XR advise
 

Need some advise, here are the facts. 2005 Velocity VR 1, Bravo XR with 502 Innovation motor that Eddie Young rebuilt and improved, dyno was 564 hp @5400rpm. Unknown hours on drive but likely no more then 300.

Last year while running in some nasty stuff it jumped out of gear a couple of times. Later it seemed to shift a little harder. Asked Marina to look drive over carefully. No metal, oil good but a worn shifter. They tell me upper gears are supposed to be replaced when shifter is replaced. Gears are $1200 to 2000 depending on ratio. I haven't got labor quote yet. It is a good shop so I assume and hope this is correct. However, is there anything else I should be looking at? Any improvements that should be done at this time? I don't run extremely hard and no jack rabbit starts but one or two Poker Runs a year see a more speed and sometimes rough water or multiple boat wakes etc.

Thanks,
Padraig

With a single in the hull you have a refreshed XR should be good. I would put a tower in it for some support though. See this for more explanation Hi-Performance

What exactly are they saying needs replaced? the shift linkage assembly???? Shift Fork??
If so, you do not need to replace upper gears. They just need to be reset with correct shimming and torque.

Yes a left hand hydromotive five blade.

Padraig

Not sure...they just said shifter. I didn't talk to the drive mechanic I will ask when he calls back.

Padraig

The day after I bought my heat I was out running on a small lake getting the hang of the boat whatever and I took off from a stop not hard just slowly came on plane and at about 30-40 mph BAM BAM! came out of gear and went back in gear destroying the gears....got it out of the water and pulled the drive to find that whatever marina the guy had work on the boat before I got it installed the drive without clipping the shift cable into the shift arm...if you've ever removed and installed a bravo you know what I'm talking about...ended up having to replace the intermediate cable along with a complete upper because when they crammed the drive on it bent the cable and it only shifted by pure chance and luck the cable got jammed under the shift arm....not saying this happened to yours but could shed some light on what parts they are replacing?? I would guess gears got tore up coming out of gear or are pitted and just need replacing...shifter ramp mechanism in the back of the drive and possibly intermediate cable if its stretched or damaged??

I have seen the detent ball in the back cap stick all the way in letting the drive pretty much shift on its own from the torque of the motor...you could def see the shifter moving when it did it however it didn't take much movement to destroy the upper from cycling from fully in gear to partially in gear....just some of my experiences...I would get a parts list and price from them and compare it to what you can buy a used XR upper for on here...might be cheaper and quicker ot get one here then rebuild that one at your leisure for a spare or sell it and get your money back....just a couple thoughts

I owned a 30 Superboat w/525efi. The XR had around 170 hours on it spinning RH, some 5 blade, some 4. I switched to a LH 5 blade and the drive self destructed after a few hours. It broke a stud off the top cap. Could of just been a coincidence?

I wish I would of bit the bullet then and bought an IMCO drive. I replaced with another XR, went back to a RH prop, and that drive didn't last long either. I'd probably still have that boat if it wasn't for drive issues.

Left hand is always trying to walk that upper gear thru the top cap.

Repair it and sell it and get an SCX- Or keep repairing. It only took me about 5 rebuilds to figure that out.

Send it to AADS and get a warranty.

Take a good look at replacing the intermediate shift cable and that bellows. And make sure the shift fork and all related is working correcting and in good shape. Then see what happens from there. You mentioned all looked good internally ? Gears / cone clutch and so on ?

Like Knot4Me said , Put A right hand prop on it. With a Left Hand it always blows the cap up and pulls out the threads.

Update....Turns out my Marina of 20 plus years was sold last fall. New owner does not seem to have it together yet. Kept waiting for Mercruiser approval so he could order parts. Finally ordered them from another dealer but I was tired of waiting and had lost faith in them. Picked the. Drive up Wednesday and Thursday drove 5 hours to All American Drive Service. I was very impressed with George and his operation. He will rebuild the entire drive for less then the marina was charging for the top end and a two year warranty to boot. He asked good questions, including boat model, engine,weight, steering etc. He will tear it down next week and call me with details. I will likely go with his topcap and tower. George is also thinking of going to XZ gears instead of XR but wants to look at the internals first. I liked George, his attention to customers reminded me of Eddie Young and after mentioning Eddie it turns out he knows and works with Eddie! It is nice to find good folks in the Marine business.

Padraig

George at AADS called today. They had the drive tore down and found pitted gears, twisted clutch shaft etc. Definitely needs a rebuild. He will rebuild/replace and use his SS heavy duty top cap and tower. He is also going to XZ gears vs XR. Two year warranty.

Padraig

XZ gears are an upgrade over XR?

Look what George just recommended for this guy, then call the bravo shop and ask them what they think. The XR gears SHOULD be better but when the face of them start to pit you are screwed. The straight cut gears are stronger, but the pitting problem kills you.

Doug @ master Tech marine also recommends XR's over XZ's

Also?

As your post about the bravo shop

You definitely want the clutch shaft replaced with George's enhanced version along with the bigger bearing. I snapped mine in half and tore up everything including the case.

Do what George sez ..... run it for 23 months and let him recheck everything.... way ahead ....

300 hours on an XR, you have gotten all the good out of it. Throw that sombiotch out and just buy a new one from Merc with a warranty and start over again.

Yes...doing both. Will let everyone know how it works out. I can't believe the difference between Mercs top cap and tower and AADS,'s

Is anyone using the Neo oil George recommends?

Padraig


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Maybe because AADS will give me , hopefully, a stronger drive plus a two year warranty vs Mercruiser's one year

Padraig

I had George build 2 Stage 4 drives and a Stage 2 back-up drive this past winter. Also switched over to his recommended oil and so far so good but only have a few hours on the oil lol. He inspects your AADS drives for free at the end of the season also.

No, xz gears usually dont pit vs XR gears, with bigger power, HOWEVER, they will break easier. So, XR gears will take more overall power for a shorter time before they pit, xz gears will wear better and last longer IF they dont blow the teeth off from too much power, Smitty

XZ Faster.....Its all a crap shoot anyway.

As soon as you bolt any Bravo up you've pulled the pin! :bananalove:

Hmmm. Interesting ... I blew two Bravo ones on my Donzi but the XR is on it's 5th season (or so). I would be hesitant to let someone swap in helical cut gears.

Like Articat said it sort of depends. On the OP that has 565HP I doubt he will break a gear tooth off but its not just the gear.

On yours did you have a standard Bravo drive? I ask because those don't have steel towers and are 1" shaft. If that upper flexes a little the non steel tower breaks and you are done. Case flex is a reason a lot of drives fail,,,,,, and why a IMCO SC has XR internals but a stronger case.

When you take a XR drive and put XZ gears in you get the strong steel tower, larger shaft etc but go back to the gear that doesn't pit.

George has said he was going to make XR gears, that would help a lot. If he ever gets around to it.

Or SCX for bigger power.

Drove to Michigan Thursday and picked up the drive at AADS. It took a little longer then initially thought as Merc was slow shipping some bearings. We went with the XZ gears and George's top cap and tower. Also had him install a shower. My marina installed it Friday and we put it in Saturday morning. So far all is good but still in the break in period. Easy starts, vary the speeds and do not exceed 75% power.

Padraig

I do understand your reasoning here and hopefully you will end up with a better drive. I just made my decision based on the fact that my drives were 10 years old, had 340 hours on them and I had no way to know if the cases and main shafts were in good to go condition. AADS has a good rep on here and I have no doubt they do fine work, just did what I felt was right for me at the time.

Thanks Ragged! I sometimes think it a crap shoot. Hopefully I have a good strong drive. Time we tell . I now have about 5 hours on it and still breaking it in. Will be attending the Battleship Run on Seneca Lake this weekend but will be still taking it easy. Back of the pack for me, LOL.

Padraig

Good luck! One other reason I went new was that more than a decade on them my cases were showing a little corrosion and needed some TLC, by the time you factor in refinish you are right there with new. I was very lucky to hit on a special deal that Bam had, got one hell of a deal. These drives also have the SeaCore finish so I should never see any corrosion ever again in fresh water.

Hopefully I can pick up my repaired exhaust tip in the morning and get this Biotch in the water this weekend. I need a boat ride!

Have a good weekend, hopefully on the water!

Padraig

Dropped off mine about a week or so ago, at AADS now getting the Mod phase 4.
2 year warranty, and George comes very highly recommended. (From Joel at Action water sports. Whom I have had VERY good luck with.)

I sure hope its nice out this year in Sept. lol