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Mercruiser "0" drive expertise needed

A

amuller

New member
I'm working in an 80 hp and a 90 hp. One runs. One has a rusty cylinder and the engine will have to come apart if I decide to fix it. I've looked through the manual on boatinfo and that answers many but not all questions.

Apparently there is supposed to be a "water shutter" (part 38581) in the drive exhaust passage but they are missing on both of mine. Are these necessary? Can they be improvised or found?

It seems there is no way to lube the universal joints or gimbal bearing on these. It this correct? Anybody know a generic number for the universals (cross & Bearing)?

Apparently there is a large O ring used in attaching the drive to the transom, but it's not mentioned in the manual. What's with this?

Anything in particular to look out for on these?

Thanks.
 
Not sue if you need it or not but here is your parts guide for this drive, https://www.marineengine.com/parts/...ts/0-sterndrive-19651966/1830753-thru-2063740

To install the drive the correct way, you'd need item number 45, 46 and 50, https://www.marineengine.com/parts/...753-thru-2063740/gimbal-bell-housing-assembly

Looking at an image of the cross and bearing assembly, they don't appear to have had an grease zerk fitting, if so on yours, there's no real normal way to add grease to them. Number 68, https://www.marineengine.com/parts/.../drive-shaft-housing-water-pump-gear-assembly
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Water shutters are helpful for keeping lake water back flow from reaching the engine exhaust system flooding the engine cylinders. For those interested in location of the shutters in question, see item number 57, https://www.marineengine.com/parts/.../drive-shaft-housing-water-pump-gear-assembly

Your shutters are dated to where you're most likely not going to find any new ones even in old stock throughout the country....

While hesitant to say as I wouldn't want to cause any harm to your engine, some boaters have been known to get away without using them including Volvo Penta stopped installing/using them somewhere around 1999ish but Mercruiser still uses them in one fashion or another.

If you've been running without them and haven't experienced any known issues with them missing, then you probably could get away without them still...Probably best to say just try to keep any eye on your backwater flow movements such as when slowing down off plane, heavy water currents towards the aft end of the boat, etc.. < Just re-read your post, so the question becomes, Do you happen to know why the one engine has rusty cylinders? Missing shutters maybe?

Not sure of an exact improvise method, but I believe to have read over the years of reading boating forums like this one, it did seem that there have been a few open minded/creative type members that have been able to come up with some sort of improvised method though yours being in the location they are in would seem to be even more challenging. That mentioned, personally I've never seen/worked on an 0 drive from Merc as I wasn't even born just yet.;)

Hope this helps in some way, please keep us updated and good luck with it.
 
boat_tech said:
Not sue if you need it or not but here is your parts guide for this drive, https://www.marineengine.com/parts/...ts/0-sterndrive-19651966/1830753-thru-2063740

To install the drive the correct way, you'd need item number 45, 46 and 50, https://www.marineengine.com/parts/...753-thru-2063740/gimbal-bell-housing-assembly

Looking at an image of the cross and bearing assembly, they don't appear to have had an grease zerk fitting, if so on yours, there's no real normal way to add grease to them. Number 68, https://www.marineengine.com/parts/.../drive-shaft-housing-water-pump-gear-assembly
View attachment 14499
Water shutters are helpful for keeping lake water back flow from reaching the engine exhaust system flooding the engine cylinders. For those interested in location of the shutters in question, see item number 57, https://www.marineengine.com/parts/.../drive-shaft-housing-water-pump-gear-assembly

Your shutters are dated to where you're most likely not going to find any new ones even in old stock throughout the country....

While hesitant to say as I wouldn't want to cause any harm to your engine, some boaters have been known to get away without using them including Volvo Penta stopped installing/using them somewhere around 1999ish but Mercruiser still uses them in one fashion or another.

If you've been running without them and haven't experienced any known issues with them missing, then you probably could get away without them still...Probably best to say just try to keep any eye on your backwater flow movements such as when slowing down off plane, heavy water currents towards the aft end of the boat, etc.. < Just re-read your post, so the question becomes, Do you happen to know why the one engine has rusty cylinders? Missing shutters maybe?

Not sure of an exact improvise method, but I believe to have read over the years of reading boating forums like this one, it did seem that there have been a few open minded/creative type members that have been able to come up with some sort of improvised method though yours being in the location they are in would seem to be even more challenging. That mentioned, personally I've never seen/worked on an 0 drive from Merc as I wasn't even born just yet.;)

Hope this helps in some way, please keep us updated and good luck with it.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the helpful thoughts. On the rusty engine, it has one rusty cylinder and 3 perfect ones. I'm pretty sure it was from rain water getting in through the carb and an open inlet valve. I doubt it had anything to do with the missing shutter, but can't be sure of course. it *looks* like the shutter is a one-piece flexible rubber thingy on a center post, but hard to be sure without locating one. Am thinking the universal is very likely a standard size obtainable from automotive sources--need to measure it up and check some catalogs.

Alan
 
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I had 2 of the tilt cranks new and gave one to Dennis who was Mercruiser instructor in Atlanta and sold other to fellow in Michigan
 
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