CalDawn1 0 Report post Posted October 9, 2009 Has anyone removed a Bravo 3 outdrive, replaced gimball bearing and u-joints and what was your experience? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ian 0 Report post Posted October 9, 2009 Has anyone removed a Bravo 3 outdrive, replaced gimball bearing and u-joints and what was your experience? In a single word? - expensive! I don't know age / model of your leg but make sure you get a copy of the Mercruiser engine / drive installation manual (if it didn't come with your boat documentation , you can download from the Mercuiser site. I think installation manauls are free to download. If you have any problems, I have a copy of the 350 MPI Bravo III documents if you need) There is basically 1 reason for premature gimball bearing / uni joint failure..... that is water entry inside the rubber bellows that shrouds the said items between the transome mount and the drive leg. The 3 major reasons for water entry inside the rubber bellows are: 1. Age of the bellows - the rubber will deteriorate with age and develop tears/ holes which allow entry of water and therefore corrosion of the components connecting drive and engine. It is important that the boat is always stored with the legs in the fully "down" position. After a day on the water, always trim your leg to the down position. If the boat is on a trailer, also make sure you trim the leg down after road transport and you get it home / to storage. Essentially this relieves the compression / stress of the "V's" or "folds" in the belows making it last longer 2. The second reason is loose fitting "hose clamps". For want of better words, there are 2 hose clamps or oval shaped clamps that seal the outer edge of the bellows to the drive leg. These are located on the 'drive" end of the bellows. If they are corroded or become loose (or as per my case - never fitted correctly in the first place - boats shipped overseas from the factory do not have legs fitted at shipment and the local agent needs to fit drives upon arrival in the country of delivery), this will allow entry of water into the bellows, causing corrosion. 3. Finally, problems can arise where the bellows joins the transome mount. At this joint, they do not use "hose clamps". Rather they use a compression ring moulded into the rubber bellows to fit into a seat within the transome housing. Again if this seal / seat is not correct, it will allow the bellows to fill with water and thus allow corrosion. (My apologies if the descriptions above are not clear - there are several diagrams within the engine / drive installation manuals that will illustrate more explicitly) In summary, you need to keep water out of the bellows. If you do it yourself, make sure the bellows are new and "sealed" correctly at both ends. If your marine mechanic is doing the work for you, make sure you inspect the bellows and sealing before they put the boat back in the water - trust me - I know from personal experience. I had to replace 2 sets of bearings and uni-joints due to incorrect bellows fitting (both covered by Mercruiser warranty). It has been nearly 2 years since repairs without any issues. Hope this assists Regards Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CalDawn1 0 Report post Posted October 10, 2009 Thank you for that information. One of the reasons is because I have a ticking noise while in neutral. When I put it in drive, the noise goes away. I had a marine mechanic remove and service the outdrive and he indicated everything was okay, however it came back. Then when it was winterized they indicated that they heard the tick and felt it was a gimball bearing. I also feel a slight vibration while on plane and making a hard turn. So in all of my research, I think I should replace the gimball bearing and u-joints. Does anyone else have a suggestion? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ian 0 Report post Posted October 12, 2009 [ Sorry Cal, I can't tell you what the ticking noise is or explain the fact it goes away under load. Only thing I can tell you is that when my bearings corroded, they made a LOT and I mean a LOT, of noise. Maybe the tick comes before the screaming And a lot of vibration - straight line, corner, anything. It different make any difference Anyhow, good luck with it Ian Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
