Bravo 1 question
 

I removed my bravo 1 yesterday, & noticed something that I'm not sure is normal. I've pulled a few Alpha's in the past, but this is my first bravo. Is the cavity where the shift cable hooks to the linkage an oil cavity. I had drive oil coming out of the cavity. Then I saw an "O" ring around it, so I'm thinking this is normal, but then I realized that the shift cable is sitting in oil, that really didn't make sense. Sorry for the simple question, but I would rather ask & learn, then guess & be wrong. One other question, I'm removing the gimbal ring to be repaired, & the service manual shows 2 separate gimbals, a standard, & a hi-performance, according to the pics in the service manual I have a hi-performance. It shows a completely different method of removing the pivot pins. I need to get the pin removal tool, I just want to make sure I get the correct one. The method the manual is showing to remove the HP pins is with a slide hammer, but everything I've read is these pins are threaded in, just a bit confused with that also.

Re: Bravo 1 question
 

The oil in the shift cable cavity may be from a bad seal in the shift shaft in the front of the drive. There is a small seal that is pressed into the housing where the shift shaft goes thru and seals the shaft so no oil from the gear housing can get into the shift assembly area.

The pivot pins you're talking about, do you mean the ones on the side of the bell or the ones on the top and bottom? The one on the top has a threaded nut that is inside the gimbal housing and it needs to be removed by either romoving the transom assembly or drilling the holes on either side of the housing, then loosening the u-bolt. The bottom pin is solid and has a cotter pin that goes thru it. The side pins usually come out without the need for a slide hammer. I'm usually able to wiggle the bell housing up and down while twisting out the side pins.

Hope this was descriptive enough?

Re: Bravo 1 question
 

There may also be a "little" oil in the cavity from when the drive was installed or removed. When the drive is installed the detent ball for the oil resevior gets pushed in and oil leaks down the drive and into that area while you're tighenting the mounting bolts. If it's only a little oil it may just be nothing. Best bet is to pull the front cover and see if the oil is coming from the shift shaft, it's usually pretty easy to tell. :drink: