1997 Bravo 3 - cone clutch failure and replacement?

Just understand that the $200 part may not be the end of it. When you pull things apart, you wreck stuff. Gaskets, bellows and hoses may need to be replaced. Anodes might need renewing, lots of thisses and thats. No mistake this is going to be a significant invoice so again, don't skimp on a band-aid repair that might fail again this season. Do what needs to be done. Big boats come with big bills.

o2batsea said:

............... I would not advise you to take the cheapest option necessarily, but rather the best and safest for you.

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I agree!

Keep in mind that a few small pieces of debris (within the oiling grooves) may prevent the sliding sleeve surface from making full contact with the rotating gear cup.
Unless the full surfaces begin to mate, friction may not be sufficient to pull the two together.
In other words...... no friction = no lock-up.

Per Ricks comment.... Make sure there is no slop in the control linkage before spending a bunch.

RicardoMarine said:

....................


Posted on iBoats forum back on 9-27-2013.
This was posted after someone had read one of my comments from another boating forum:



"Just adding my experience with the same issue. In 2011 I purchased a used 2004 Crownline 235CCR 5.0 L bravo 3 drive with 195 hrs. Previous owner had mentioned some minor issue with shifting and believed it to be cable related. Sure enough, the longer I used the boat the worse the delay got. Long story short, I went through pretty much all the mentioned suggestions, oil, cables, linkage, engine RPM, etc. All items checked out to be OK. It got to the point where all the mechanics I consulted said I require a new gear set. Well if it's that bad, I have nothing to loose. I removed the leg, disassembled the upper drive and discovered a very clear difference in the finishes on the gears (I think that we can safely assume that he meant "gear cups") between forward and reverse. Forward had an almost chrome finish when compared to the reverse gear. I purchased a $7.00 lapping compound kit from local automotive stores and very lightly lapped the forward gear with the clutch to remove the polished finish. I cleaned and reassembled the drive with new oil and I'm happy to report 40 hrs of trouble free boating this 2013 season. I'm not saying this is your issue, but in my search for help I did not find anything on lapping the clutch/gear set. (and you won't because Merc and/or Volvo Penta want to sell you a new complete gear set!)
PS
I did have a marine mechanic have a look at the drive after I had put some hours on it after my repair just for peace of mind and answer a couple questions I had on the brass shifting rings wear patterns, etc. All is good. Maybe this can help someone else."



You've got nothing to loose but some of your time, new gaskets/O-rings, gear oil and a tube of lapping compound.
If you find debris in the oiling grooves and clear it........., you may not even need to lap them!



.

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Sorry Rick, this is not a glaze issue, it is a "Worn out issue". This has probably happened because an amateur replaced the shift cable and it was incorrectly adjusted.

Docksidemarineservices said:

Sorry Rick, this is not a glaze issue, it is a "Worn out issue". This has probably happened because an amateur replaced the shift cable and it was incorrectly adjusted.

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Chris, I understand your take on this, and that you have extensive experience with the B drive.
And FYI...... I wasn't so much concerned with glazing as I was with debris in the oiling grooves.

Honest questions:

Given that we reverse at lower RPM and with much less thrust placed against the cone clutch system, how often do you see the Reverse side of the sliding sleeve (or the gear cup) worn out?
How often do you see debris within the sliding sleeve's oiling grooves?


.

RicardoMarine said:

Chris, I understand your take on this, and that you have extensive experience with the B drive.
And FYI...... I wasn't so much concerned with glazing as I was with debris in the oiling grooves.

Honest questions:

Given that we reverse at lower RPM and with much less thrust placed against the cone clutch system, how often do you see the Reverse side of the sliding sleeve (or the gear cup) worn out?
How often do you see debris within the sliding sleeve's oiling grooves?


.

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Shifting into reverse is usually done with a lot of force while the pilot is trying to slow the boat. Lots of reverse panic shifting.

I have only seen one clutch with some debris in the grooves and it did not have a shifting problem. I have not changed a gear set due to wear from a cone clutch, I have changed out the OP's set up due to the gear splitting. That is why Merc redesigned his set up. They made the clutch smaller to improve gear strength.

There are specific tools used to adjust the lower shift cable on a B drive to center the ramp. If this is not done, issues arise.

DTS B drives are adjusted with a different procedure.