1999 bravo one vs 2004 bravo one
12-27-2011, 11:51 PM
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1999 bravo one vs 2004 bravo one
Ok, I am a little mixed up on the difference between a 1999 bravo one and a 2004 bravo one? I have one of each. I am running the 99 on the boat now and I have a 2004 in the shop as a spare. Are the the same or are they different? Is one stronger than the other?
12-28-2011, 02:50 PM
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The 99 drive sn# should start with OL or earlier.. the 04 should be OM or later.
The 99 has the thin floored helical gears in them (a weak point, the floor would push out of them). The 04 drive will have the thick floored X gears in them. Still helical, but the floor problem was fixed on this new gear.. The X gears were made available in early 2000's, when the XR drives came out. The 04 will have areas in the upper case that are cast a bit thicker than the older ones..
Hope that helps.
Dick
The 99 has the thin floored helical gears in them (a weak point, the floor would push out of them). The 04 drive will have the thick floored X gears in them. Still helical, but the floor problem was fixed on this new gear.. The X gears were made available in early 2000's, when the XR drives came out. The 04 will have areas in the upper case that are cast a bit thicker than the older ones..
Hope that helps.
Dick
12-28-2011, 04:02 PM
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Should I still run a billet top cap on both of the drives?
What all is involved with installing a billet top cap? I think I read somewhere that they were not just a plug and play deal and they needed to be shimmed or something? Are the billet top caps worth using?
What all is involved with installing a billet top cap? I think I read somewhere that they were not just a plug and play deal and they needed to be shimmed or something? Are the billet top caps worth using?
12-29-2011, 07:51 PM
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Just adding a top cap to a RH drive is not much of an improvement. When a steel tower is added to the upper case and if setup properly adding a top cap with a steel tower has the added strength of the steel towers to locate the gear stack, and when the cap is installed with studs, it can help stablize the upper case. Depending on what power you are running.. If you dont push the floor out of the gear, then the next weak point would be the tower in the case. If you have excessive power, the teeth just break off the helical gears.
I have seen 650hrs on an older B1 with power (800hp) and the tower finally gave way, destroying the gears.
So just adding a cap, is not much of a help.. it has to be a whole package to be of any help.
When you add a top cap, the depth of the floor where the shim rests needs to be compared to the old cap to keep the setup the same. If the previous setup is not correct, then a full setup should be done in order to maximize the new top cap and proper gear lash...
Dick
I have seen 650hrs on an older B1 with power (800hp) and the tower finally gave way, destroying the gears.
So just adding a cap, is not much of a help.. it has to be a whole package to be of any help.
When you add a top cap, the depth of the floor where the shim rests needs to be compared to the old cap to keep the setup the same. If the previous setup is not correct, then a full setup should be done in order to maximize the new top cap and proper gear lash...
Dick
