Gimbal andor ujoint

"My 1979 Searay with a Mercrui

"My 1979 Searay with a Mercruiser 228 is running great. But (you knew there would be a but), it just started making a worn out bearing sound from the back of the motor. After a little research, I thought it might be the gimbal bearing. So I pumped a bunch of grease into the fitting hoping that it would quiet down temporarily and tell me the problem...no change in the sound. On to the u-joint. The sound does not change at all when the unit is turned, trimmed up, or trimmed down. Please give me some pointers for more troubleshooting. Also, where can I get a manual for the removal and installation of the 228. The Selco book says that the "amateur" shouldn't work on it. But I ain't scared."

"If not the gimbal bearing or

"If not the gimbal bearing or the U joints, it could be your engine coupler is starting to slip. Any noticeable loss of power? As the coupler starts to slip, you will have power loss and engine over revving.
Can't think of any other source of bearing noise that might come from the back of the engine. That would be a SBC 305, right, with the distributor at the rear? You may want to use a short piece of hose to see if you can pinpoint the source.
Rod"

I will put my money on the gim

I will put my money on the gimble bearing if there is no loss of drive power accompanied by high reving of the engine under load.
Cheers
Peter C

"Thanks Rod. Actually the moto

"Thanks Rod. Actually the motor has been changed. My uncle,whom I bought the boat from, had a "boat guy" put a bored out, balanced, and blue printed 350 made for the boat. Yes, I know that it's making more than 228 hp but it's been this way for 20+ years. It's a bad a## motor. The dual point distributor is in the back. When you say the engine coupler, is that the housing that the splined main shaft goes into? How is it seperated from the crankshaft? Had it in the water last weekend, no loss of power and no over reving. How difficult is re-installing the stern drive? More specifically, how difficult is it to get the shift linkage et al lined up correctly? If I'm going to remove it anyway, what parts should I buy? Just the gimble bearing and u-joint? Or all of the other gears and seals at the stern drive end of the drive shaft? I was wrong about the Selco book, my book is a Clymer.
I work on cnc machinery for a living, so I'm not afraid, I just want to be educated before I start. Thanks again guys."

"Duane;
The Clymer manual sho

"Duane;
The Clymer manual should provide you with all the basic info you need to do the job.

Basically if you pull the drive leg, you will quickly be able to diagnose the U Joints and the gimbal bearing, and the drive leg input shaft bearings. The gimbal bearing can then be changed; you will need a slide hammer to get the old one out. The U joints can be pressed apart and back together again if they turn out to be cooked.
If neither of these are in trouble you may want to remove the top cover of the drive and inspect the top gears for wear. You'll know right away if they're bad. If they are, you will need to either replace or rebuild the drive leg top and bottom. This is likely best left to a qualified shop, as there are several specialized tools needed to R& R them.
Removing and replacing the drive leg itself is fairly easy. The Clymner manual covers it. You will need a drive leg installation gasket set; only a few bucks.
Good luck.
Rod"

"I have a 2001 Chapparal 216 w

"I have a 2001 Chapparal 216 w/ 5.7 Bravo III. I don't run it hard at all, plently of power. I have noticed that at WOT - trimmed, it will stutter like it starves for gas. Sounds/feels like you are quickly shutting the key off/on real fast.

A friend says I am hitting the rev. limiter. It happens WOT at 5200 rpm. It happens whether the drive is down or at trim level....

What is the deal?"

John; you should start a new t

John; you should start a new topic; not hijack this one. You will get better response that way.
Rod

"Good Advice Rod.
I've go

"Good Advice Rod.
I've got the leg off, not difficult at all. I definately need a gimbal bearing. It makes noise with just my finger turning it. And my u-joints have been turning in water becasue I also need bellows (I think they might be the originals) Do you have a trick for removing the pins that hold the bell housing in place? It has to come out to replace the bellows. The manual says I need a special tool. I tried welding a nut to a 5/16" bolt because a 1/2" bolt head fits pretty good, however, the welding made the bolt too weak to remove the large pin. That is, I twisted the bolt in two with ease."

"By the way Rod, The top gears

"By the way Rod, The top gears are fine. The troubleshooting is done. I really appreciate your help."

"Just pick up a 1/2 inch, 1/2

"Just pick up a 1/2 inch, 1/2 in drive allen socket. The pin is 12 pt. but a sic pt. allen will normally take them out with no trouble."

"Mr. Boatwrench is right on; t

"Mr. Boatwrench is right on; that's essentially what I did. I could not remember the allen size, but 1/2" sounds right. Try WD-40 to loosen them up first. The bellows changeout is fiddely, but doable if you take your time. Change them all and don't forget to use sealant where the bellows meet the metal parts. You can use yellow weatherstrip cement; you don't need the special ($$$) Merc stuff. If your U joints are the greaseable kind, of course give them a good shot of marine grease and hope for the best. They don't like running in a water bath much. Good news on the gears. You should also consider changing your water pump impeller while you are at it. Cheap and easy to do and good insurance.
Rod"

"Thanks guys, I'll get the

"Thanks guys, I'll get the socket today. I'm gonna replace the u-joints. I don't trust them. Just changed the impeller last year. It should be in good shape. Never ran out of the water. But thanks for the advice."