Problem with my TRS drive
 

I have twin TRS 485 drives, and today as I was coming onto plane one of them felt like a prop blowout so I backed off, and I tried easing into it again, but the drive would not engage, and there was smoke coming from my bilge. I shut it down, and took it home. I was able to flush the engine, but the prop was spinning in forward even though the shifter was in neutral. When I tried to put it in reverse, the motor died. I also can't find neutral. While the engine is off, the drive is locked, and will not turn.

I thought maybe the drive locked up, and fried the coupler, but I am not sure.

Any thoughts or ideas? This is only the second time that I have had the boat out since I bought it. Very frustrating.

WOW, you bought that boat from ohio............... It sounds like the transmission.
1. check the gearlube for metal. you could also pull the top cap and inspect the upper gear set.
2. pull the drive since it will need to come off.
3. decide wether its a drive problem from the results from steps 1 & 2
4. If drive is ok, then get ready to pull the engine
5. disconnect transmission and send it too bam

When a transmission slips it can when the clutches together. That would explain why its spinning prop while flushing. Check your trans fluid . A TRS drive does not have a coupler. Check your drive fluid too. It sounds like trannie failed. Good Luck
Jim

Depending on what style prop you have, if it has the pressed in rubber, make sure to check that out. If its a solid hub....................... then its probably the transmission
Jr.

Thanks for the replies guys. My friend riding with me said that it smelled like a slipping clutch.

Still sounds like trannie, check fluid.
Jim

I agree but, still need to rule out the prop if it has a rubber hub (spun out) before ya pull the drive and yank the moter out...........

Perhaps you may already know this, but depending on the year of the boat, many of those TRS drive set-ups had the old and out dated "TRS Tranny"....which I was told is a tranny that was built by Ford for MerCruiser back in the 70's up to about 1981-82 or so. It is good to only about 550-600hp. I think it was about 1982-83 that Merc began using/installing the Borge Warner style tranny. If it IS the tranny giving you promblems and you have the old "TRS Tranny" you may have a difficult time finging parts for it.

I believe it was called the Merc Trans, not a TRS.

I have merctrans parts. pm me.

You are right. I left out the word "Merc"...we usually refered to them as the old "Merc trannies" or "Merc TRS trannies"

Boat is 1981.

I have the Merc Transmissions.I have about 525 HP in each 502 engine. I did notice some liquid splatter on the back wall of the bilge behind the engine, but I will not get a chance to get back there and get a good look until Friday. I will take some digital pics, and post them also. I have not decided yet whether to rebuild the Mercs, or upgrade to the Borg Warners. Do the bw trannys require any modifications from the Mercs when upgraded?

Also, I have been told by some that the engine has to be pulled, and others have told me that they can switch them without pulling the engines?

Thanks again

The up grade will be worth it in the long run. It will probably slow you down a bit though. Borg warners are longer and will require moving you engine mounts forward about a foot and will need to change input shaft on drives. There are other up grade directions to go as well. Motors will end up coming out. The guy that said he could change a merc trannie without pulling the motor is mistaken.
Jim

The BW tranny is a longer tranny...therefore, the engines will need to be moved forward if you go from the Merc tannies to the BW.

Anytime we had to rebuild an old Merc Tranny we always pulled the engines...it just made it a lot less aggravating. If I remember right, I may have had a friend who pulled the BW trannies out of a boat without pulling the engines. I guess no matter what tranny you have it will depend on the design of the boat and how it was rigged before determining if a tranny can be pulled without pulling the engines.

Kaama, is right pull it, whether his friend actually removed the motor or unhooked it and moved it forward and layed it in bilge it ends up being the same work. I think its easier to pull complete and don't disrespect the boat.
Jim

Thanks again guys. I will keep you informed. I will probably end up running it over to Craig Colabella as he does most of my maintainence on my boats.

There is a LOT to changing over from the Merc Trans to the BW. I will try and remember everything that I have been buying. You will need:

1) BW transmisions.
2) Tranny coolers
3) New hoses for the tranny collers and so on
4) Move the motors forward (make sure that you have the room in front of the engines and around the engine hatches)
5) New starters
6) Extend your exhaust
7) Different yokes for the drive
8) More then likely will have to rewire for the starter

I think that I am missing a few other things. Is it worth it? Only you can answer that. The only reason that I am replacing mine is that I am going with blower motors and Konrads. I put brass clutches in my Merc Trans and a few other mods and they should be good for a bit of power. The week part in those trannies is ussually the oil pump gear.

You have to be a really BIG MAN to get one of those trannies out of a boat without pulling the engine. You are going to spend a lot of time and money if you do the upgrade.

you can buy the BW trannies new. You can't get the plug in tail stocks anymore. Guys that have them hold on to them pretty tight. Last one I bought was $450. That was after the $1200 I spent to upgrade my existing tranny.

You can plane on around 5-7k for the parts to do what you are thinking about doing if you don't have friends with these parts laying around, or you can spend all winter on ebay like the rest of us and stockpile the parts as they become available.

You can fix a lot of merc trannies for that money. I see the merctrans on ebay all of the time. You could just buy a couple spares for not much money.

Yeah I agree! If my memory serves me right my friend had a chain fall/hoist hooked up to the tranny to lift it out. That BW is one heavy piece, but this was such a long time ago (early 80's) I cannot remember. Actually, it may have been the center engine's tranny on a tripple engine application...the boat was a 1983 37'7" Scarab. Other than that we always just pulled the engines with trannies, etc---just made things much easier in the long run.

Expensive is right....it took a lot of $$$ and labor involved just removing my TRS drives and trannies and go to a Bravo drive set-up---of course the availability of parts was not an issue either.

OK guys. I took the boat to Craig Colabella today, and the tranny is fried, but full of burnt fluid. The TRS drive oil is like new. The other tranny fluid is the color of Pepto- Bismol, and Craig said that I may have a pin hole in the tranny cooler letting water get in under pressure. Going to send the tranny to BAM for rebuild.

I want to beef up the tranny also. BAM says that they can replace the original disks with bronze clutch disks to handle more horsepower. My problem is that these are the original Merc trannies rated to 500 HP, and now I have 550 HP per engine. Not crazy about spending 5-7 thousand just to upgrade to the Velvets.

Their OK. Just let BAM upgrade and try and find a spare for future use.

It will take a while to break those trannies after the upgrades, and they are not that expensive to have fixed considering the expensive alternative of upgrading the drives to anything.

I agree with jeff1000man. Fix them and enjoy the boat. All of the alternatives are costly and still are not unbreakable. Craig will do you right.
Jim

Wheneer I find those things on ebay I usually type TRS into the search line of the first screen. Don't search from ebay motors because sometimes you miss stuff. You will have to sort through all of the old Tandy computer and chinease motorcycle chit, but you will find deals on the parts.

If you need an extra gimble or transom plates I have them and I need to get them out of my shop. PM me an offer on them and I will send you one to keep for a spare.

Tom,
Sounds like you are on the road to recovery? How long does Craiag think it will take to get you back in the water? Are you going to pressure test the transmision oil coolers or just replace them? Keep us informed.

Dail

Hi Dail

Yes, Craig is going to pressure test the transmission cooler that has the water in it, and replace it if he finds a leak. Craig said that it will take a week or so to rebuild the transmission so I would guess total time is two weeks, maybe three.

I just might make it back out in the Atlantic before November.

Tom

Great news Tom. Keep us posted on what is going on. Where is Craig's shop. Let me know the next time you plan to go over if you want company.

Dail

OK Dail,

I will let you know before I go pick it up. Craig is well known for his work on OSS race teams as well as many members here on OSO. He did a great job on the Scarab, and I would not take the Sutphen to anyone else. Here is a thread about satisfied OSO members, and Craig's work.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...ight=colabella

TRS Drives
 

I am buying a 29 mirrage with the trs drives and merc tranies. One trans is fried and the other is good. I guess the best thing is to send them to BAM? Any idea how much for a rebuild? Just a rough idea?

Rebuilds for a Merc tranny is around $800-1200. They sell rebuilt BW Velvet units here, so I guess the Merc trannies would be close in price.

http://www.go-fast.com/transmission_specials.htm

Merc Trans
 

Great Thanks

Bam, quoted me 1995 to rebuild mine over the phone.

excalibur32, Which tranny do you have?

I also agree w/ Jeff and Jim for steering you into the rebuild route that conversion is a lot of work! I ran the same boat with the merc trannys for 10 yrs.+ they held up reasonably well. If you dont hammer the throttles getting out of the hole or upon re entry after flying it youll get a good service life. To much throttle to soon after re entry will kill the gears in the gerotor pump. The BW trans in that boat kills the already limited access to the the engines. good luck SC:cool-smiley-011:

The mercTrans, actually I have three complete, they are taken apart and look like new, plantary's are perfect, clutches not burned, just beautiful. I want 72c's so the conversion, since everything is apart anyway is no problem. I need to trade or sell the mercTrans.