Damage to drive shaft teeth

[Augoose]

Hey all,
this is an '89 Alpha 1. I was doing some winter maintenance today (my first impeller change) so I pulled the lower gear housing off and put it on the bench. Right after I dropped it, I saw this....


Obviously it needs to be replaced, but can anyone tell me what could cause this? Age, improper use, improper parts swapped in by a PO? I've had the boat only one season (last summer) and it ran very well all summer, with me never noticing a odd sound or odd running behavior.

Now the second issue is of course the female end where the drive shaft connects into. I took some pics of this as well and based on what I can see, I see hardly any damage to the female end at all (not sure of the component name).

So, what am I facing here? The drive shaft and teeth down at the prop look perfect, as does the upper end of the drive shaft that passes through the gimbal bearing (I replaced the u-joints and gimbal bearing last summer).

Can I replace the middle drive shaft section and female receptor (again don't know the name of it) and keep on trucking for a couple more years or am I looking at a new lower unit?

Thanks all

 

[Bondo]

Re: Damage to drive shaft teeth

Ayuh,.... That's usually caused by a lack of Grease there, 'n possibly alota trolling...

While you can have the vertical shaft in the lower unit, And the driven gear of the upper unit replaced,...
By the time you buy the parts, then the labor to replace 'em,...
You'll have spent More than the price of a New SEI drive...

No, they're Not Diy servicable parts...

 

[Don S]

Re: Damage to drive shaft teeth

Lack of lubrication, bad seal, and rust acting as grinding compound caused the shaft to wear, undoubtedly the internal splines of the upper shaft are worn to.
Replacement of each is necessary.

 

[Augoose]

Re: Damage to drive shaft teeth

Thank you gentlemen for the insight. I suppose I'll be looking for a new lower unit now. Any thoughts on remanufactured units or should I go factory new?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Damage to drive shaft teeth

I suppose I'll be looking for a new lower unit now. Any thoughts on remanufactured units or should I go factory new?

Ayuh,... You need a new Outdrive, not just the lower unit....

As I said before, Look for the SEI drives, available right here at iboats megamall...

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Damage to drive shaft teeth

Ayuh,... You need a new Outdrive, not just the lower unit....

As I said before, Look for the SEI drives, available right here at iboats megamall...

Yep, this is the answer.

 

[Augoose]

Re: Damage to drive shaft teeth

Wow - $1300 for a new SEI drive. That's half the cost of what I paid for the boat. Looks like I'll be paddling my canoe and selling the boat as is on craigslist.

Thanks for the help all.

 

[ziggy]

Re: Damage to drive shaft teeth

That's half the cost of what I paid for the boat.

hum, well, ya must not wanna get into i/o owning. 2600 w/ a new drive aint to bad these days imho. if sei wern't available it'd have been twice that for a repair. ya know them sei drives got a real good warranty on them too. if the boat is solid, the drive replacement is reasonable. if the boats spent, agreed. don't waste the bread. depends on the boat condition.....
fwiw. before the recession, i gave 4300 for mine with a spent manifold.+ other repairs. which would have been much more expensive if not for iboats and the help i've gotten here (in other words, i've saved thousands by doing it myself, via a oem service manual and iboats).

man, them splines had to be just short of letting go... surely better to catch it before it exploded for there to be hope...

 

[Bondo]

Re: Damage to drive shaft teeth

Wow - $1300 for a new SEI drive. That's half the cost of what I paid for the boat. Looks like I'll be paddling my canoe and selling the boat as is on craigslist.

Thanks for the help all.

Ayuh,... As for workin' on, 'n buyin' Parts for Boats,...
That's Danm Cheap....

Sorry the hobby of Boating ain't workin' out for ya.....

Btw,... Being a Non-running boat,...

You'll be Lucky to get 1/4 of what you paid for it....

 

[Augoose]

Re: Damage to drive shaft teeth

I'm not writing off boating, just venting. Yesterday I got bad news about my HVAC system that apparently self destructed - a $5000-$7000 repair job. Today I run into this problem with the outdrive.

I'll work through it, just trying to weigh my options. I AM however thankful that the shaft didn't completely blow on me while out on the water - could have been much worse.

I'm also thankful for the help I've received on the forum - it has saved me more than once already. I am just surprised that I can't pull the vertical shaft and replace the driven gear in my own garage for less than a thousand dollars.

I've rebuilt jeeps in the past and am used to being a DIY-er.

 

[Don S]

Re: Damage to drive shaft teeth

Wow - $1300 for a new SEI drive. That's half the cost of what I paid for the boat.

I hear this all the time, on jobs. Trust me, how much it costs to fix has nothing to so with how much you paid for it. Oh, and by the way, that 1300 is only for the lower unit, not the complete drive.

 

[mr 88]

Re: Damage to drive shaft teeth

One other option is to scour the close by cities on Craigs for a boat with a blown engine\ or crapped out hull. Sell the trailer/motor and scavenge the hull and piece that out as well. You may spend next to nothing that way.I have seen them go for 350-500 in that condition. You probably could do it yourself with the proper tools and manuals. Those tools can run big bucks.

 

[Augoose]

Re: Damage to drive shaft teeth

I hear this all the time, on jobs. Trust me, how much it costs to fix has nothing to so with how much you paid for it. Oh, and by the way, that 1300 is only for the lower unit, not the complete drive.

Are these not the SEI drives I would be looking for? http://www.sterndrive.cc/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=MercruiserAlphaSterndrive

Please don't flog me for not posting a iboat forum link - I prefer to shop iboat but I couldn't find what I was looking for using the search engine

 

[Don S]

Re: Damage to drive shaft teeth

My mistake, had my head up ........ well, wasn't thinking straight. yes, iboats sells them for 1300.

 

[Augoose]

Re: Damage to drive shaft teeth

My mistake, had my head up ........ well, wasn't thinking straight. yes, iboats sells them for 1300.

Not intending to point out error - just wanted confirmation that's all. Thank you

 

[Augoose]

Re: Damage to drive shaft teeth

Lack of lubrication, bad seal, and rust acting as grinding compound caused the shaft to wear, undoubtedly the internal splines of the upper shaft are worn to.
Replacement of each is necessary.

Don, referring to the bad seal you mentioned, I noticed this morning that the o-ring was missing from the top of the vertical shaft. Could this have caused the failure?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Damage to drive shaft teeth

I noticed this morning that the o-ring was missing from the top of the vertical shaft. Could this have caused the failure?

Nope,... That O-ring has been deleted in later models....

Not putting a dab of Grease on the top of the shaft, at installation is more likely the cause...
And,...
If it belonged to a fisherman, Trolling makes a Bad situation, Worse...
The constant loading, 'n unloading of the shafts causes extreme Wear, when things ain't Greased...

 

[Augoose]

Re: Damage to drive shaft teeth

Got it, thanks Bond-o. Very well could have been used for trolling - not too sure of the history but who knows.
Thanks again

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Damage to drive shaft teeth

Hang in there.There will be plenty of boats with busted blocks but good drives come Spring.
That is if you decide to not get the SEI drive.

 

[Augoose]

Re: Damage to drive shaft teeth

Hey all,
I'm back with a plan. I might be picking up a replacement lower gear unit out of a 23' cuddy cabin for $300. I know it is not the best solution, but unfortunately I just don't have $1300 for a new SEI drive- the HVAC system needed to be replaced in my home so there are not a whole lot of boating funds left in the piggy bank. Making the best of it.....

The skeg on the used unit is completely intact with the exception of a little flattening on the bottom from someone probably dragging it up the old public boat ramp. The prop has no chips, dents or bends- so I'm hoping that the lower unit was well taken care of. I asked the shop to tell me what the gear oil looks like when its drained - flakes of metal, presence of water, etc. Of course I'm running a risk with it being used, but the seller owns a local repair shop, is heavily focused on the importance of word of mouth, and offered to pressure test it for me. I'm not expecting much out of this boat- maybe just one or two more seasons and then it will be time to upgrade.

So, I'm getting a gasket kit and a new impeller and am going to throw it all back together.
In reading the sticky about changing the impeller (which covers what I'm doing obviously) it states specifically not to put any grease on top of the vertical shaft during install.

However Bond-o recommended doing just that - a dab of grease on top. I've always been of the mindset that you can never have enough grease as long as it is something that is intended to have grease -
Bond-o, could you please confirm for me?
Any other comments? I know its not the best solution, but I'm on a budget.
Thanks!