u joint question

[Clint3240]

i get a grinding noise when i trim or turn, will anything drastic happen? or will it just be annoying for a bit...i am only going to be using it a few times before it starts getting cold out. then ill go about pulling the outdrive.

 

[Mischief Managed]

Re: u joint question

I am no expert and I am certain one will post here soon.

With that said... Mine made grinding noises for half of last Summer. I kept listening for the noise to get worse and it never did so I waited until Winter to change the U-joints. I could not find a thing wrong with the old ones but changed them anyway. The noise went away with the new joints, but I'm confident that I could have used the old ones for a very long time without catastrophic failure. They really are not terribly stressed like they are in a car (think about how much more torque a car applies to them), and assuming the bellows are intact, they operate in a dry and clean environment.

I think you will be fine. I would, however, recommend not turning the wheel hard under heavy power, and I'd avoid running the engine at all in the "trailer" position. No sense pushing your luck.

 

[jsferra1]

Re: u joint question

To see if something is wrong with the U-Jount you would need to take them out and then look at each needle pin that is in the end caps of the U-jounts.
Which would be real hard to tell if one pin is bad or not, The bottom line is if you here noise you shoud fix it ASAP and not wait.

One time out and have to get pulled back in could cost you big.

 

[sundowner205]

Re: u joint question

I would change them out at the end of the season. Please do not wait until they fail and you are out on the water.

It's a cheap repair and if you are at least somewhat mechanically inclined you can change them out yourself. The u-joints themselves are between $25 and $45, and you can "rent" the u-joint tool from Autozone.

Be sure to inspect the gimbal bearing while you're in there, as well as the u-joint bellows.

Cheap insurance.

 

[chiefalen]

Re: u joint question

Could this be a sign of a bigger problem who knows.

When at the last of the season you do pull the drive inspect everything.

And do use a alignment bar, when you reinstall.

Could the transom bolts be loose, transom water logged maybe, could the motor drop say a inch, could the shaft not be in alignment?

You didn't give any info on the motor and drive setup :ie year, make.

Use it for the season and let us know what you find when you pull it.

 

[Bondo]

Re: u joint question

i get a grinding noise when i trim or turn, will anything drastic happen? or will it just be annoying for a bit...

Ayuh,....

The only thing that happens is it gets More Expen$ive.....

 

[cnr2003]

Re: u joint question

I had a grinding noise in my pre-alpha drive when I turned hard to either direction. After pulling the drive it appears that the u-joints were hitting the large retainer nut that holds the assembly in the outdrive.

My u-joints seemed fine, so I changed the gimbal bearing only and the noise went away. No grinding at all now and it runs nice and smooth.

I also ran it about a half a dozen times while the grinding problem was present. I did my best to avoid turning far enough so it would make contact and it didn't cause me any major problems.