Yeah I plan to just replace it. Did u need special wrenches to get the nut off?? The reason I ask is bc when u look up instructions is says something about a wrench kit

He has wrenches that have been modified to work with the kit, I did'nt use his wrenches and it was still pretty easy

ok thanks i plan to use his kit now can anyone tell me what else is needed to do the job besides gimbal ring. Seals, gaskets, bushings ect ect

No idea if the Alpha is the same, but I replaced:

swivel pin (JR Marine), swiver pin bushings & seal, U bolt (again, JR Marine). Call JR - they'll know what you are likely to need and set you up. I made my own special wrenches by grinding oan old one I had around for easier access, but it could be done without that as stated.

I also replaced the u joint & shift cable bellows, raw water tube, tilt pin bushings, etc.

the jr kit works on the alpha gen 2 just fine , did two about 3 weeks ago.

If you can do the basics you could have the motor ready to pull and save yourself some bucks. It's a simple process. The hard part is having the equipment to yank the motor.

I personally would pull the motors as there is always plenty of little things you want to do when the motors are out.

you may go to the trouble and pull the motor and still have to remove the transom plate assy because the boat builder did not make the cut out right.

totally agree with post 15 and post 17. plus are you totally set up for pulling the motor. seen more than a few times the cutout not having enough room on the inside to work with. hence one of the reasons why merc came out with the plug kit many years`ago.

now is there some sort of alignment i have to do when putting the lower unit back together and how do i go about this???

also is there a tool needed to take gimbal bearing out??