Greasing the outdrive

got a 3.0 mercruiser alpha 1 g

got a 3.0 mercruiser alpha 1 gen 2 outdrive.. wondering how many pumps of grease do i put in the three fittings? or are there more fittings that i need to find? thanks

"For the hinge pins (one o

"For the hinge pins (one on each side), pump grease in until clean grease comes out. For the gimbal bearing, that's a pretty good question... I've never seen old (or new) grease come out of anywhere and stopped after about 10 pumps (Probably way too much, God knows where it's ending up). The merc service manual (#14) doesn't specify an amount.

Don't forget to grease the engine coupling. The zerc is on the inside of the boat on the drive shaft... not easy to get to, you'll need a flex hose, long arms, and probably another person to pump the grease gun.

And, while you're back there, go ahead and lube the steering and shift cable linkages... use 2-4-C for the steering and decent weight oil (SAE 20 or 30) for the shift cable pivot points."

"Troy,
I have a 1988 305 Alph

"Troy,
I have a 1988 305 Alpha 1 LX.
Would it have this grease fitting on the engine coupling like you talked about?
Thanks,
JT"

The coupling grease fitting wa

The coupling grease fitting was introduced around 1994. My 1992 Gen II doesn't have it. I give the gimbal about 10 pumps. The excess grease just sits in the bellows area.

"I wonder how many times you c

"I wonder how many times you can put the 10 pumps of grease into the gimbal bearing before too much of the excess builds up in the bellows.
It's been a few years since I had the upper unit off, and I usually grease the OD two or three times a year, depending on how much I use the boat."

"A would think MANY MANY. <[im

"A would think MANY MANY. I don't see anything in the bellows that would be unhappy with giant globs of grease everywhere..."