bellows replacement help

[craze1cars]

You guys are so helpful...I'd like to present another question. I'm starting to struggle through bellows replacement on my Alpha 1 Gen II. Doing all 3 bellows and the water inlet tube. Again relying on my rather poor (in my opinion) Clymers manual, they say to remove the bellhousing you need a special tool and may need to apply heat to get the pivot pins out. This scared me, so I am working through replacing them all with the bellhousing still in place. Obviously I am struggling with clearance and room to get wrenches & screwdrivers in there, but I'm making slow painful progress...would be much easier if I could just take the bellhousing off. Any tips? Do I need the special tool or can I improvise? Do these pins generally come out easy enough? What kind of heat needs to be applied? <br /><br />Question # 2...The Ujoint bellows has an obvious hose clamp on the transom side, but on the bellhousing side I see no hose clamp (again, contrary to what shows in my Clymers manual), it's maybe a collar pressed into the INSIDE of the hole? I don't want to break anything. Does this collar just friction fit so it gets hammered inward from the outside? Or is there some other way to get this off? And how will i get the replacement set in there? Thanx. Haven't received the new one yet to compare, waiting for my "kit" to arrive from Ebay. Thanks again...I'm an auto mechanic and generally quite capable at fixing anything, so this boat crap seemed like it should be pretty easy, especially with a manual to help guide me, but I must be making it harder than it is.

 

[rabidfish]

Re: bellows replacement help

An "Allen wrench" of the right size will work also for removing the pivot pins. A little heat from a propane torch will help loosen the "locktite". Be sure to heat only the bellhousing...<br /><br />The u-joint bellows does have a friction fit sleeve to fasten it to the bellhousing.<br /><br />Also, don't feel bad about the boat not being as easy as you thought. Many a Mr Goodwrench has returned to the Chevy dealership claiming the boat guys are nuts! <br /><br />P.S. You might refrain from calling it "boat crap" in a room full of marine techs. It seems without some help from a panel of experts you'd really be finding out how much harder you're making it on yourself...<br /><br />Good Luck!

 

[rodbolt]

Re: bellows replacement help

its no worries<br /> we all know how incompetent autotechs are .<br /> <br /> all jokes aside.<br /> cut off a 2inch section of 1/2 inch hex wrench or like my "tool" its 2 inces of 1/2 hex cut from a 10" drift punch. broke to many of the special tools.<br /> you will need the driver tool or something similar to reinstall the aft bellows retainer.<br /> you will also find the exhaust bellows tool an invaluable aid on reinstalling the exhaust bellows. both should cost less than 50 bucks. if you replace the gimbal bearing you will need the alighnment tool as well. its 50 bucks or so. all are avalible online or from most marine suppliers as well as the dealer.<br /> sometimes simple looking things are arse whuppers

 

[rabidfish]

Re: bellows replacement help

ooooooh! I hate when that happens!

 

[rodbolt]

Re: bellows replacement help

me too.<br /> sometimes, if you say it real fast, its easy

 

[tommays]

Re: bellows replacement help

your bigest problem is that the clymers manual shows how to do a GEN I drive and not a GEN II which is different <br /><br />i know this because i wasted money on the B744 manual also<br /><br />tommays

 

[rodbolt]

Re: bellows replacement help

which is why I buy application specific stuff from the manufacture

 

[craze1cars]

Re: bellows replacement help

Good tips, looks like I'll be improvising myself some tools. Thanx for the help once again. I'll probably be back...

 

[Don S]

Re: bellows replacement help

Here is the Mercruiser manual for the Gen II drive, check out section 4A. Just put your cursor over the red square. <br />It's a .pdf file and will take a while to load.<br />Had to reply here about bellows, your other thread is all out of control.... <br /> Service Manual #14

 

[rodbolt]

Re: bellows replacement help

and its all DonS's fault

 

[Don S]

Re: bellows replacement help

What ???????

 

[rabidfish]

Re: bellows replacement help

Yep... it's on you bud!

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: bellows replacement help

Here's a Cheap special tool I've used when I didn't have the right tool for the tilt pins. Where they sell threaded rod, they also sell connectors ... basically really long nuts. One of those for 5/16" rod will work and is way cheaper than a 1/2" Allen wrench. Cents vs Bucks. Then all you need is your regular 1/2" socket and a breaker bar (or something).

 

[craze1cars]

Re: bellows replacement help

Well, I was at AutoZone today seeking some non-USCG approved parts for my boat repair (Blasphemy!..I know. Not to worry, it was only a lowly drive belt...I have full respect for the need to use marine parts on most items.) Nonetheless, I think I may have my own recommendation regarding this tool for removing the pins. AutoZone sells a 3 piece set of hex key sockets for $7.99. It's an "OEM" brand set and includes 1/2, 9/16, and 5/8 inch hex stubs each permanantly set into a socket that accepts a normal 1/2 inch drive. Worked BEAUTIFULLY! And I didn't have to cut my only Snap-on 1/2 inch hex key in half to make my own. Based on the fact that I needed to put most of my weight on a 2 foot breaker bar to get it to cut loose, I question that the 5/16 inch hollow, non-hardened rod connector would have survived the torque...nonetheless I appreciate the tip as it headed in me in the right direction as to what I was looking for. I can't believe I wasted all that time trying to remove bellows without first pulling the pins.....live and learn!

 

[kence]

Re: bellows replacement help

I did this job last summer and those tilt pins cannot be removed without heat. You stated that you are a mechanic so I will warn you that those pins are installed with RED Loctite which has to be heated to break them loose. I heated directly into the center of the 1/2 hex until I heard the loctite crack loose and then removed the pins. You will need a driver to install the sleeve into the driveshaft bellows which holds it into place. I purchased the driver for $23 and it is just a round piece of solid plastic or vinyl with a hole in the center for a drive handle. If you are replacing the exhaust bellows with the original style you will need the bellows pliers as I have found no other way to hold the bellows in place while you tighted the hose clamp and I bought those for about $28. Good Luck

 

[craze1cars]

Re: bellows replacement help

Thanks, kence. I have to add that I had no problem getting the pins out without any heat, just popped 'em loose with the long breaker bar and a big manly GRUNT, no damage done. I've found that red loc-tite is not usually as strong as they'll make it out to be. I've improvised myself a driver for the driveshaft bellows by using an old idler pulley from a Cub Cadet lawn tractor that was the perfect diameter (and my wife says I save too much junk...HA!), and we'll see what happens with the exhaust bellows...haven't got there yet. But I'm thinkin' I can modify an old gear puller to hold it from the inside like the tool does. <br /><br />As you can see, I'm the type of guy who NEVER buys the right tool unless it's extremely cheap, or a last resort. I make and modify a lot of my own. So far I have only purchased an engine alignment tool (used, and cheap) and have made or faked everything else.<br /><br />Hey, while we're on the topic...how come nobody warned me about the ULTRA DEEP 9/16 inch socket I needed for removing the shift cable?! I ended up welding a big hardened nut to the top of a cheap Craftsman 9/16 deep well. Now I see some guy selling this exact thing for $17 each on Ebay!!! I give him credit. I love problem solving like this, it's getting more fun all the time....cheers!

 

[kence]

Re: bellows replacement help

I made my own socket also for the shift cable. I was unable to remove the pins without heat. I had a 3/4 inch drive breaker bar that was 30 inches long and with two guys we were unable to budge the pins. When I removed the pins, you could see that they had been completely covered with red loctite and two dealers have told me that the factory routinely did this. What is nice about the tool for the exhaust bellows is that once you pull bellows onto the flange, the tool is made to hold itself in place while you tighten the clamp. I have now done three of these and that made the cost very minimal as we all split the cost.

 

[Don S]

Re: bellows replacement help

how come nobody warned me about the ULTRA DEEP 9/16 inch socket I needed for removing the shift cable?!

I never use a deep socket, that white plastic end on the cable that you need the long socket to get over, just unscrews and it's out of the way.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: bellows replacement help

you gotta be kidding me...<br /><br />Actually, I thought it might unpull or unscrew, but I couldn't get it to budge without risk of kinking the tube. Must be corroded on there like everything else. Thanks anyway.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: bellows replacement help

the exhaust flanges are oblong, the new bellows is round. the exhaust bellows tool allows you to expand the bellows oblong and pull it on. I did one once in my late teens without the tool and with the drive on. took over 6 hours on one bellows. trust me that tool is worth its weight in gold. my "factory" shift cable tool is in fact a craftsman 9/16 deep with a nut welded on it. bought it years ago from merc and fell out laughing.