Gimble/Transom assembly?
 

Hey Guys!

The Gimble bearing/seal on my 24ft Outlaw is shot, there is a very small leak into the boat from around the seal and there is alot of side by side "play" in the outdrive.

I had the outdrive checked and its fine, gears are good, no wear or stuff in the oil or anything like that, the trim pump and rams work fine and other than the gimble bearing [which is apparantly a BIG job] everything else is fine.

My question is: Do I HAVE to buy a complete transom assembly?, or can I just change the gimble housing assembly? I want this fixed, but, dont want to end up doing the job twice, conversely, I dont want to spend a bunch of money that I dont need to, and could waste on something else!, LOL

Thanks for the input!
Michael

PS: The gimble housing assembly I have looked at is a factory Merc unit, thats brand new and includes the bearing and swivel piin seal.

changing the gimble bearing itself is no big deal at all, if its the housing you have to change, its a little bit more of an ordeal. A leak at the bearing means the bellows or outdrive o ring is leaking, also not a big deal. You need to try and determine if your side to side play is excessive or within spec. If you just need a bearing replaced along with some bellows, your gonna be getting by considerably cheaper

my guess its the ring or the housing, sometimes you can replace the nylon bushion at the pin but you need to determine if its the ring or the housing or both, ring is a big deal, housing, not so much

It sounds like you are getting water in through the swivel seal in the top of the housing. It isn't the gimbal bearing or the gimbal bearing seal.

The odds are pretty good that the degredation of the pin and the ring are what is also causing your "play". Ron Bender at www.JRmarine.com is a respected member on here who can fix your ring and you can replace the swivel pin and seal.

Check out his website and it will clarify what I am talking about. I fixed my swivel seals this spring because one was leaking. I recommend replacing EVERYTHING while you have it all off - Bushings, pins, Bearings, Gimbal Bearing, seals, Hoses, bellows, etc..... Pricey but fantastic peace of mind...

Hey Seaford!

Yeah, you are RIGHT on the money, it IS the swivel pin and seal, I hear its a huge deal to fix? will check out the website and see if it will work for me, might be easier just to replace the transom assembly and be done with it?

What do you think?, Thanks again for the input!
Michael

I dont know what this kit cost but I paid 3 grand for a new transom assembly and the engine has to come out to install it. My transom assembly had several problems but if this swivel pin was the only issue I had this is what I would do.

Good luck.

Agree with seafordguy. Peace of mind if your going to do it, do it and forget about it.

I just picked up brand new transom assemblies for $1950.00 each, included freight right to my dock. FWIW.

If the swivel pin is shot, why replace the gimbal ring too? Does the pin wear a larger hole in the gimbal ring? Help me understand, I may have to deal with this issue as we speak.

Guys, Depending upon the weight of the boat and your power level, you may want to go up one level to the Merc HP transom assembly. Do keep in mind that the Bell Housing vertical swivel points DO NOT accept the electric trim senders. For those who do not have mechanical trim senders, this is a method in which you can still have an electrical trim sender.

For details on using an electrical trim sender on an HP Bell housing, see this link. This is all Merc stuff so get ready to break open the cookie jar.

http://www.mercruiserparts.com/Show_...nce+Transom%29

I just found out that my vertical swivel pins are shot. I thought I read somewhere about a stainless aftermarket swivel pin. Does anyone know what or where I can find these? These pins are for an XZ drive with mechanical trim indicators. Thanks.

I was going to ask for an opinion on this . Hill marine has a stainless steel swivel shaft that reportedly has the groovr in it so you can still use the grease fitting. From what i understand the Merc. part does not use the groove for grease anymore . Can anyone with more info. on this chime in thanks.

I'm not sure about Hill Marines product. I already found these at J-R Marine http://www.jrmarine.com/products/2000.htm and told my mechanic about them. Any feedback on this part (longevity)?

Yes I have used them. Ron Bender is a great guy to work with.

Codered,
the groove in the pin will mean nothing to you unless you have a grease fitting on the top cap (rear) of your drive. Merc quit putting these on their drives in the early to mid 90's.

I have Hp Gimble assy's for sale, used, on ebay right now for $1650. shipped to lower 48. These are low hour, fresh water, tight units in very good condition.

i have a very nice used standard gimbal assembly for sale $1000.00

Sleek 1 Thanks my gimbal is a older 1, Can you drill and tap the newer ones to take a grease fitting. It seems to me a grease fitting in this location is a worth while addition. Wouldnt a grease fitting here help keep corrosion down thus lessening the problems in this area. Just a thought

Ron Bender's kit works great and looks good. Search in the Active Thunder section for a thread called "Inactive Thunder" . I have pics there that detail the steps to fixing the gimbal ring and swivel pin.

Ron Bender sends you a kit with some tools to disassemble the transom. You send the gimbal rings to Ron Bender. He welds them up and CNC's them and sends them back.

Great guy and is a big help if you need to call him.

Oh you will need a ton of parts so start ordering now. :eek:

I couldn't give you an educated answer on that. My mechanic seems to think the problem is with the seals that keep water from the swivel pin. I think greasing it would just prolong your problem. I would be afraid to drill the housing because you will most likely get shavings in your gear case. I had my engines pulled because my transom gasket was leaking ($9.00 gasket). So I went ahead and replaced the swivel pins, bellows, water hoses, etc. I'm just of the thought the swivel pins will need to be replaced every ten years or so unless you're lucky.

How do you set the tolerance for the swivel pin with the transom assembly still intact? I understand you cut out the top part of the assembly, but is there room to get gauges in there and work?

The tolerances that need to be checked are done with feeler gauges that can be performed with the transom assembly still on the boat.

Gotcha, thanks.

I looked at this kit but it only shows a blank stainless plate covering the finished job. Did you put any Merc decals or anything over the plate? I like the kit but not sure I like the looks of the plate.

Me - I personally just pulled the engines and fixed it that way.

BUT in this thread it looks as if someone has painted it black or something.....can't really tell....

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/d...ng-repair.html