MerCruiser parts vrs aftermarket parts

"OK, It is time to do the wate

"OK, It is time to do the water pumps on my alpha 1 gen 1 drives. I have always used Siera water pump kits.I was speaking to a mercruiser tech and his comment is that Mercruiser parts are superior to the after market distributers. GLM, Siera etc. I was told by him that he saw many ater market water pumps fail while the MerCruiser pumps last the duration.What is/are your oponion(s) on this?"

"[b]"What is/are your opon

""What is/are your oponion(s) on this?"

Ayuh,...

You were talking to the Fox guarding the Hen house.....

I change mine every other year or so,+ Never had 1 fall apart...
I use Sierra from Napa..."

"I have been using alpha drive

"I have been using alpha drives since 1984. I rebuild and repair my own for years. Since 1992 I have been running a 500 hp stroker so the drive is stressed but the 22' low profile hull with a Alpha SS drive is light and that helps it live if you play by the rules even at 6200 rpm. In a stock application, I have found that aftermarket parts seem to be ok. But also I have found out that in higher torque conditions,the Mercruiser parts are superior especially gears and shafts.Use name brand bearings such as Timken, not korean or japanese, the aftermarket seals, o-rings seem to work fine. I never use anything but Mercruiser when it comes to gears and shafts. I learned my lesson years ago trying to save a buck. Also use mercruiser hp synthetic gear oil even in stock drives. The oil temp can get over 300 degrees in the top case even in a stock application. A good drive shower also can lower oil temps by 35-55 degrees in the top case which is a big help to the life of the top gears and bearings. Just a little info that I have lived and learned."

"I do have some relatively fre

"I do have some relatively fresh experiences. Nowadays I'm an independent tech, used to work at an authorized Merc dealership so I have spent quite some time with this type of questions.
Last case I had were problems with sea water pumps on a couple of big block MerCruisers. The owner claimed the housings and impellers were less than a year aftermarket parts, still they refused to suck water. Taking them apart the parts still looked good, however after I replaced them with Merc parts - voila, they sucked water like never before.
Also, I was re-sealing an Alpha gen I upper housing. I was handed the parts, which were an aftermarket brand. Generally o-rings seems very wide on dimensional tolerances compared to oem's, also I had some problems with oil seals where one was very difficult to drive in place and another one almost fell out again after driven in.
Since then I always opt for oem parts unless I know the aftermarket part is of the same origin, or if I'm handed the part and the provider agrees to take full responsibility for any problems."

"If you use the factory part,

"If you use the factory part, Mercruiser will stand behind it, including the collateral damage the failure may cause."

so will sierra

so will sierra

"Yeah, it's about as easy

"Yeah, it's about as easy as getting money from an aftermarket warranty company, they're kicking and screamng the whole time. Been there, done that. That's why I stay with OEM whenever possible."

"me too
I'm just posting

"me too
I'm just posting as a so called customer said 2 me, lol"

"...can't talk about gears

"...can't talk about gears & such, but for what I call "change out parts" ...things like circulating pumps, raw water pumps, alternators, etc. I've found aftermarket to be significantly better and MUCH cheaper."