Mercuriser Bellow question.......

[Fiat4Fun]

Howdy,
I have a 1986 Alpha One 260HP drive.
So it's cold here in Oregon, so I decided to take my boat into my new mechanic, to do some winter work.

At the end of the season here, I had taken my boat to a new mechanic to have my boat winterized, and we found water
in the drive line bellows, so we did the winterization, knowing that we would need to replace the gimbal bearing. I had the gimbal bearing replaced earlier in the season by a local mechanic, but didn't feel real good about the work being done.

Turns out, that the gimbal bearing was put in with what looks like a big chisel as there are marks all around it, so they didn't have the right tool. We did find that the bellows was torn, so we found where the water was getting in. My new mechanic says that the bellow was put in backwards, and it has a "top" orientation, which I didn't know there was???
Is that a true deal? They are directional and have a "up"????

Also, he mentioned that the new mercruiser gimbal bearings are sealed, and no longer need to be aligned to the grease hole and they come with a plug.... Never heard of that, so is that a issue? Do they last just as long?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Bob

 

[Hoosmatroos]

Re: Mercuriser Bellow question.......

New gimball bearing can be sealed so you don't need the the grease hole.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Mercuriser Bellow question.......

So, what you are telling us is that a prior mechanic who apparently installed the gimbal bearing with a chisel, also installed the bellows incorrectly ??? Surprising. . . . I would think in all likelihood that the chisel method of installation would have cut the bellows accidentally.

Anyway, hopefully, you can get that all sorted out. Bellows are the sort of thing that has to be done right. They are the "Achilles Heel" of I/O drives.

As far as the gimbal bearings not having a grease hole . . . I hate it when they do that. You might be able to find some of the old style, since your 1986 Alpha would have the grease fitting. I do not see how the new ones can possibly last as long without being re-greased (IMHO). Maybe an automotive engineer can enlighten us all on that one.

 

[achris]

Re: Mercuriser Bellow question.......

The bellows certainly DO have a right way up, and there is a very clear 'AFT-TOP' cast into the rubber. There will also be grounding clips. The bellows MUST be installed onto a clean surface, using the correct bellows adhesive. All this is laid out in the OEM manual. The 'chisel marks' might just be marks from a drift he used to fully seat the bearing carrier. I wouldn't read too much into those marks, but the bellows the wrong way up, that IS an issue.

The new 'sealed' bearings come with a plug to replace the grease fitting on the starboard side of the gimbal housing. Some folk don't like the sealed bearings (I see it as 'horse and buggy' thinking), but I have had a sealed bearing in my gimbal housing since new (6 years) and no problem. All the new unis are sealed also. The sealed unis in my old drive (now in a friends boat) are 19 years old and still like the day they were installed. If you get water in the bellows, the gimbal bearing and the unis will most likely need replacing anyway, sealed or not.

Chris.......

 

[Fiat4Fun]

Re: Mercuriser Bellow question.......

So, I picked up the boat today, and the mechanic had the old parts. It was obvious that the Bellows was installed wrong, and it is clearly marked front and rear, with a top marking. It appears there is a molded area where the water hose goes, and the old clamps were not very good quality, and not like the mercruiser original clamps that I got new.

Looks like the gimbal bearing was tapped in side to side, and has a grease fitting. The new one was a sealed unit.

Thanks for the feedback,
Bob