oil in u joint bellow

[shaenjay09]

i have a 3.0 with alpha 1 gen 1. i pulled the outdrive and oil came pouring out when i opened it up. i did drain the lower unit before i pulled that off to check impellar. should there be oil in the u joint bellow? i know there should be grease but oil? or could i be getting water in my bellow turning the grease into brown milk?

 

[coheej]

Re: oil in u joint bellow

There shouldn,t be oil or grease unless a small amount of grease flew off of the u-joint from too much being applied. The oil probably leaked from the upper drive from behind the u-joints. If the oil was milky, you probably have a split in the bellows which means you need to replace it also. Was the oil that you drained from the lower unit milky? If it was, then the bellows may be ok. It sound like the upper unit needs resealed at the least.

 

[shaenjay09]

Re: oil in u joint bellow

yah it was a little milky. is that a big job were i need special tools or could i do it myself?

 

[coheej]

Re: oil in u joint bellow

you might pressure test the drive to try to see where the water is getting in and where the oil is getting out; but it sounds to me like the upper needs to come apart and maybe the lower unit. Either one requires several special tools to disassemble and reassemble and to set up correctly.

 

[ziggy]

Re: oil in u joint bellow

is that a big job were i need special tools or could i do it myself?

big enough. yes it'll require special tools.
as opposed to me trying to discribe this. ya can read it here. http://www.boatfix.com/merc/Servmanl/srvcovr.pdf

choose #6, then drive shaft housing. the exact procedure of what you need to do is explained in full..

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: oil in u joint bellow

11 and 20 keep the oil in place
http://mercstuff.com/fichea.htm

 

[coheej]

Re: oil in u joint bellow

11 and 20 keep the oil in place
http://mercstuff.com/fichea.htm

18 & 20 keep the oil in place

 

[ziggy]

Re: oil in u joint bellow

the seal between 11 and 20 is what fails though.
that seal keep lub in, but not water out. after water intrusion into the bellows, water gets into that seal and rusts #11. which then don't seal to #20 due to rust...

like this..

a rough surface and a groove right where the seal rides at..

 

[Don S]

Re: oil in u joint bellow

18 & 20 keep the oil in place

18 has nothing to do with keeping oil out of the bellows, that oring would probably never leak. Between the oring, and the torque on the retaining nut along with location, could never get to the bellows. Let alone fill it up.

The yoke (see ziggy's picture) and the seal #20 is where the oil comes from.

If the oil is at all milky as you mentioned (brown milk), you have water mixed in, and the bellows may have started the whole thing.