XR Drive Universal Joint Lubrication
 

Are XR drive universal joints permanently greased and have no grease fittings or do the drives have to be pulled and the joints greased. Last year a mechanic was suppose to pull the drives and grease the universals which was shown on the bill. This year I carried the boat to another Mercury Dealer to have the drives pulled and the universals greased. I was told by this dealer that the universals were permanently greased. What is the real deal on pulling drives and greasing universal joints????

The u-joints have to be greased. I have never seen ones that are permanently greased.

Yes, most of the new Bravo XR's and ITS units have joints that cannot be greased. The reason the drive is pulled when doing a generial service such as a 100 hour service, is to check gimbal bearing, alingement and exterior condition of joints and there is no water in bellows.

AND DON'T FORGET TO GREASE THE SPLINED SHAFT WITH THE PROPER GREASE, If you don't bad things happen...

When I first ordered my XR drives back in 2001, they came with the larger input shaft and the u-joints came with greesable zerts fittings, but since that time I had to replace the input shafts in 2005 and the new updated replacement input shafts from Merc were smaller in diameter and the u-joints were without any zerts fittings.

That is correct. Old style you could grease. The newest version (metric) is a non greaseable unit. They will last forever!!! Well, let's hope so.

YES, there is a special spline grease for all outdrives, there are several suppliers for the grease, But it is designed for the high pressures and abuse that those splines see.