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U joint bellow slipping off

S

sirlouie

New member
"the bellow slipped off and wh

"the bellow slipped off and when i tried to reinstall it i noticed that the flange on the gimbel bearing side was broke off apx where the lip of the bellow slips in, leaving just apx 1/2 to clamp unto has anyone seen this problem it would not be worth it if i had to replace the whole transom plate help!"
 
"Never saw this problem before

"Never saw this problem before. Inspect the flange all around to make sure what is left is solid and complete enough to use. I would use the usual bellows sealant in copious quantity and perhaps install bellows before it is too tacky to be sure it gets sealed and clamped tight. Assuming there is no air gap left (or it calls for replacing the plate), I would then add a very good bead of a silicone sealant around the outer rim of the seal to reduce the possibility of water getting to the flange. Allow all to dry/harden completely before stressing the joint.

Whether you can do the above without pulling the bellhousing off or back, I do not know. If it works, you can relax a bit but keep an eye on it."
 
Steve
I have seen the transom

Steve
I have seen the transom plates welded before but it takes a good welder to make sure you dont get any porosity holes in the alloy weld.
You can then reshape the area the bellows clamps onto and make sure you use the right adheasive.
Cheers
Peter C
 
"I had this problem about 3 ye

"I had this problem about 3 years ago when my gimbal bearing seized up, went through my bellows and damaged my transom plate flange. David's advice is right on. I had to diassemble most of the bellhousing to get to it and I used plenty of bellows adhesive. I loosely put the clamp on and let it dry for 24 hours. After it dried, I VERY CAREFULLy tightened the clamp with the screw on the opposite of the damage. Finally, I added some silicone sealant aroung the outside and carefully reassembled everything. I have had no further problems to date. A Sealoc maintenance manual was very helpful. Side note: Lube your Gimbal bearing at least once a year. Good Luck! Steve"
 
"Stephen W
Just a word of cau

"Stephen W
Just a word of caution about your fix, some silicon sealants have corosive properties in a salt water environment.
I dont know wether or not your boat is used in fresh or salt but always be carefull when using a silicon sealant in a marine environment.
Cheers
Peter C"
 
"There is a company called GHR

"There is a company called GHR Kits that make a repair kit for this. I have no experience with this company.

http://www.ghrkits.com/GHRKIT/ghrkit.html

My flange was chipped off up to the groove but not quite as bad as yours sounds. I made a form out of duct tape and used j-b weld to rebuild the flange. It looked and felt as good as new. Hopefully it will hold up in saltwater."
 
"Tim, your link is quite inter

"Tim, your link is quite interesting. I had never heard of this product. If the damage is more extensive than the ultra cheap approach I suggested will cover, this kit sounds like the best approach to get the job done."
 
"Peter,
I didn't realize

"Peter,
I didn't realize that about the silicone sealant. I have always been in fresh water but I will keep that in mind if I ever decide to run in salt water. Thanks for the tip."
 
"Tim
Interesting about those

"Tim
Interesting about those repair kits, I havent come accross the before myself but I will certainly keep them in mind.
Stephen
As the Doc says, never use silicon on bellows, always use the correct adheasive or you are asking for trouble.
In regards to the silicon, it can be a nasty if the wrong one is used around your stern drive in a salt water environment, if you go to the dow corning site and do some research you will find out that it isnt the wonder fix that many people think it is and it can come with side affects.
When it comes to working on marine stuff I basicly only use 2 sealants and that is Permatex (loctite) no 3 aviation grade sealant and a stable eurathane sealant.
The only exception being bellows sealant which is the only product I use on a bellows fit.
Cheers
Peter C"
 
"I have installed a couple of

"I have installed a couple of the G.H.R. kits. they work just fine. expensive, but considering the alternative, not bad. one caution. don't take the bellows off the repair ring. they are larger diameter than stock, and a bear to get back on. for future bellows replacement, you will need to stretch the bellows a bit to fit."
 
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