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Alpha bellows

94essex

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I am looking to get my boat serviced for the year and need to have the bellows done as it started takin on a little water. I'm hoping it's just the bellows and not a rotted transom. Anyone know round about prices and if any shops don't have to long of lead times. Last year I made an appt. In March and got it by end of March at premiere in needles but this year they're backed out till June which is great for them. It's a small block with alpha 1 Gen 2 outdrive.. I was going to change out impeller, oil and drive myself, but bellows is a bigger job then I'm prepared for at this time.
 

Runs2rch

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You are already in that deep. Bellows isn't that much more work. Depending on how much water coming in for how long check/change the gimbal bearing also.
 

94essex

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You are already in that deep. Bellows isn't that much more work. Depending on how much water coming in for how long check/change the gimbal bearing also.
Any specialty tools needed off the top of your head. From what I've researched it seems the alphas are easier to work on than the bravos
 

mesquito_creek

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Mercury hinge pin tool is all.
Any specialty tools needed off the top of your head. From what I've researched it seems the alphas are easier to work on than the bravos

There is a round disk, almost like a giant seal press, that is needed to press the ring onto the bellows that holds the main bellow on the bell housing.

If you are doing the shift cable bellow its more of a difficult process and requires the special hinge pin tool. The shift cable is more prone to fail.

If you have a leaking main bellow and you know water has got in there, replacing the gimble bearing is required 9/10 times because you washed it down in lake water.
 
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H8Plow

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Any specialty tools needed off the top of your head. From what I've researched it seems the alphas are easier to work on than the bravos
You will need the following:
Hinge pin tool
Gimbal bearing removal/installation tool
Bellows seal ring installation tool (this seal installer fits onto the gimbal installation tool)

You can get these tools from amazon fairly cheap, and they don’t need to be name brand. I believe all of the tools i listed would cost under $200. Easy job, if you are going to do the shift cable bellows you will need a shift cable adjustment tool also. I would highly recommend replacing the trim senders at this time. Hardest part of the job is taking the bell-housing off.
 

94essex

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You Tube search it Great videos available
This is what I figured I'd be doin. I'm pretty mechanically inclined but hadn't tinkered with boat stuff outside of fluid changes
 

94essex

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There is a round disk, almost like a giant seal press, that is needed to press the ring onto the bellows that holds the main bellow on the bell housing.

If you are doing the shift cable bellow its more of a difficult process and requires the special hinge pin tool. The shift cable is more prone to fail.

If you have a leaking main bellow and you know water has got in there, replacing the gimble bearing is required 9/10 times because you washed it down in lake water.
Makes sense. Ya I figure if I go this route I'll replace it all since I'm in there
 

94essex

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You will need the following:
Hinge pin tool
Gimbal bearing removal/installation tool
Bellows seal ring installation tool (this seal installer fits onto the gimbal installation tool)

You can get these tools from amazon fairly cheap, and they don’t need to be name brand. I believe all of the tools i listed would cost under $200. Easy job, if you are going to do the shift cable bellows you will need a shift cable adjustment tool also. I would highly recommend replacing the trim senders at this time. Hardest part of the job is taking the bell-housing off.
Ok thanks for the information. I appreciate it. I'll replace the trim senders as well.
 

Badchoices03

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How weird, I literally checked in here to see if there was any info, and it was the top post.

My boat started taking on just a bit of water, it had always ran completely dry so I knew there was something going on. A quick inspection of the bellows and I saw the culprit, the shift cable bellows is split in half.

I am in the same position as the OP, I have always done my own general maintenance on my boats and vehicles, but have never tackled something like this before, so I am trying to figure out if its best to take it to the shop or give it a go myself.

I guess the first step is to see how much a shop will charge me to do it.
 
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mesquito_creek

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If they haven't been replaced in a long time, most likely you should kinda just do everything while you are in there. Once the shift cable bellow is bad, you must take the bell housing down and go pretty much all the way with full maintenance. I have a pair of Alphas on my cruiser and since it sits in the water a lot I end up doing the bellows a lot more than the common weekender. At the same time, knowing how bad mine look after 2/3 years I am amazed that some people go many years without them.

You should plan on a new water hose, main bellow, shift cable bellow, probably a new oil reservoir hose on the lake side and now it the time to do a gimble bearing if its marginal.

There is about a 50/50 chance you will break off the plastic through the transom oil reservoir fitting, so be very careful removing the bell housing and don't pull hard on the oil line. It not the end of the world if you break it as long as you can get to the other side in the bilge area to remove the hose and c clip that holds it to replace it.

If you shift cable is marginal, time to do it at the same time since you will be fully dis assembling it to get it through the shift cable bellow.

Check you trim sending/trim limit wires on the lake side also.. its time to replace those if you see bare wire, since you have the bell housing off.

Careful with the hinge pins, they torque at 100+lbs and are prone to strip out. They can be repaired if you strip them, but its not what you want to do.

All of this is doable for a patient and competent shade tree type mechanic, its a knuckle buster and tight at times, but there are no super secret methods.

You are going to be removing the whole drive unit, I have never had success putting it back in as a whole drive because I don't have a drive dolly/stand. Just put it back together in 2 pieces, upper first and lower second. Do yourself a favor and buy 2 gaskets, so when you tear the first one learning you already have 2nd new gasket.

Obviously do the water pump when the upper and lower are separated and a full gear oil change... My guess is a shop will want 1500 or more to do it all... but that is just a guess. USE OEM Mercury parts for everything, I hate the sevlor stuff and I swear it all fails sooner. I bet you are looking at 300 ish in parts, but just a guess.
 

H8Plow

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Something to keep in mind when you are finished with the boating season is to not keep the drive up in the trailer position. Once you get it home or to storage bring the drive down, this keeps from “stretching” the bellows as it sits during the off season.
 

Badchoices03

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You will need the following:
Hinge pin tool
Gimbal bearing removal/installation tool
Bellows seal ring installation tool (this seal installer fits onto the gimbal installation tool)

You can get these tools from amazon fairly cheap, and they don’t need to be name brand. I believe all of the tools i listed would cost under $200. Easy job, if you are going to do the shift cable bellows you will need a shift cable adjustment tool also. I would highly recommend replacing the trim senders at this time. Hardest part of the job is taking the bell-housing off.

Would this be everything besides the hinge pin tool?

 

mesquito_creek

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No... it doesn't include the gimble bearing puller tool. But I would not buy the gimble bearing tool unless I knew that I needed to replace the gimble bearing. You can remove the gimble bearing with a generic bearing puller/slide hammer rigged up somehow, but in my experience, the puller tool is 100 time easier.


I would start with just the hinge pin tool and the bellow ring retainer tool like this:


Also, just throw away the exhaust bellows and convert it to an alpha exhaust boot, .. just my opinion:

 

H8Plow

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The gimbal bearing installer alignment shaft ( long looking metal rod) will need to be cross drilled for your drive. Easy way to know where to drill, just put an o ring around it and slid the alignment shaft all the way in. When the oring makes contact with the old bearing it will move it to where you need to drill. I also have the pdf that shows the measurements
 

mesquito_creek

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The gimbal bearing installer alignment shaft ( long looking metal rod) will need to be cross drilled for your drive. Easy way to know where to drill, just put an o ring around it and slid the alignment shaft all the way in. When the oring makes contact with the old bearing it will move it to where you need to drill. I also have the pdf that shows the measurements

FYI, I never cross drilled my tool... with careful measurements and a tube that fit over the alignment shaft, two people and a BFH can set the bearing. Cross drilling that shaft is a chore in itself that requires a drill press and solid skills.
 

H8Plow

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FYI, I never cross drilled my tool... with careful measurements and a tube that fit over the alignment shaft, two people and a BFH can set the bearing. Cross drilling that shaft is a chore in itself that requires a drill press and solid skills.

Drilling it can be a pain, $25 at your local machine shop gets it done.
 

94essex

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I ordered everything said minus the extra gasket. Tools and oem parts and it was right around 600. Parts and everything will starting showing up anytime. Wish me luck it'll be a full weekend project I'm sure
 

mesquito_creek

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I ordered everything said minus the extra gasket.

Gutsy move!... I am sure you will get it right the first time. Take lots of pictures and go slow, I am sure a couple of us can get you through it if you run into any issues.
 

Badchoices03

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I ordered everything said minus the extra gasket. Tools and oem parts and it was right around 600. Parts and everything will starting showing up anytime. Wish me luck it'll be a full weekend project I'm sure

[emoji106] good luck, take pics and notes, please share.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

94essex

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Will do. I appreciate the help. I have a buddy that will help. A lot of pictures for sure. I am excited at the challenge
 

Badchoices03

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@94essex quick question about your Alpha drive...while on the trailer with the drive in the up position, how much play does your drive have if you try to move it left and right by hand? My old boat had a Bravo drive with hydraulic steering and there was no play, but this boat seems to have about an inch of back and forth movement, just curious if that is somewhat normal.
 

mesquito_creek

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@94essex quick question about your Alpha drive...while on the trailer with the drive in the up position, how much play does your drive have if you try to move it left and right by hand? My old boat had a Bravo drive with hydraulic steering and there was no play, but this boat seems to have about an inch of back and forth movement, just curious if that is somewhat normal.

I will tell you that mine in the down position is about 1/8 an inch. See video
 

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mesquito_creek

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wow mine is much more that that...so I am guessing there is something going on with mine. Thanks for the video!

Check up top first where the steering arm connects to the ram/cable. If there is no play there, most likely the top steering pin/seal and or the lower pin. Try to fully inspect all the visible stuff on the engine side first.

Full disassembly of drive/bell housing and steering loop. I just went through it on my port engine. I had a leaking seal, which means the pin is next.
 

Badchoices03

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I ordered everything said minus the extra gasket. Tools and oem parts and it was right around 600. Parts and everything will starting showing up anytime. Wish me luck it'll be a full weekend project I'm sure

Any update on this, have you started the project yet?
 

94essex

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@94essex quick question about your Alpha drive...while on the trailer with the drive in the up position, how much play does your drive have if you try to move it left and right by hand? My old boat had a Bravo drive with hydraulic steering and there was no play, but this boat seems to have about an inch of back and forth movement, just curious if that is somewhat normal.
Sorry for the no reply. I started taking apart before trying. But if I remember it was less then an inch or so I think just not having steering rams to stabilize there was a tiny bit of play
 

94essex

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Any update on this, have you started the project yet?
Oh yes, I have it all disassembled currently. The bellow above the exhaust had a decent hole. So the gimbal had some rust but wasn't as bad as I thought but it will be replaced. I'm currently waiting on a new shift cable as when I went to loosen the nut on the transom side and it spun the whole wire and casing. The limit switch and sender wires were showing metal and definitely needed replacing. All and all its been pretty straight forward, just hadn't had much time to get it back together with a ton of other projects I got goin
 

94essex

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Finally got all old bellows off and cleaned up all the parts where it was rusted. I'm having trouble getting the gimbal bearing out. I have the tool and when I keep turning the threaded remover it is just spinning the inside of the gimbal and not really pulling it out.
 

mesquito_creek

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Finally got all old bellows off and cleaned up all the parts where it was rusted. I'm having trouble getting the gimbal bearing out. I have the tool and when I keep turning the threaded remover it is just spinning the inside of the gimbal and not really pulling it out.

Post some pictures of how you have the tool set up... you have to have the bell housing on so i am not sure how you have all the bellows off and are now doing the gimbal.
 

mesquito_creek

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Here is the service manual but your tool is different. It still may be helpful. There are other important details. IGNORE the part about removing the grease seal, I would NOT remove it.
 

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guest hs

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There is a special tool for the shift cable removal and installation as well
 

OCMerrill

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I should have read this thread sooner. I have all these tools you could have used. I struggled with the Amazon bearing removal tool. Ended up using a slide hammer bearing puller from Harbor Freight.

Make sure you use the bellows sealant.

Aligning is a bit more challenging than you think. Really pull up and push down on the alignment tool and make sure it goes in as easy as possible.

Now is a good time to do the impeller as the drive is a ton easier to put back on if the lower unit is off and your by yourself with no stand.
 

94essex

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So I woke up at 430a thinking bout it after working on it last night. I took the tool off and re-adjusred it and kept going and it popped right off. I could feel it about a quarter way out I just don't think I gave it long enough to come out. I initially took the bell housing off and got all the old bellows disconnected including the trim limit and senders and figured while I was waiting for my new shift cable to come in I'd work on the gimbal. So I reattached the bell housing to get the old gimbal out and installed the new one this morning. I put the new one in the freezer for bout 15 min and it helped it go in pretty smooth. I appreciate all the help. I'll take the bell housing off tonight and reattach the new bellows with adhesive and run the new trim limit and senders I feel like hardest parts are done till the shift cable comes In. Is there another tool for that? I had to get a smaller sized spark plug style socket to loosen it up, I forget the size. Is there something else I'll need?
 

94essex

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I should have read this thread sooner. I have all these tools you could have used. I struggled with the Amazon bearing removal tool. Ended up using a slide hammer bearing puller from Harbor Freight.

Make sure you use the bellows sealant.

Aligning is a bit more challenging than you think. Really pull up and push down on the alignment tool and make sure it goes in as easy as possible.




Now is a good time to do the impeller as the drive is a ton easier to put back on if the lower unit is off and your by yourself with no stand.

I put the alignment tool in after the new gimbal went in and it rotated smoothly so hoping it should be good. I did get a new impeller and plan on changing that out also. I'm actually having trouble removing that drain screw, it's on there pretty good so when I get it I'll probably need a new one to put back in it.
 

H8Plow

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The socket for the shift cable jam nut is a deep well 7/16, the inside nut that is a part of the cable I believe is a 5/8.
 

mesquito_creek

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So I woke up at 430a thinking bout it after working on it last night. I took the tool off and re-adjusred it and kept going and it popped right off. I could feel it about a quarter way out I just don't think I gave it long enough to come out. I initially took the bell housing off and got all the old bellows disconnected including the trim limit and senders and figured while I was waiting for my new shift cable to come in I'd work on the gimbal. So I reattached the bell housing to get the old gimbal out and installed the new one this morning. I put the new one in the freezer for bout 15 min and it helped it go in pretty smooth. I appreciate all the help. I'll take the bell housing off tonight and reattach the new bellows with adhesive and run the new trim limit and senders I feel like hardest parts are done till the shift cable comes In. Is there another tool for that? I had to get a smaller sized spark plug style socket to loosen it up, I forget the size. Is there something else I'll need?

Nice work and thanks for the tip about freezing the bearing, I will use that next time for sure. I have the special tool for the shift cable but there isn't really much very special about it, I am sure you can improvise. My next tip is use quality marine grade anti seize on everything. Second tip is use the grease zerk from the outside and validate you got that hole aligned correctly before you get to far along on the reinstallation. stick you finger in the back and make sure grease is coming out both front and rear of the inner collar/race.
 

94essex

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So I have gotten all the bellows to the gimbal housing attached and the shift cable back and re routed. I just ordered a tool to spread the exhaust bellows to attach it back to the bell housing as I read it was a pain in the ass without it. Process hasn't been to bad just limited time to work on it all. My u joints look pretty rough so I'm going to replace them while it's apart. Are there any comparable automotive ones? I went oem on everything just oem u joints seem pricey for a u joint.
 

mesquito_creek

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So I have gotten all the bellows to the gimbal housing attached and the shift cable back and re routed. I just ordered a tool to spread the exhaust bellows to attach it back to the bell housing as I read it was a pain in the ass without it. Process hasn't been to bad just limited time to work on it all. My u joints look pretty rough so I'm going to replace them while it's apart. Are there any comparable automotive ones? I went oem on everything just oem u joints seem pricey for a u joint.

I can't stress this enough... exhaust boot. Exhaust bellows took several years off of my life in frustration. Plus the boots sound better.
 

mesquito_creek

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I have not done the ujoints on any of my alphas, but I did replace ujoints on a volvo penta. I just took the old set to a local bearing house and they matched them up and I bought the best ones they had. I can't imagine the stock ujoints are better than the ujoints out there in the offroad world where they are under way more stress.
 

94essex

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I have not done the ujoints on any of my alphas, but I did replace ujoints on a volvo penta. I just took the old set to a local bearing house and they matched them up and I bought the best ones they had. I can't imagine the stock ujoints are better than the ujoints out there in the offroad world where they are under way more stress.
That's what I was assuming as well.
 

mesquito_creek

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Lol thanks I'll be sure to term it correctly now

its not just terminology. there is an aftermarket replacement for the exhaust bellows. It is a simplified rubber boot that only attaches at the transom. I always had problems and was not alone in trying to keep the oem bellows attached. Its not that big of a deal, if you can get the bellows attached and stay on correctly, you may never have to deal with it. It also doesn't matter if the oem bellows comes undone on the drive side, you can ignore it.

exhaustboot.jpg
 

94essex

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its not just terminology. there is an aftermarket replacement for the exhaust bellows. It is a simplified rubber boot that only attaches at the transom. I always had problems and was not alone in trying to keep the oem bellows attached. Its not that big of a deal, if you can get the bellows attached and stay on correctly, you may never have to deal with it. It also doesn't matter if the oem bellows comes undone on the drive side, you can ignore it.

View attachment 992570
Oh shit I misunderstood you. Ok that seems way more handy. It was a pain in the ass just getting in to tighten to the gimbal housing. I might order that and throw it on thanks for the heads up on that.
 

Badchoices03

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its not just terminology. there is an aftermarket replacement for the exhaust bellows. It is a simplified rubber boot that only attaches at the transom. I always had problems and was not alone in trying to keep the oem bellows attached. Its not that big of a deal, if you can get the bellows attached and stay on correctly, you may never have to deal with it. It also doesn't matter if the oem bellows comes undone on the drive side, you can ignore it.

Can you explain how you can just ignore it if the bellows come undone on the drive side? My exhaust bellows has a crack in it, that is one of the reasons I am going to attempt this fix.
 
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