that's the quiet drive no issues lol

Thanks for mentioning the crack in the race..That got by me .Any comments about the oil level. The one with the cracked race had oil filled to the top no issue on that drive at all . The noisy drive had oil only to the bleed port.So how does the oil lubricate the gears etc above the oil bleed port? or was that area of my drive air bound and should have filled all the way like the other drive.

So i also decided not to remove the shift fork mechanism..I really doubt that fork is making that much noise engulfed in oil.

This all started with a u-joint i wanted changed because i am a nut with keeping up with maintenance

Anyone have a bravo 1 cheap LOL....

I was looking for an answer on the noisy drive and now you found a problem with the quiet drive..lol Now i have 2 drive problems....lol Thanks for finding that

You could pour gear lube in the drive onto the upper gears with the top cap off so it matches the other drive, and see if the noise persists.

I’ve also wondered how long it takes for the lube to fill the upper so both the top and lower gears are submerged in lube. Seems when pumping new lube in once it reaches the valve to the reservoir it doesn’t fill the upper anymore, just fills the reservoir. Then maybe after 10+/- hrs settles back to completely fill the upper?

I did exact that I filled it up like the other drive and it seemed a bit quieter...

I had a bravo X that was full to the very top as well. To the point that just loosening the top cap bolts to remove the drive shower would allow gear lube to seap out from the top cap. Don’t recall the level ever dropping in the reservoir either.

Does it have anything to do with the gear lube bottle height in relation to the drive?

The bottle never changed oil level

My mechanic said if the race is no longer pressed on the cap tower then that cap is NG. That means the race was spinning on the cap tower. Time for a new cap. Kind of glad i pulled the cap off at this point but the other drive still has an issue. Thinking of whats inside of the drive shaft assembly, top bottom gear, clutch, springs spacers .I can't imagine what can make that rattling noise that is so noticeable even with the loud exhaust. To me it sounds like something is hitting the inside of the housing. The shift fork hangs in the center of the clutch.and i can't picture the top or bottom gear rocking back and fourth at 750 rpm idle to cause that knock as shown in the video top cap off when the engine was off. BTW, A rep from mercury marine said this to me. Even thought the engine is idling it can cause the gears to rock back and fourth probably due to an engine adjustment or could be just your engine. I can't imagine that either. If the engine is turning lets say Left Hand, that means each gear is touching the interlocked gear it rides on, so at 750 rpm how in the world are you going to get a rocking, chatter from that? This drive shifts perfectly no slippage, Running at any rpm no unusual vibrations.I'm lost?

Took the cap off the other no problem drive and removed the cracked race out of the top gear bearing. Bearing looks good and turns smoothly.. This is the drive that was filled with oil to the top, maybe that saved the bearing needles. The bearing in the cap does not feel right. It is rough turning and jumpy. Maybe it froze up at one point and caused the race to spin and crack