Time for new bellows

"guys-
you might remember

"guys-
you might remember my lube thread from a couple weeks ago where it got suggested that i check my bellows. Well, I did and it looks like i need a new shift cable bellows, so i'm gonna pull them all shortly. I got under the boat and prodded the shift cable bellows a bit cause i had read it's junk(is it junk, or is it just designed to fail before the ujoint bellows??) and it was either torn or tore as i touched it. As i continued, it broke more. I've been reading the seloc book i have and they say to remove the outdrive the lever must be in reverse(it's reverse for left hand rotat engines and according to it all 4.3l are lefthand) but here i've read forward. Can someone confirm which way is the right way? Also, some sources for bellows kits would be apprecaited, i'll be checking this site shortly. I'd prefer a rebuild kit of some sort that includes everything i need (gaskets, etc) i'll poke around and look but would appreciate any shortcuts yall can provde. Thanks!

--chris

edit:
boat is a 1998 starcraft 1810GT with a 4.3l A1 Gen2"

"If you have a standard RH rot

"If you have a standard RH rotation prop (meaning it turns CW from the rear in forward), the shifter needs to be in forward to remove the drive. This places the upper and lower shift shaft foot and shoe pieces pointed forward, so that they can slide apart as you remove the drive. Don't know what the heck the Seloc manual is saying.

Check this site first for bellows and transom service kits. Failing that there are several sources, including Aftermarket Marine in Kenner Louisiana. Also outdrives.com

Rod"

"look up the part #s at the si

"look up the part #s at the site below and insert the #s above under engine parts.

Replace the water hose.

http://www.mercruiserparts.com/selectDocs.asp?doc_nbr=809759+98

insert bellows in the search box"

"A counter rotation drive need

"A counter rotation drive needs to be shifted into reverse at the helm, this lines up the shift shaft correctly,(bow -to-stern),A std rotation is fwd to line it up."

"all--
Just got done with

"all--
Just got done with disassembly. The drive came off incredibly easily, and it was forward btw. I went with forward and gave it a slight gentle tug and she pulled right out! The drive shaft and gimbal bearing are heavily greased, and there is a copius amount of grease inside the drive shaft bellows, which are completely intact. The only damage i have is the shift cable bellows, which tore in a few spots. I removed all and then put them back on loosely to keep everything covered up until i get all the parts, and covered it all with plastic garbage bags to keep it clean. The gimbal spins free and smooth, even when i apply light pressure to its faces(applying sheer pressure). It's tight front to back and side to side spins smooth with no roughness, but it seems like it could use some greasing, which i'll do when i re install. so far so good, thanks again for all the great advice!

--chris"

"chris;

The confusion is th

"chris;

The confusion is that the engine is LH rotation, as most all are, but the drive is RH rotation. RH drive is what you will find on 99.9% of all single engine installations. LH or counter rotation are only used on one engine in a dual engine installation. This is so the torque-steer effects of the rotating props are cancelled out.

It took me a while to figure out that you were talking about engine rotation direction; not drive direction.
Anyway, you did the right thing by putting it in forward gear, and now you know why.

Rod"

"hey all--
finally getting

"hey all--
finally getting around to working on this again(been real busy at work) and just got the parts today from a local store. I got the seal kit, adhesive, and all 3 bellows for 195 with tax. The ujoint bellows was 100 and the shift bellows was 25. Do these prices sound reasonable? I thought almost 200 bucks was a bit steep given the prices i can find on the net. Am i missing something or did i get soaked? Lemme know, thanks!

--chris"

Prices are in-line w/others.

Prices are in-line w/others. If it's an Alpha OD what about the water hose?

"Guy--
My water hose is pe

"Guy--
My water hose is perfect(i think it was replaced before I bought the boat) no cracks, perfect texture and good stiffness(doesn't kink)

--chris"

"so i guess my next question i

"so i guess my next question is, are 3rd party parts ok or should i stick with merc/QS parts? Has anyone gone with the 3rde party stuff here? I don't want to spend money needlessly, but i also don't want to skimp on the job. As always, thanks for the advice!

--chris"

"Most will tell you to stick w

"Most will tell you to stick with OEM parts for the small price difference. Bellows are comparatively inexpensive items as boat parts go, so why take a chance?

Rod"

"I did decide to stick with OE

"I did decide to stick with OEM parts. OEM parts are what's on it and they lasted 10 years, so i figure that's pretty good. One guy at a dealer told me i'm actually best served if I pull the bell housing out of the gimbal ring. He said pull it out with the cable attached with a string tied to the cable. Then do the gimbal side, then replace the housing and pull the cable back through with the string. That technique made sense to me and looked like it woul give me alot more room to work with while adding only marginal time to the job. Anyone do it this way? Any other ideas? Let me know, thanks!

--chris"

"All--
I did the job over

"All--
I did the job over the holiday weekend and got it done. The stern came off real easy, and the only leaker i had was the shift cable bellows. I pulled the bell housing off and got them all replaced, with the only real SOB being the retaining ring for the ujoint bellows and the exhaust bellows. For those i enlisted the help of a neighbor who has done the job a few times. And yesterday was her first day in the water and no leaks!!!! I did several different speeds, steep turns and just sitting, and no water appeared! hoooray!!!! I'll tell you, the "kick" from trimming the motor out at full throttle never felt so good! Thanks again for all the advice!!

--chris"

"chris;
Good news!
Now you a

"chris;
Good news!
Now you are an expert who can provide help for others not so fortunate.

Cheers,
Rod"

"ya know rod, i'm tempted

"ya know rod, i'm tempted to tak some pics when i pull the SD at the end of the season for illustration purposes and writing up a little how to for the job. My neighbor gave me a few really good tips and i'd like to pass those on. When I was doing the job i didn't want to handle the camera as i was elbow deep in grease.

--chris"

"chris;
You should definitely

"chris;
You should definitely do it.
There is nothing like a good how-to, accompanied by detailed pictures to reduce the trepidation of tackling a job you have never done before. Many on this site would appreciate the effort.

Bellows jobs can be a tricky and time consuming PITA! There is a Merc tool for that retainer ring, but most of us don't have the luxury of having one in the tool box.

Rod"