Could have sunk........

[oldgit]

Satans work is never finshed

"So a big clean tomorrow and hoping I haven't overlooked anything major."

Well done you for sorting that what a nightmare.
Your posts on this should be complusory reading for anybody thinking about buying any largish boat with outdrives,especially anything that has two of the things.No doubt the defenders of these nasty horrid things will state that they have never had problems,when new or in some toy soap dish,possibly but they WILL get you at some point no matter how pernickity you are about servicing.If not you,then the next guy down the food chain.
Walk around any boat yard and look at the number of boats with part dismantled legs or more likely a blimming great hole where the leg used to reside.
A knot or two less or a litre or two more consumption is a bargain compared to the evils of outdrives.
New boat came out for fettling last month,powerwash off,reseal both "P"brackets,antifoul and polish.2 lazy days and back in.
Compare that to the ten years of previous boat with legs,never less than a week sometimes two and always something needing cash thrown at at it to fix.Not to mention the emergency lift outs to fix ram leaks/steering fork dribbles etc and please do not mention prop repairs,on first name terms with Steel Developments.
So will the next boat have O******s ?

 

[davedpc]

I have done at least 15 of these repairs now and the only way is to take the engine out as you will certainly need new upper and lower bushes in the transom and you will never get them out if you try the alternative method of cutting holes in the top of the transom shield.
Unfortunately the steering pin and arm are the first two components to assemble in the whole transom shield assembly.
I have successfully rebuilt these many times as I do a mod to stop it happening again, I fit two proper seals with a stainless tension springs in stead of the nasty plastic affair with no spring that is original. Also I mount the seals the opposite way so that the lips are towards the sea to keep it out, I also bore a hole through to the steering pin and fit a grease nipple as the older drives had so you can lube it in future, (reason its failed).
If the steering pin is badly pitted you will need a new one and they aren't cheap, what I do is take it to a machine shop and get them to turn it down and sweat on a stainless bushing to the original diameter so now the sealing surface won't corrode. I also replace the rubber seal around the shield.
I have done this mod on my past and present Mercruiser powered boats and for our customers.
The deciding factor is if the area around the seal in the shield is eaten away as then there is nothing to retain the new seal and that means a new transom, if its OK then you can rebuild it.
I have done it once without removing the engine by just lifting it and swinging it to on side but it was a single installation.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but if its leaking this is the only way to fix it short of a new transom shield.

I would be intrested to know to what year the greese nipple is fitted and if so where is it located? Are they retro fitted while the transom shield is in bits? I have a tina dribble of water through the slot in the transom where the steering arm comes through [about 1 litre a week] but have no appreciable play in the steering arm.

 

[volvopaul]

I would be intrested to know to what year the greese nipple is fitted and if so where is it located? Are they retro fitted while the transom shield is in bits? I have a tina dribble of water through the slot in the transom where the steering arm comes through [about 1 litre a week] but have no appreciable play in the steering arm.

I have to fit a new transom shield assembly next week, bravo 3 5.7mpi, its a whole new package comes even with new rams, sort of covering same issue a all mercs have when getting on in years, interesting thing is no grease points for upper shaft and to make things even worse after fitting 2 new gimball bearings last week for "seahope" they no longer have the bearings that can be greased anymore and are still SKF bearings, where is this throw away society going I wonder?

 

[Col]

Well he made it. Saw him this morning at Saxon wharf,

 

[Elessar]

Yep, made it

So on Friday I finished putting everything together. Engines started fine, flooded the boat as I forgot the raw water hose behind the turbo.
No harm, do it up, engines warmed up.

Slide the throttles into forward. Click, click. Boat goes astern.......
And visa versa. Put the flipping legs on the wrong way round!

Could swap the cables but then the prop wash would be all wrong, so take her stern to into a marina berth and lean in to the water to swap the props. This sorted it, quick blast to Hamble and all was well.

Now there is a funny thing. Make forward backward and backward forward, but keep the left throttle left and right throttle right and my brain just can't compute. So I found a huge berth to take her into like being a newbie again

Didn't quite finish cleaning on Friday so back to the boat at 6, clean her, shower me an pop upriver to pick up the students.

Just finished the course now, three really nice students and fabulous weather to boot we all caught the sun.

The troubles of the rebuild forgotten already

 

[volvopaul]

So on Friday I finished putting everything together. Engines started fine, flooded the boat as I forgot the raw water hose behind the turbo.
No harm, do it up, engines warmed up.

Slide the throttles into forward. Click, click. Boat goes astern.......
And visa versa. Put the flipping legs on the wrong way round!

Could swap the cables but then the prop wash would be all wrong, so take her stern to into a marina berth and lean in to the water to swap the props. This sorted it, quick blast to Hamble and all was well.

Now there is a funny thing. Make forward backward and backward forward, but keep the left throttle left and right throttle right and my brain just can't compute. So I found a huge berth to take her into like being a newbie again

Didn't quite finish cleaning on Friday so back to the boat at 6, clean her, shower me an pop upriver to pick up the students.

Just finished the course now, three really nice students and fabulous weather to boot we all caught the sun.

The troubles of the rebuild forgotten already

Bravo 2 drives then?

 

[Elessar]

Bravo 2 drives then?

Yup. Nice for teaching as the big props have significant prop walk, you can drive her on throttles a bit like a shaft boat yet you can vector the drive when you want to.

Bad thing is I'm underpropped, and already on the largest pitch possible on B2s. If anyone has a gear set for B2s I'd be interested.

Paul, you will know this, do I have to change the gears in the top or bottom half to alter the ratio?

 

[volvopaul]

Why was the boat underpropped in the first place? maybe you should go to bravo 3 drives, i just happen to know where there are a pair 2 to 1 ratio complete.

 

[Elessar]

Why was the boat underpropped in the first place? maybe you should go to bravo 3 drives, i just happen to know where there are a pair 2 to 1 ratio complete.

Dunno. Sealine put 23" on out of the factory (they checked their records) and she had 23" on her when I bought her. She spent her early life in shamrock quay then soon went to the Thames, where I bought her. The ratios would never have been noticed on the Thames of course.

The ratios are currently 2.2:1 and I have the highest available pitch, altered by an inch and cupped (I think that makes them 27" but I forget)

So who knows the provenance. Would 2:1 with 28" on B3 s be high enough or would I still be over revving? Can you pm the price?

 

[Elessar]

Why was the boat underpropped in the first place? maybe you should go to bravo 3 drives, i just happen to know where there are a pair 2 to 1 ratio complete.

And I think B3s are more hydrodynamic than the industrial sized B2s to boot, is that true anyone know? Would miss the prop wash though........

 

[spannerman]

I would be intrested to know to what year the greese nipple is fitted and if so where is it located? Are they retro fitted while the transom shield is in bits? I have a tina dribble of water through the slot in the transom where the steering arm comes through [about 1 litre a week] but have no appreciable play in the steering arm.

It was fitted on very early Alpha 1 drives, the nipple was in the center of the top part of the transom shield facing due aft about an inch above where the pivot pin comes out and into the gimbal frame.
It needs to be done while its in bits as you need to drill through the pivot pin lower bush and then tap it to take a grease nipple.