noise-gimbal bearing?

[Don S]

No, don't keep running it. The bearings are not gimbal bearings, they are only in Merc, OMC, and the SX style of drives. You have what is knows as intermediate bearings in the bellhousing. And yes you have to pull the engine to replace them.<br />If those bearing bind up (which they are about to do), they will spin inside the housing or on the shaft, and you don't even want to know what those parts cost. It could also be because of the ujoints making the noise. The noise probably started because of water in the ujoint bellows and from there gets into the intermediate bearings and also into the drive.<br />Mechanical things don't heal, they only get worse and more expensive to fix when overlooked or let go.

 

[sonus]

noise-gimbal bearing?

Hello everyone.Great site! This is my first post but have been reading for months.I purchased a 22' 84 Aquasport with a AQ200 VP with 280 drive last October. It was used only in fresh water and is in excellent condition.On the test run and in my driveway on muffs , everything sounded perfect and quiet.I got out on the water once last year and I think I ran over a small bouy although I didn't hear anything at the time.A few minutes later I thought the motor sounded a little different, but the boat is new to me.Back home on muffs the noise was more obvious and seems to be coming from right behind the motor,right where the housing passes through the transom.It is worst at idle but will stop abruptly as RPM goes above 1800.tThe 'rattling' starts again when the RPM drops below 1800.I was told it might be the gimbal bearing and that the engine needs to be pulled to get to it on my setup.I will have a mechanic listen to it on Friday.If it is the bearing,is that something I can run for a while ,or does that need attention now? Also,what kind of oil should I put into the drive? The manual says 10/w40 but seems light to me.Thanks in advance for any info anyone can give me!

 

[sonus]

Re: noise-gimbal bearing?

Don S, Thanks for the quick reply.How would a mechanic detrmine where the problem is? Does he pull the drive to inspect the u-joints and bellows?Can you inspect the bellows without pulling the drive?And if this all does have to be done,how many hours of labor are we talking about? The engine seems to be fairly accesable and corrosion free.I was going to drop it in the water on Friday, let the mechanic take a listen and then go for a cruise. Is this risky?Are mechanics willing to hook up the muffs to take a listen?Sorry for all the questions,I just have a lot of them! Thanks again.

 

[Bondo]

Re: noise-gimbal bearing?

I Believe what Don is saying is;<br /><br />Your Drive is about to Grenade............<br /><br />Bring the boat to a Mechanic On A Trailer.........<br />You're Already on Borrowed Time........

 

[sonus]

Re: noise-gimbal bearing?

Thanks for the input Bondo. I'll be taking it to the mechanic on Friday and I'll skip the cruise.Hope he has time to work on it.I think that the bellows is in good shape. Is this the only reason for this problem or could it have been that bouy?Being it was my first and only time out,I was a bit excited and kind of wanted to "see what she's got"and ran it up to about 4700 RPM for a few minutes. Is this abusive? Anyway,I wont use her till its fixed. Thanks again.