Bravo bellows replacement

[FishStretcher]

Should I have the dealer do this? Or can I? I am pretty mechanically inclined. I can do valve lash and transaxle output flange replacement and clutch changes and such. But I have never seen an I/O before and have 6 weeks before I moor this thing for my vacation. And I don't want to fix (or sink!) it on vacation. Getting it to the boat ramp is a total PITA on vacation.

It is almost more the hassle of towing this beast to the dealer than paying for it. Well, I don't know the cost yet, either. Any ideas?

I will do the raw water pump and have done the serpentine belt and alternator and water distribution housing on a 350 MAG MPI myself.

It is a 2004 Gen 1 Bravo 3 leg with 2007 reman lower unit. The leg is a bit corroded. The lower unit is near new. I just did fresh anodes.

[abl1111]

I let the dealer do it - but I was burnt out from doing so many other things. I've seen great directions online as to how this gets done. SHop manual also details it well. It is not rocket science - just like anything else - a specific process. With instructions - you can do it.

Note: there are two bellows; exhaust and the shaft. My exhaust bellows was replaced with something like a large diameter 'rubber hose' that gets connected to just the transom side and when the drive is down, makes a 'seal' - although not a perfect one as you don't need a perfect seal for exhaust ( it's noisier than the stock set up but it works fine )

BTW - they also recommend that you do the cable shift bellows too. That, I don't have info on. Also, my bellows looked mint, but it's one of those maintenance things you gotta do.

Good luck.

[Blue_Heron]

It's not a bad job if you have the right tools and the corrosion isn't too bad. You'll need a specialty tool for removing the tilt pins that attach the bell housing to the gimbal ring, and you'll need a bellows expander for the exhaust bellows. Both can be found on ebay for a reasonable price. You don't need the bellows expander if you use the exhaust tube abl1111 mentioned.

The key to a successful job is to make sure you remove all the corrosion from the bellows mounting surfaces and use the bellows adhesive Mercruiser recommends.

If it's time to replace the bellows, you probably want to replace the gimbal bearing and check engine alignment as well. That means more specialty tools. You'll save enough $$ on the first use to pay for them.
Dave

[FishStretcher]

Dealer said to inspect it well and if it looks good, don't worry. This set of bellows is from either 2004, or likely 2007.

They want $925 for gimbal bearing and all bellows and gaskets and such.

[Blue_Heron]

Originally Posted by FishStretcher

Dealer said to inspect it well and if it looks good, don't worry. This set of bellows is from either 2004, or likely 2007.

They want $925 for gimbal bearing and all bellows and gaskets and such.

You can get all the parts for around $200. Add $150 for the specialty tools and you're still at less than half the price. When it needs it.

If the bellows aren't cracked, and they are still supple, wait a little longer. If the boat will be moored, the risk is higher than for a trailer boat like mine. Leaking bellows won't sink a boat with adequate bilge pump capacity unless the batteries die.
Dave

[FishStretcher]

I will moor it on vacation. But it will be 100 feet away, and I will be on it daily. So I hope I can catch an issue before it is a big deal.

I expect to have 4 group 24 batteries. 2 for just bilge pumps and two for starter/ bilge. I have a diaphragm bilge pump in the stern and now 1, but soon 2 centrifugal rule pumps. One for deck drain, one for bilge drain. If its deep enough to trip that far forward, that's a problem. I will plumb them out the hull in the storage locker under the helm.

[db3155]

watch how to do it on youtube, tooling is cheep enough and you'll have it for ever. $900 add in another $500 and buy a new gimble housing.