I drive removal and service?

[ziggy]

Hi folks, i got be the below listed boat. got it from dad, so know a bit of it's history. he did try to keep up with it but best i can tell it's been 4 years since the drive has been serviced. yikes, from what i read about i/o's that's too long. Well, guess the question is, to remove the stearn drive just undo the six nuts and off it comes, so to speak. the book says remove the lower gear assy. first. can i remove it as as assy or do i really need to remove the lower gear assy 1st? i also got another big problem. no garage or place to work. 1st can i service the drive on its side, laying on the floor in my basement. if not i might be able to get a engine stand into the basement, buddys got a stand. then there's the question of wanting to service the u-joint. looks like a special tool to do that per the book. then before reassy. i will need to realign the drive shaft and engine with the special tool that i don't have. then there's the bellows. bet there needin repaced too, man that means the gimble brg comes off before i can get to themz, am i close to gettin the pic. whew. i'm gettin deep into it. guess i'm just looking for opinions as to what i'm getting into and the outlooks for a for real, poor backyard boat storage guy with the desire to work on boats. + this tri-sonic has hope i think and i want to get it right the 1st time. jim

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: I drive removal and service?

You don't have to take the lower off unless you want to rebuild the water pump (you should). The shift has to be in Forward, then remove the tilt ram pin and the six nuts securing the drive. Then it slides out. Once you get it off you can reach the zerks on the u-joints with a regular grease gun. Draining and filling the drive with lube is easiest on the boat. Drain it before you take it off and don't forget to refill it when you put it back on. You'll want an outdrive gasket set. If you find one bad bellows, replace all of them. If you do that, also replace the water hose and the trim sender and limiter. It's an awful job and you only want to do it once, Trust Me! The hose is very stiff and you need a Merc hose because regular heater hose is too soft and kinks. The engine alignment has to be checked with that special tool you mentioned. You might have to take the boat to a dealer for that part (with the drive off). Check the gimbal bearing inside. If it's rough or dry, replace it. That's probably another job for a dealer. Good luck and have a good manual to refer to. You might check the public library. Grease the splines before you put it back on. Good luck.