Am I missing a Rubber Seal for the Ujoint Bellows?

[matthewhighland77]

I removed my 1998 OMC/Volvo SX outdrive and noticed there is water in the bellows (gimble housing).
The bellow looks like it is in good shape and there is no rusting or damage to the ujoints or the gimble bearing.

But I noticed there is not a sealing ring or gasket other than the actual bellow.
There is a sealing ring on the exhaust bellow, therefore it is strange there is not one on the ujoint bellows.

On my old Merc's, there was a rubber ring/gasket that sealed the outdrive u joint assemble against the bellows so no water would leak.

I am studying OMC diagrams and I can't find a part number or tell whether I am missing this ring.

Also, I found a larger melted piece of rubber in the exhaust tube area which I suspect was my 'missing gasket/seal ring' (perhaps it fell off during installation and landed in the exhaust tube, where it melted...)

Anyone advise me a part number?

 

[Lou C]

Re: Am I missing a Rubber Seal for the Ujoint Bellows?

Nope no sealing gasket, if you have water in the bellows you need a new bellows. Those bellows seal with a clamp on the transom mount end and the other end snaps into the pivot housing and seals up against the input bearing housing. It helps to smear OMC triple guard grease on the lip of the bellows there and on the edge of the bearing housing. The melted rubber is probably an exhaust flapper.

 

[matthewhighland77]

Re: Am I missing a Rubber Seal for the Ujoint Bellows?

Thank you. Makes sense to me.

Looks like changing a Volvo SX bellow is much easier than a Merc... thank goodness.

 

[Lou C]

Re: Am I missing a Rubber Seal for the Ujoint Bellows?

So they say....I never had a Merc but the OMC Cobra/Volvo Sx can be done without removing the pivot housing, if you remove the exhaust bellows first.