mercruiser alpha one question

[lostkause]

when i let my wife drive my boat last year she was cruising along then heard some rattling (almost sounded like u joints)

then it just quit moving u joints were good i checked those engine runs fin but have no clue what might have went.

any sugestions

oh the boat is a 89 celebrity181 with a 4 cyl i mercruiser i cant remember if it was a 4.3 or 3.7

i am currently pricing new sterndrives for it but really dont want to spend an arm and a leg.

[on the lam]

May be the coupler. It may have stripped out. Bad news is you have to (i believe in all cases) pull the engine to replace it. Inexpensive part, labor intensive.

Im no mechanic, so someone may have other ideas.

http://www.sterndrive.info/sterndrivepa ... upler.html

[lostkause]

when it was running in gear the shaft leading out of the engine was spinning with no wobble

im thinking the gears went in the sterndrive.

any one have one for sale???

[Tim Bromund]

if it turns out you do in fact need a new drive, you might want to consider one from SEI. I've heard nothing but great thigngs about these drives and they are half the cost of a Mercruiser

http://www.sterndrive.cc/about.htm

Tim

[chinook35]

I'll second that. I am on my third year with an SEI replacement for my Alpha 1 GenII . It has performed as good or better than the original. With SEI you get new ,not rebuilt and a three year no questions asked warranty. You will have to determine if you need upper or lower or both. Here's the address : http://www.sterndrive.cc/index.htm

[lakebound88]

sounds like gear stripped out. happened to me, easy to replace yourself if you have mechanical background..part is not a bad price...

[L&M]

sounds like gear stripped out. happened to me, easy to replace yourself if you have mechanical background..part is not a bad price...

Hum very interesting

[seasquirrel]

Last gears I stripped out was on a 1978 mercruiser 888 outdrive. Back then the gears were $200.00 bucks a piece. I have been wrenching on stuff all my life. I wouldnt consider messing with the gears. Too complicated with backlashes, etc. Specialty tools I dont have, etc. Do yourself a favor and take it to a professional. To replace the outdrive with a replacement isnt too difficult but may be more expensive. I would have it diaognosed before I bought a new one. good luck and keep us posted.

[lakebound88]

hank i mean coupler......changed it in my rinker, brought the service truck home with the boom lift on her and had the new on in and on in about 45 minutes, then had to put the outdrive on of course....its not too bad of a job with all of the tools. a local marina told me i would never be able to do it myself, little did they know im an equipment technician lol they wanted 8 hours of shop fees

[Tim Bromund]

BTW, Hank (L&M) comes very highly recommended from everybody I've ever seen if you're looking for a marine mechanic. Probably makes a lot of sense to get a proper diagnosis and identify the problem before you start spending money fixing/replacing things that might not be broken

Tim

[dcso]

i took my new/old boat out fro a shake down last fall and i only got 10mph at 3000rpms, looking at the prop(volvo 275 drive) it had several big dings I sent it out this spring for repairs and it was definitely spun, yours sounds like a coupler. Either way it aint cheap but is alaways worth it!

ted

[lostkause]

thanks for the advice i will bring it down to gimbals here in carthage when i get a chance hopefully in a couple weeks cant wait to get back in the water.

[lostkause]

is there a way to check the coupler yourself

[lakebound88]

well, if you put it in gear and the engines running and the prop isnt moving is my guess...mine was screaching loudly and just a high pitch grind...take'er to hank!

[S Mick]

is there a way to check the coupler yourself

Only real way is to pull the lower unit and taking a flashlight, peer through gimbal and check the coupler splines. If splines look razor sharp, and/or broken it's shot. Also, check the input shaft splines for an type of burrs/sharp edges, as these are good indicators the coupler has seen it's days.

If coupler is shot, and in need of replacement, motor must be pulled. Once new coupler is installed, be sure engine/ drive alignment is dead on. Merc makes a special alignment tool that is specifically designed to ride on the gimbal bearing and depending on the "slip fit" indicates if the adjustable engine mounts on your Star or Port side need raised or dropped to provide correct allignment. Not doing so is one sure way to tear up your gimbal bearing and your new coupler. Best bet is to follow fellow board members advice and have an authorized dealer or marine mechanic deal with it.

[lostkause]

going to bring it to hank.

[Fishtails]

There ya go, Hank will take care of you

My coin is on the coupler. I second SDI if you need a drive though. My starboard motor has a SDI drive that's not 2 years old yet and I am happy enough with it that I just bought one for the port motor. It should be here Friday.....great product for a very reasonable price

[sandman2]

IF THE BOAT IS OUT OF THE WATER, WITH THE ENGINE OFF, PUT IT IN GEAR. TURN THE PROP BY HAND. IT SHOULD ENGAGE IN ONE DIRECTION. IF IT DOES, YOU MORE THAN LIKELY SPUN THE COUPLER. YES YOU DO HAVE TO PULL THE ENGINE, BUT IT IS ONLY A COUPLE HOUR JOB. TO EXPEDITE THE JOB, TAKE THE OUT DRIVE OFF. THE REST IS FAIRLY EASY FOR ANY MECHANIC. THE COUPLER IS ATTACHED TO THE FLYWHEEL WITH THREE BOLTS. FROM START TO FINISH THE JOB SHOULD TAKE LESS THAN FOUR HOURS. DON'T FORGET TO GREASE THE NEW COUPLER.

[chinook35]

Hey lostkause,

any update on the Alpha 1 ? Did you get it diagnosed /

[lostkause]

no i havent had the time and todays a 24 hr shift soon I hope