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Ok so what outdrive do i have on my 84 pics

weider1717

Contributing Member
"I've heard and read and

"I've heard and read and been told 84 and up were alphas..but have also been told it's an MR.

so...

again this is on a 1984 boat.

The numbers on the LEFT side of the outdrive in the mercruiser decal reads "1.50R" the ratio..and also on the left side it reads "6886314" (this is the drive serial #)

on the top CENTER decal kinda above the outdrive reads "6879100" (this is the transom number NOT the drive number)

the shaft says A and has a square top and I thought 84's were alpha's but I've heard some say ya and others say production started in 86?? but websites say 84 and say that a square top and A on the shats on 84's were alphas so just wanted to know! here are some pics..thanks

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"
 
"I am not sure by pics, but I

"I am not sure by pics, but I can tell you an alpha has the water pump impeller in the lower unit. Another thing i noticed is that on my Bravo one, the hydraulic hoses on the trim cylinders do not look like yours. One hose connects to the rear of the cylinder and the other connectto the front and in tubing vs. braiding along the cylinder. Again, I am not sure if alphas were configured the same way. Also, there must be an easier way than pulling the leg to see if there is a pump on the shaft.

Not a definite answer, but hope it helped some."
 
What you have is a ALPHA 1 OR

What you have is a ALPHA 1 OR MR.
It is either a MR or ALPHA 1. The only way to tell without looking deeper into the serial number is to split the upper from the lower and look at the vertical drive shaft.

They are virtually identical so there is not much gained by knowing the exact model. The only difference is at the top of the vertical drive shaft the MR has a oring and the alpha does not.
No other differences between the two.
 
a lot of sites also say alphas

a lot of sites also say alphas are marked with an A on the shaft. kinda weird how it's not cut and dry which is which
 
The problem is that the prop s

The problem is that the prop shaft can be intechanged so it does not work that way anymore. Back in the day/year of the ID mark it worked. It is 2008 not 1984 anymore....So the oring groove in the veticale drive shaft is the only way to tell and that is only if it was not changed to the later.
 
"My 1987 Alpha 1 has an "O

"My 1987 Alpha 1 has an "O"ring on top of the lower unit shaft. YES, it is an Alpha 1!"
 
"A guy told me from running th

"A guy told me from running the numbers the drive is an 1985...although my boat is an 84.

"My 1987 Alpha 1 has an "O"ring on top of the lower unit shaft. YES, it is an Alpha 1!"

u happy bc u found out yours is an alpha one or u telling me mine is an alpha one??"
 
"Guy, Is your drive all origin

"Guy, Is your drive all original?

I was working in the business in the late 80's into the mid 90's and worked on a sh!t load of alpha's/mr's, I's... and that was the way we knew a MR from ALhpa 1. Also it was what was told to us during merc training classes.

I do not remeber the transition year/s but there may have been some that were tagged Alpha 1 when infact they still had MR shafts.

But I do know that the oring and groove were the only difference between the two."
 
Ok I just read thru the other

Ok I just read thru the other site that you posted your question.

I cant say for sure but it would seem to me that no one who asnwered your question has ever worked in the business? Just a guess.

I will tell you this from hands on experience and bieng to lazy to fire up my other computer and look at my Mercury Parts CD and find out exactley what you have.

Yes I can look up any part for any merc product up to and including the year 2000. That was the last one I asked for from my parts dealer.

It is most likely a MR. Does it matter?NO! the alpha 1 and the MR are the same with the exception of the oring and groove the oring sits in.

The reason they eliminated the oring groove for the ALPHA 1 outdrive was because in the I's R's and MR"s it was the WEAK LINK in the system and they broke off at the oring groove!!! Especially when mounted to a 454...................

So if you want to be completely sure without question drop the lower and look at the vertical shaft for the oring and groove and because a 1984 boat with the original serial numbers on it does not mean the insides of the drive are original.
Unless you owned the boat from day one and never had the drive repaired from major failure.

I am sure some on the OTHER site have access to good info and some of what they said is true but I am telling you what I know from first hand experience and factory training.

Use it as you choose.

JMHO
 
KG:

I bought it used 5 yrs.


KG:

I bought it used 5 yrs. ago. Decals all over the OD say Alpha 1. Engine was replaced in 1997 w/a longblock because it had been frozen. OD looks old and skeg has its share of nicks. Previous owner used it in a shallow N. Ohio park called Indian Lake that is full of stumps. It was one of several lakes that stored water for the Miami/Erie Canal in Ohio that are full of stumps. OD had a composite prop on it so the OD may have a diff. case.
 
"Ok I just read thru the o

"Ok I just read thru the other site that you posted your question.

I cant say for sure but it would seem to me that no one who asnwered your question has ever worked in the business? Just a guess.

I will tell you this from hands on experience and bieng to lazy to fire up my other computer and look at my Mercury Parts CD and find out exactley what you have.

Yes I can look up any part for any merc product up to and including the year 2000. That was the last one I asked for from my parts dealer.

It is most likely a MR. Does it matter?NO! the alpha 1 and the MR are the same with the exception of the oring and groove the oring sits in.

The reason they eliminated the oring groove for the ALPHA 1 outdrive was because in the I's R's and MR"s it was the WEAK LINK in the system and they broke off at the oring groove!!! Especially when mounted to a 454...................

So if you want to be completely sure without question drop the lower and look at the vertical shaft for the oring and groove and because a 1984 boat with the original serial numbers on it does not mean the insides of the drive are original.
Unless you owned the boat from day one and never had the drive repaired from major failure.

I am sure some on the OTHER site have access to good info and some of what they said is true but I am telling you what I know from first hand experience and factory training.

Use it as you choose.

JMHO"

thakns! the other guys on that site ran my numbers and they THINK it's an 1985 MR...but they aren't 100% but pretty sure.

do you tend to agree with them on their conclusion or not?

thanks
 
"It's a Gen 1 Alpha&#3

"It's a Gen 1 Alpha"

i thought so too but a lot tell me it's an MR

so hell if i know lol

**btw this all original to the boat and drive i know because my grandpa bought it new and my dad knows everything thats ever been done to i bc he's done it lol
 
Merc. manual states MR drives

Merc. manual states MR drives are marked with an A on the prop shaft.
Hope this helps

/ there is almost no difference between an MR and a Gen. I Alpha.
 
"YOU HAVE AN ALPHA 1 OUTDRIVE

"YOU HAVE AN ALPHA 1 OUTDRIVE WITH A MR PROP SHAFT.

Obviously the previos owner wacked a lot of submerged stuff and that is that.


It does not matter anyway. Your decals say alpha 1. BE HAPPY!

One other piece of info........If you do not have your serial number still on the decals and/or your decals are missing, at the same location, the serial number is stamped into the housing. So if you were to remove the paint or carefully pencil over paper you could retrieve it if needed.

Also serial numbers are always close ex:
688721 OD
689345 Transom
689951 Motor.

This is typical and if there is a larger than a couple of thousand between numbers than there has been a component change. This is also good to know when buying a new or used boat to determine if there has been a motor change. A local dealer years ago was selling new boats with used motors and was caught becuse the serial numbers did not match when service was done by another shop. They were to far apart and raised suspicion!

Also you do not always need the outdrive serial number you can work off the transom or motor serial numbers in most cases. The transom especially because that rarely gets changed.


Just some info if you were curious."
 
"Still have SNs on the plastic

"Still have SNs on the plastic carb cover, OD and gimbal. Engine decal is worn and illegible."
 
"Engine SN is on a metal stamp

"Engine SN is on a metal stamp or should be, just above the starter on all v6's and v8's I think 4 cyl. also."
 
""YOU HAVE AN ALPHA 1 OUTD

""YOU HAVE AN ALPHA 1 OUTDRIVE WITH A MR PROP SHAFT.

Obviously the previos owner wacked a lot of submerged stuff and that is that.


It does not matter anyway. Your decals say alpha 1. BE HAPPY!

One other piece of info........If you do not have your serial number still on the decals and/or your decals are missing, at the same location, the serial number is stamped into the housing. So if you were to remove the paint or carefully pencil over paper you could retrieve it if needed.

Also serial numbers are always close ex:
688721 OD
689345 Transom
689951 Motor.

This is typical and if there is a larger than a couple of thousand between numbers than there has been a component change. This is also good to know when buying a new or used boat to determine if there has been a motor change. A local dealer years ago was selling new boats with used motors and was caught becuse the serial numbers did not match when service was done by another shop. They were to far apart and raised suspicion!

Also you do not always need the outdrive serial number you can work off the transom or motor serial numbers in most cases. The transom especially because that rarely gets changed.


Just some info if you were curious."

No, I am the original owner well my grandpa is actually but it stayed at our house and we used it so my dad actually owned it but my grandpa bought it new in 84..the drive has NEVER been touched, hit, etc..

so what it is now is how it came.

I think it's an MR but just wanted to know for sure

**also the decals DO NOT say alpha one...they jsut say mercruiser check out the pics and the numbers are still indented on the deacls the drive sn is "6886314" (this is the drive serial #)"
 
"first of all this entire disc

"first of all this entire discussion board is outstanding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i have a 1980 baja with merc model 260, the out drive has a eye on the top cap what model would this be. the repair shops around here are in buisness to make money not give info for free i can understand that but $90.00 per hour is a lot of money to pay just to get a few answers. i would like to replace the impeller and housing, but i dont know what to tell them when i ask for parts one person said it sounds like i have a pre-alpha is there another model name for this unit? the serial number on the drive seems to confuse the two shops i have been to please help as the boating season is comming to an end here in illinois thanks in advance
joe"
 
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