Hydrolift

I am going to change my gimbal bearing (bravo) this weekend and just want to confirm my info.
- red dot facing out (towards the drive)
- align the grease hole
- ??

What kind of tools are you guys using? Tips, tricks and hints? Anything I have forgot?

Thanks

MOP

Big slide hammer, if that don't work the dealer has a great puller! More important is getting the new one in, you should use the driver tool. You can damage the transom shield if done wrong.

Phil

GOODT

pull dive take to dealer and get done he should charge less then 75.00

after you intall it it need to be aligned test me its worth the it worth it you will need a puller an installer and an alignment tool takes me about 10 min with the right tools will take you hours

Hydrolift

Know things are easyer if you get a pro to do it, but have had restoring/rebuilding vintage cars as a hobby for years, got tired of it and wont to try something new. Does not mind if it take time, but hate to do things incorrect. This seems to be a good forum for tips and tricks just have to sort out the bs.

oldandtired

I have changed several in the last year. The first one was a horrible task. The slide hammer method sucks big time! I pulled the old one using a length of 1/2" threaded rod, nuts, washers, and a block of wood. I'll do my best to explain it.

1) Pull the drive
2) Drill a hole through the block of wood in the middle which you are going to put the threaded rod through. The block needs to be wider than the mounting studs for the outdrive ( I use a 2x8x12").
3) This part needs an extra set of hands. Slide the threaded rod through the bore of the gimbal bearing and place a stack of washers behind the bearing followed by a nut. 1/2" heavy galvanized washers from home depot have worked well for me. You need to make sure that they are big ehough to not fit through the bore of the bearing, but you don't want them to rip out your seal either. Take your new bearing to the hardware store when you're looking for the washers. Make sure that you use a thick stack of washers or they may deform enough to go through the bore of the bearing.
4) Place the block of wood over the mounting studs with the rod through it. Follow up with a washer and a nut. When you tighten down on the nut, it will pull the bearing. If it slips through the bore, change your washers to slightly bigger ones or use a taller stack of washers.

At this point your bearing should be out. This is a cool trick that I learned installing the new bearing. Take your old bearing apart by removing the bearing from the carrier by finding the install slots, rotating the bearing and popping it out of the carrier. Push the new bearing into its place by hand so that it doesn't fall out. Make sure that everything is lined up. Then use the alignment tool as a driver by placing the old bearing onto the shaft of the alignment tool followed by the old carrier. This will make a driving tool that is the perfect size for the new bearing. Drive the new bearing home and it's in.

Obviously, check for water leaks while you have the drive off and check your bellows (these are the most likely reasons for bearing failure). Prior to installing the drive check your engine alignment. The last small hurdle is the alignment of the bore of the bearing. It is a spherical roller bearing, so it has some room for angular misalignment. I use the alignment tool as if i was checking alignment and hit it firmly on the end with a hammer. If you have some bearing misalignment, you will go crazy trying to align the engine, so you probably want to do this step first. The last thing is to install your outdrive, make sure everything is sealed up tight (I glue everything) and grease everything up. If the outdrive is giving you a hard time getting stuck while you are installing it, check the bore alignment of the bearing again, it may need some "influence."

Good luck, I know that these are my ****ty shade tree ways, but it has worked well for me without going crazy at the tools department.

Rene

Hydrolift

Thanks "oldandtired" I get the picture. I got all the tools to machine the tools I need. What does the Merc installer look like? Anybody got a pic or drawing? And by the way is it correct that the red dot should face out?

GOODT

here you go complet inst

the puller pictured sucks I have several others made by other companys

Hydrolift

Thanks GOODT, by the way did you get my e-mail regarding VP?

Thanks again.

GOODT

???????

Hydrolift

Fresh water kit for a 2005 Volvo Penta 5.0 GXi, sendt you a e-mail on the 25.
Did you not get it?