Replacing bellows. Are there special tools, right way or wrong way?

[RandyJ]

It appears that the usual way of replacing mercruiser bellows such as on the 140, 260 and 470 is to remove the pivot pins to pull the gimbal housing (hope I'm using the correct terminology). I've done this several times without pulling anything but the outdrive and bellows... EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. I have never been able to get the pins out of the pivot so I can pull the housing the outdrive is mounted to. It is like all kinds of contortions and extreme reaching up inside the driveshaft bellows to push and pull it into place. Sometimes the exhaust bellows is just about impossible but I do manage. There has to be a better way or some kind of special tools to do it.... especially if the pins won't come out of the pivots. Is it really all that much easier to replace the bellows with the pins out of the pivots? I've just never had the luxury of being able to do it that way...always the hard way.

 

[cr2k]

Re: Replacing bellows. Are there special tools, right way or wrong way?

Yes much easier. If it is a newer style use a large allen wrench to remove the pins of order a pin tool. You should also have an alignment tool to make sure your engine coupler is aligned to the drive. This will save premature coupler failure costing hundreds in parts and requiring engine removal.

You can get the tools you need on ebay at a very reasonable price.