Chrysler 300 Stern Drive HA and HB SERIES

"Hi . I am trying to establish

"Hi . I am trying to establish if there are any differences between the Chrysler 300 [HA and HB] series? HB being the later series. I have heard that the forks and the cone are different. If this is correct would they have used different lower shaped gears? There may be other differences if they exist! Have also heard that there could have been oil circulations problems experienced by the HA. If so, what did Chrysler do to solve his problem and can the HA be adapted? The 300 are similar to the Volvo with the cone system. If any one could help with the info it would be great. I see that Dave Kane from Hurrikain is on the site. He has years of Chrysler experience and look forward to his input. Thanks in advance. Jon"

"The HA was produced from 76-7

"The HA was produced from 76-77 and the HB was used in 78-79, but that being said we have seen a number of original boats in the 79 production line with HA's.

The HA's were very different in the uppers from the HB's , bearings, cones, shift, very little is interchangeable. But you can swap the lowers w/o any issues. The only real concern is if your looking for upper parts make sure you know if you have a HA or HB. Easiest way to tell is look at the side of the upper unit. If the Chrysler logo is a thin and long nameplate, kind of like a automotive nameplate it's a HA.. If it has a Wide and long almost foil looking nameplate it is a HB.. I am going to work on putting a 300 fact page together and posting it on our site, and have pictures to show the differences. I will work on it over the weekend, but I'm so busy I don't know if I will get it done this weekend ( I'll try though ).
On the oil issue. I was talking with one of the engineers who was at the Chrysler plant in Plano, TX and we were talking sterndrives and he is the one who brought up the oil issue. According to him Chrysler knew they had a issue with it and decided not to modify them. Even the HB's had this issue as I recall. He had said all that was needed was to open up a passage some. I am working on seeing if I can get more details on this so called passage and will post it if I can find out. He had also said that the drives did have some extra heat , and that he felt that the oil level needed to be insured to be full at all times, also he had said he thought a sterndrive shower would be a excellent item to add to help dissipate some of the heat, but I know of none with one on a 300 drive so I don't know if I feel it is really necessary.
Hope this helps some.

Dave"

Thank You Dave. We look forwar

Thank You Dave. We look forward to you knowledge and experience on the Chrysler and Dana units. Frederick.

Sorry been dragging my feet on

Sorry been dragging my feet on this project. We had our office flood ( Thanks Hurricane Ike for all the rain LOL ) and everything is way behind as we cleaned up the mess. I hope to have the office back to normal over the weekend.

Dave

"Hi Dave,
Did you ever get ar

"Hi Dave,
Did you ever get around to putting that fact sheet together?
I am rigging up a remote oil tank at the moment, so that the leg will always be full and free of aeration.
Also I think that it is critical to pressure fill it from the bottom.
Cheers,
Mike"

Mike
We [b]<u>KNOW</u>[/b] th

Mike
We <u>KNOW</u> that it is critical to pressure fill it from the bottom.

Fred 156-M

"Mike, I hate to say it but I

"Mike, I hate to say it but I started on it then kind of got side tracked ( can you believe it, My wife says anything shiny distracts me LOL )

I'll see if I can wrap it up this week and then post a link to it here.

And Fred is correct you have to fill it from the bottom.

Dave"

"Dave do you have any ideas on

"Dave do you have any ideas on opening up an oil passage, between the top and bottom box. --------------------------------------------------------------- Fred 156-m I think we all know it is critical to fill from the bottom. We would all know that the process drives out any air. Especially arround bearings, gear ,shaft and cones. I think we all would also know that the drive is placed in a horizontal position for filling. One thing i am unaware of ,is how does one check the dip stick on the 300 in situ, when the boat is moored? I enjoy reading the posts, even the green/white and black ones. Frederick Pel"

"To qualify. The Horizontal po

"To qualify. The Horizontal position, is the operational position on the transom of the boat or resting on a work stand. Over here most people knock Chrysler. Their stern drive legs were never given the exposure they deserved. In many ways they were ahead of their time. Merc only in the Bravo series adopted the cone system. Frederick Pel"

I agree the 300 never had a ch

I agree the 300 never had a chance to prove themselves. The only history I ever found on the 300 was the marine section of Allpar.com.
They point out Chrysler intended to sell the I/O business but union issues blocked the sale so only the outboards carried on with Force. I always wondered why Force or Bayliner never wanted to continue to build them.....Jack

P.S. Volvo was the first to use the cone clutch system and may still today.

"Frederick
Thanks for clarify

"Frederick
Thanks for clarifying "Horizontal position". I was wondering about that.

I was told by a marine repair service mech. that the 300's were poorly set up to service; ie: he sited multiple assembly & dis assemblies with different shimming to check gear / shaft clearances & backlash.
He laughingly said "By the time you get it set up, you've worn out the threads in the Aluminum housing."
He also walked away from schooling for that unit, saying "I don't need that kind of aggravations, i have enough work with the Alpha's & the Cobra's."
He wouldn't work on my 300, and I couldn't find any one in the area (with ANY experience) to work on it. (Marys ville was out of it by then). And I had the last known "new" gear set to install.

Fred 156-M"

I still have a couple new gear

I still have a couple new gear sets here if you end up needing any.

Dave

"Fred 156-M. Experienced mecha

"Fred 156-M. Experienced mechanics are few. I presently are working on a spare 300, bought, as is . The uni went. Damage was bent holding bolts for the aft cap for the input shaft and minor damage to the cap. The input shaft, gears and cones bearings are not damage. Cleaned them up, re assem and wraped in a good rag. Place in several plastic bags and filled with gear oil and placed with my collection. The leg,from there down 'nothing moves' Presently am filling it up with diesel and draining it. Hope to flush any rubbish out. I would expect a seized bearing or a whale stuck in it. At some stage will seperate the two boxes. Even diesel takes its time to filter down. I would imagine Hypo 90 gear oil would never. If the thing was turning would break the air lock. Hence the requirement for bottom filling. With a leg it is important to remove it annually. The U.V most people forget about due to their location. There is just no room. Prop should be removed as frequently as possible. A Fishing line collector. If you have your manuals go have a talk to a gear and diff expert. They may be able to give you some assistance if you ever have to take apart. Frederick Pel"