I need one of those ratchet bendy screwdrivers to get to the hose clamps up against the transom. Once I get this off I can better get at that bearing I hope.

rasbury

Well- Success is measured different ways I guess. I feel like I won the battle but have lost the war. I did get the bellows off to inspect them and I do not see any tears or holes an either of the ones that count. The only thing I see that I could possibly call suspect is the ring that holds the u joint bellows in place on the bell housing side. In watching various Youtube, when some one pulled one of those out they pretty much destroyed it getting it out- I grabbed mine with some pliers and it just pulled right out. The bellows did appear to be in place however. I saw no rust on the u joint- I was a bit puzzled when I did get the drive off that it looked a little oily in the bottom of the bellows- it did appear to have a little milky going on at the bottom of the grove of the bellows  but not much there. Was thinking I have a shaft seal leaking but I don't see anything leaking around the out drive so maybe it was a mixture of spline grease/bearing grease and a little water, just not sure. What about some of the other o ring type seals between the bell housing and the out drive? Can that be s source of water going through the U joint bellows? The drive itself goes so far into the bell housing it would not seem like it. I'm stumped- I don't see anywhere where water was leaking which now I guess I'm looking at my seal with the transom parts themselves. Should I be checking to see that the bolts are tight? This whole thing has been weird as my first leaking was a mysterious hole in the waste tank which I covered in another post....like a perfect little drilled hole that was tuff to find. If someone has loosened the through bolts for the transom ring...is that a possibility for my leaking? I hate to be not trusting. And one more thing....I thought the labor cost for doing this was ridiculous but going what I went through getting this thing just apart, well my hats are off to those of you that do this work. Here are some pictures of everything apart- will clean up corrosion, re paint those areas etc. To avoid damaging the fitting for the gear oil, I cut the line and will replace.


One more question, the pick up tube where it mounts to the transom ring...how does it come off, there is not a clamp on it.....is it a barb and you just pull it off?

What to you think of how things look @Alswagg ?? 

reneechris14

You got the bearing out.now reassemble before the forth

rasbury

@reneechris14 how does that pick up tube come off the transom, is it just a barb connection? There is no clamp on it....i can put it all back together but don't seem to have resolved the leak...

Wildboating

Great Job Rasbury!!!  You will be all the wiser once you are done!

reneechris14

If you're referring to the speedo tube it's just a barb fitting.sometimes you can warm it with a lighter to make it easier.

rasbury

Thanks to al for the moral support - I'm just really concerned have not found the source of the leak.

reneechris14

You did say it was pouring it pretty good

rasbury

Maybe when it all goes back together it will be good- I just don't have the experience for what may be an obvious problem.

reneechris14

Bilge pump came on a couple times a night

rasbury

Fyi @Alswagg I had to use a slide hammer to get that bearing - ruined a merc tool which I have to replace. I hope to have it back together for the 4 th...there was no corrosion or anything, stripped the threads right out....

rasbury

Also, I bought the kit listed at the start of the thread, I sure hope I have the right bearing! It is also the one with a zert for greae

rasbury

I have not pulled the bearing off the puller so will see if I can see what your talking about Al, I did look closely at both bellows- unless its just leaking around the cable. I have a wire tie strap on it but the cable will move through it. Lord I'd hate to think I did this for the fun of it! I have the proper piece In kit, do not have the tool. So, I have not removed the water pickup tube- there is no clamp on it, does it just pull off? Did not want to brake anything....

rasbury

I will check my bolts for the transom assembly for anything loose also. Pickup tube?

reneechris14

Water pick up tube is mounted same way on both ends with the plastic insert.very hard to get to on the inside.my hose was in good shape could still read numbers on the side.

reneechris14

Tube is behind the housing on the tramsom plate

rasbury

Yikes! Mine looks ok- if I have to go through the transom to change it out, I'm thinking it will stay on....thx

rasbury

And there it will stay....thx

rasbury

Well, fact that I don't see anything wrong with the bellows really weighing on me. I have to get a piece of hose and a couple minor items and start putting back together. While I'm sure the boat was due for this I'm not expecting to solve anything. So, the only other thing I can think of is the thru transom for the water tube. How is that sealed @Alswagg ? A hole is a hole! Also, when I had some cooling issues which turned out to be water pump I pulled I think the hose off to check that area for clogging as I've read that an issue. Is this area prone to leaking? I don't want to put the outdrive back on and have to yank it off. Don't understand why tho would not be a reseal right along with doing the bellows?

reneechris14

reneechris14

27,28,29,and then the housing the hose goes on,I guess the seal on that could leak it sits about the level as the water line when the boats it??

rasbury

I saw that on an online catalog also...but having not seen a transom plate out of a boat before...so is the thru the transom part of the transom assemble, then a connector attaches to that with a gasket? Did not make sense to have that part there but the only other place I can suspect a leak...

frenchship

What about your steering shaft bravo 111 are known to develop leak there. In one of your posted pictures you can see rust on the bottom of the shaft.

rasbury

@reneechris14 I look at my crude line on my transom and it looks like the whole out drive is underwater when at rest. @frenchship , what picture picture are you talking about. I looked around on the inside last night, underneath in the area mentioned above I see a rust spot below but it is so hard as water runs all over so when you finally see it, it's hard to tell where it came from. So, I think I put it back together and short of being something with the whole transom plate/ asy, I should be able to deal with anything leaking on the inside without pulling the drive again? Short of the bearing, pulling the drive really not that big a deal...

rasbury

So have to pick up bellows glue tomorrow, marine max stores were closed for inventory.so the grease for the gimble and for the drive shaft spline, special grease or just a good quality bearing grease?

rasbury

No @Alswagg I do not have that tool and assumed I'd be able to get that in somehow without it? I cleaned the bellows down with dome ruff sandpaper- shift cable boot had also been glued in as well.

rasbury

ah crap, I saw online someone saying they did not have the tool so they pulled it out in pieces saying they were going to install a new one- made it sound like you could install it without it. They are cheap, just another slow down!

rasbury

Question about how the out drive seals with the bell housing- when I took the out drive off and I look at the mating surfaces of the out drive where the big seal is, it looked like the seal was "flat" and there were some corrosion on either side of the seal- is that big seal an area that could leak water into the boat? I don't think so but have been pondering it for some time....Just don't see the patch considering the bellows but hey, thought I would ask. The drive was pulled for coupler but does not appear new gaskets were installed....

rasbury

Hey @Alswagg , couple of questions before I start to put back together. Other projects are slowing me down...anyway, can you comment on the above post? Also- I'm still concerned since I found no damage to any of the bellows if I have even solved my problem. The only other likely thing I have found that might the culprit is that steering pin seal. As best I can recall my water coming in was just below that area. Is there anything else u need to look at or do before I put it back together. Has 300 hours on it, has had a coupler repair.....