zz28zz

First time replacing u-joint bellows and could use some advise. I have everything apart and preparing to re-install everything.
Have lots of questions:
What end of u-joint bellows should I glue first?

Is glue (adhesive) applied to bellows or on the housing or both.

How much working time do I have with the adhesive?

Should the water hose be connected first before the u-joint bellows installed?

Does the shift cable bellows need glue also, if so, both ends?

Should the shift cable bellows be attached before or after the u-joint bellows?

Thx in adv!

sparky24

I did the shift cable bellows first, i put adhesive on the shift bellows i think at both ends, you only have about a minute or two working with the adhesive if i remember correctly it dries pretty fast. You absolutely have to put the driveshaft bellows on the transom assembly first and tighten the hose clamp. I put the adhesive on both the rubber and the piece it was going on.

When you go to hook up the driveshaft bellows make sure you have the hose clamp on the bellows started but completely loose, my dumbass friend wrestled with the thing for over an hour then when i got there i realized after a few seconds and loosened the hose clamp on the bellows it popped right on. This was still a pain though because i had to take it off again, clean all the old adhesive off, reapply the adhesive and seat it again. When you are trying to get the bellows on just take the gimbal and kinda jam it into the bellows, the bellows should pop over the groove on the gimbal and seat itself at that point i think i installed the two bolts and then tightened the hose clamp. If it doesnt want to pop on you can get a friend to carefully push it on with a screwdriver but make sure hes not a moron or else hell prolly poke a hole in it

With the water tube i installed it on the transom assembly first, and then when the gimbal was reinstalled with the new bellows and the two 12 point bolts were tightened up i connected it to the gimbal and used a long 1/4 inch extension to tighten up the hose clamp. I think the hose is too short to even think about hooking it up at any other point before the gimbal is reinstalled, you can jam gimbal to one side to give better access.

Yea its kind of a pain in the ass the first time you do it gotta learn the tricks

zz28zz

Thx for the info! I was thinking of installing in the same order, just wanted to check with someone that had done it before.

In regards to the water hose; I cut mine to help remove the gimbal thinking I would replace it anyways. When I got it out, notice marking on hose indicating 150 psi working press. Seems pretty high. I was planning on using automotive heater hose. Now I'm starting to think maybe I need some special marine grade hose.

phragle

iTrader: (3)

use the real merc hose, not heater hose, not an ebay special bellows kit of the hose will kink and you will be chassing overheating problems. replace the lower shift cable at the same time. its a cheap way to not look like the dock douche when your boat keeps stalling. I have had the cheapo ebay bellows split in less than a season too. a split bellows in the water is not a fun experience.......

zz28zz

Got the $60+ Merc bellows.. A split bellows bring to mind the Alaskan boat retrieval video posted on the general forum recently. Just put it on the trailer without coming off plane!!

Been through the sticking shift cable ordeal. That can get ugly when maneuvering around some high end boats on a windy day. Replaced mine abt 50 hrs ago. It's still feels nice.

Are shift cables supposed to be lubed? If so, I should do it while it's all apart.

sparky24

i got the sierra bellows kit with all bellows and hose i believe was around 80 bucks the parts seemed high quality

dereknkathy

go out armed with a quarter inch ratchet, several assorted extensions and a 1/4 and a 5/16th socket. getting screwdrivers in there is a joke...

motor

iTrader: (3)

Talked to a Sierra rep a few months ago.. He CLAIMS they have changed the quality of the rubber of their bellows .Haven't tried the new improved version .It used to be a sierra would look like a slinky in a year or two .I always use oem rubber...