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Gimbal bearing

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dtwolcot2

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"Hi all, I am currently trying

"Hi all, I am currently trying to replace the gimbal bearing in my 1999 alpha 1 outdrive. After reading some other post I determined I had the same problem. So I got to the bearing an found some water in the bellow and some dirt and sand mixed in with the grease around bearing and makes a grinding noise when I turn it by hand. I wasnt able to get the bearing out just yet because the attachment on the slide puller broke. What do I need to look at for the cause of water getting in? Is there a particular seal that leaks? Also the u joint seems okay but has the slightest amount of rust on it. Will this be fine and greased or do I need to replace it. Any other tips or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks"
 
"Ujoints will be fine, cover t

"Ujoints will be fine, cover them with grease every nook and cranny that will keep them better.

I belive they are non servicable? if they have grease fittings grease them. Gease the splines also before reassembly."
 
"my experience: my drive bello

"my experience: my drive bellows leaked and i replaced the gimbal bearing along with the 3 bellows and lubed up the u-joints. the next year, i had a vibration and noise especially when turning. pulled the drive and replaced the u-joints. they will feel fine when you move them by hand, but under the caps, the surfaces are going bad. hopefully you will be ok on the u-joints."
 
How long has it been leaking?

How long has it been leaking? It doesnt take long to ruin those u-joints especially if it sat with water in the bellows. If they blow you will be sorry. Mine were $45 dollars a piece. But I went a season before I fixed the bellows and figured it was cheap insurance. If they have a grease zirk they might be fine fill them till the water is all pushed out.
 
"I am also trying to replace t

"I am also trying to replace the gimbal bearing on my 1997 3.0LX alpha 1 outdrive. Would this be Gen II outdrive? I pulled the out drive without a problem. The U joints have no zerks, both U joints and splines look and feel good. I can't turn the gimbal bearing by hand (it moves maybe a millimeter each way when I try, so I think this was the source of the rumble noise I was hearing.)

My problem is I can't get the gimbal bearing to budge with a 5 lb. slide hammer. I'm wondering if there is a retaining ring or something else keeping it in. Its a 1997, so I didn't expect one. I'm trying to do it through the bellows, do I need to remove the gimbal ring and bellows first?
A friend suggested I heat it with a propane torch and try again. Before trying that, I thought it wise to seek some expert advice. A torch would likely set the bellows afire so I'd need to remove the gimbal ring and bellows first. I was hoping that would not be required.
Thanks"
 
If you can get a 5/8-18 thread

If you can get a 5/8-18 threaded rod and a couple of nuts and a plate with a hole cut thru it then you can use the nuts to draw the bearing out instead of a slide hammer.

Other choice is to get a ~10lb slide like I have. They come out in 1-2 trys EVERY TIME!!
 
"If you got it all apart you m

"If you got it all apart you might as well replace all parts that will need it sooner or later because you probably won't want to do this again anytime soon. Get new U-joint with zerk fittings installed and lube the holy c$&#($! out of them.

ANy rust is bad rust especially if you boat in salt water, it's probably worse than it looks and won't last as long as you like."
 
Thanks!! I tried the plate and

Thanks!! I tried the plate and threaded rod method by threading the jaws from the slide hammer onto the rod. It took a LOT of pull to turn my half inch drive ratchet but finally something broke loose. I thought it was the gimbal bearing but when I looked the bearing had not moved. The loud snap I heard was the jaws that had pulled thru the center of the bearing.

I'm afraid I'm going to break something. Are you SURE there couldn't be anything else holding it in place? It a '97 3.0 alpha one on a Suntracker 27' pontoon boat.
 
Expand the jaws more/tighter.

Expand the jaws more/tighter.

If the jaws are worn or not real expanded/tight this happens.

The use of a slide hammer "shockes" the bearing assembly and it will come out. These bearings are a whole lot more than a simple interference fit!

I use a custom made driver and a stubby 3 pound sledge hammer to drive the new one back in. just to give you a idea of the forces you are working with.
 
"consider spraying PB Blaster

"consider spraying PB Blaster around the outer ring and let it sit for a while. wipe graphite powder in the bore of the housing to help reduce friction once it does move. some older models had a snap ring that held the bearing in place, but i don't think you have that. heat the bearing and housing to expand the metal and pull. as a last resort, i have seen where you can take a drill and carefully drill a hole thru the outer ring. for installation, i put my bearing in a sealed plastic bag and in the freezer overnite, heated up the housing with a hair dryer, wiped graphite powder in the bore, and pounded it back in with a large sledge hammer and driver. you have to drive the outer ring and not the inner ring."
 
"Finally got the gimbal bearin

"Finally got the gimbal bearing out! The jaws were worn on the slide hammer so I sharpened the angle on the jaws with my dremel tool and they didn't slip again. I still wasn't sure it was moving, so I took the puller out and hit the bearing a few times with a driver to see if it would move the other way. It did and then I could see where the puller had actually moved it out about a quarter inch. About 10 good hits on the 5 lb. slide hammer and out she came! THANK YOU!!

Can anyone tell me how to get the grease seal out that is behind the gimbal bearing? I tried the slide hammer, but it pulls through the rubber seal. A new seal came with the new gimbal bearing so I assume I should replace the seal too. Thanks again!"
 
"Leave it alone, no need to de

"Leave it alone, no need to deal with the grease seal!!!!!

Just my opinion, I have Never replaced one in almost 20 years."
 
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