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#1
11-12-2011, 11:00 PM
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stern drives...
stern drives:
lot of guy are quick to tell you "stern drives are junk","stern drives will cost you a fortune to maintain","stern drives allways break","stern drives,the drives are weak","stern drives,if the bellows leaks,the boat will sink on the spot"...well...from my experience,none of the above is true...far from it... below,is a merc "alpha 1 gen II" drive,this drive is 11yrs old,the hydraulics - trim cylinders and all lines are original,the drive has never been "apart",water pumps have been replaced,this is the second time i've replaced bellows on this boat.the engine's also original,and the boat's wet stored,for the season - april to october,every year... drives,the need to be removed every fall,upon winterizing the boat - do not skip this process - pull the drive ! there's no way to lube the fitting on the u-joint,without removing the drive,there's really no better way to inspect the drive shaft bellow,without removing the drive,and,last but not least,there's no way to lube the input shaft for the drive,with out removing that drive...again,do this,regardless of what mfg or type drive you have... bellows:should be replaced every 5yrs.inexperienced people will tell you if the drive shaft bellow leaks,you're gonna sink,on the spot - WRONG ! way wrong ! on a merc,the water will trickle out of the "weep hole",only a small amount - as you can see in the pictures,the o -rings around the shaft these will seal the water at the gimbal bearing... shift cable bellow:inexperienced people will tell you,it will sink your boat on the spot as well,again,wrong,way wrong ! the hole's slightly larger than the shift cable's outerjacket - small amount of water... exhaust bellow:this will sink you on the spot,is what's said by the know it alls again - wrong,and again,way wrong ! the ehaust is sealed from water - the bellow just connects the exhaust to the drive... drives: the gaskets and o rings need to be repalced,when the drive's pulled - do not use a sealer,silicone,or weather strip adhesive to hold the gaskets/o rings.use a non metallic grease be sure and use a "spline lube" for the input shaft,again,use appropriate spline lube...use a light coating of grease,non metallic grease,on all the bolts and tilt pins,along with the gaskets and o rings - this will help seal,as well as allow you to remove everything again,with little effort... note the picture of the drive - that's all the dates,i've pulled this drive - scratched onto the housing - quite a while huh ? the drive's a 2000 - note the picture of the hull ID number... again,this drive's 11 seasons old,not bad,huh ? this is typical of maintained properly stern drive power systems,they honestly are a pretty trouble free system.the horror stories usually come from old,unmaintained drives. last word on bellows: bellows will allow water to enter the boat,however,that water will not enter as much as the inexperienced people will tell you,the drive shaft bellow,if it's completley gone,a small amount will trickle through the "weep hole"-nothing extreme ! shift cable bellow,even if it's gone,the amount of water leaking in,is minimal... why do boats sink at the dock,with leaking bellows ? bilge pump runs moure,no shore power/ charging system,battery becomes dead,boat sinks... again,nothing wrong with stern drives,my own sea craft,is a stern drive powered boat,it's ran,and ran hard,a large portion of the boats i service and store,are stern drive powered boats,the results are similar,proper maintance practices are the key to a long life...i use and recomend mercruiser parts only,i avoid the cheap aftermarket parts.merc offers a "transom repair kit",this kit includes everything you need - drive shaft bellow,shift cable bellow,and exhaust bellow,water transfer tube,gimbal bearing,along with all required gaskets and o rings.i also replace the lower shift cable and the oil resevoir tube at the same time - all these parts need to be removed to perform a bellow replacement - there's no additional labor charge and the price is minimal.this whole operation takes approx 4hrs to complete - includes servicing the drive.the replacement gimbal bearings from merc are "perma lube",no anual greasing is required - i've got a few of these out there,with no problems... questions ?
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do not let common sense get in your way 
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#2
11-13-2011, 12:15 AM
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My sterndrive is 32 years old and going strong. Boat came with paperwork for all the stuff he has done to the boat since new in 79'. No major repairs on the leg. Freshwater though.
  
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http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/d...t/0a21e0b9.jpg Last edited by floorboy; 11-13-2011 at 12:20 AM.
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#3
11-13-2011, 09:13 AM
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Pelican,
Thanks for the informative post. I've got a couple questions you might be able to answer. Mercruiser has had some problems with electrolytic corrosion, particularly on the Bravo drives, haven't they? What caused the problem? Has the Mercathode system fixed it? I'll be using the Bravo 1 drive that came with my 25 along with a shiny new 350 Mag MPI. This is my first sterndrive boat, and I want to get familiar with the potential problems so I can do appropriate preventive maintenance. Any info experienced sterndrive owners can provide is appreciated. Dave
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Blue Heron Boat Works Reinventing the wheel, one spoke at a time.
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#4
11-13-2011, 09:28 AM
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Quote:
problem came from the prop shaft carrier,too much stainless steel... since been corrected... you need to be carefull with those older bravo drives/transom plates - the water transfer hose - there's a bushing,it will become restricted,from salt intrusion,end result is a low water/distrurbed water flow
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do not let common sense get in your way
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#6
11-13-2011, 12:07 PM
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Ya mine has the original alpha I gen I with a ford 351w and I like it a lot. Didn't think I would like it as much as I do. Even the raised motor box makes a nice casting platform. Though it does seem to have an electrolysis problem, but I just change the zink every month or so.
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http://lecharters.com '76 23 SC CC I/O '86 20 Aquasport 200 '98 15 Boaton Whaler Dauntless There's more but w/e
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#7
11-13-2011, 02:14 PM
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Quote:
Galvanic corrosion, right. Maybe that's why my hair is getting thinner, I have an electrolysis problem.  Quote:
I'm setting up my Bravo with a 1.25" through hull water pickup and a strainer. That's how it was when I got it, but I'm junking the brass ball valve and using a bronze seacock. The water pickup in the transom plate is blocked off. Does that solve the problem? Dave
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Blue Heron Boat Works Reinventing the wheel, one spoke at a time.
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#8
11-13-2011, 02:52 PM
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You may want to tap something like this into your RW line so you can run the boat off fresh water when the need arises.http://www.yachtsofstuff.com/userPos...xs=mtg#install
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#9
11-13-2011, 05:06 PM
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I never really understood sterndrive hate, alot of it seems unwarranted. As with most things, preventative maintenance is key. Some people want closed transoms and running gear you can trim. I prefer being in a small boat you can simply press a button for a few seconds and change your draft. Although my buddy has 22' F.L. Tripp, if it hits bottom around here you just throttle up and push right through on the keel, unless of course it keeps getting shallower, lol.
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Thank goodness that in the scheme of things you are broke, powerlesss and inconsequential, because with the shortsighted alternatives and idealogy you have you'd be much worse than those you complain about.
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#10
11-13-2011, 05:18 PM
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Quote:
__________________
do not let common sense get in your way
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