Alpha One Gen II problems

[sqlb3rn]

Hi all, I have a 2001 Mercruiser 4.3L CID with Alpha One Gen II in a 19' bowrider. It is slow to engage forward gear, makes a loud churning/knocking sound trimmed up, and has started to intermittently make a squealing noise.

I have to be quick and give it a good amount of throttle to get it to go in forward gear on the lake with motor tilt trimmed all the way down. If I go into gear with the motor trimmed up, it makes a horrible grinding/churning/knocking sound from the top of the stern drive in synch with RPM. On the trailer testing by hand - if the drive is trimmed all the way up, the prop engages at the proper forward throttle stop. If the drive is trimmed down, the prop does not lock/engage even at full throttle. There is no issue shifting into reverse, although it also makes the grinding sound at full up trim.

It also started to make a squealing noise sometimes, like belts slipping but more intense, and coming from the rear/top of the motor or top of the stern drive. It only happened a couple times in forward gear, and stopped when I took it out of gear.

What do you think are the likely causes of these issues?

 

[dubs283]

tilted up the sound you are hearing is the u joints, don't ever run the engine with the drive trimmed up past the trim limit, you will seriously damage the u joints and other items

have you tried adjusting the cable(s)?

 

[sqlb3rn]

I haven't adjusted anything yet, I looked into it and have the repair manual so I'll check the adjustment.

Thanks for the heads up about the trim limit... never heard of it and not sure how it works on my boat or if it works. I'll def be more careful and learn more about it.