Ok, Build me a bullet proof Bravo XR upper
 

One of my drives was eating drive oil, so I had the tech take it apart. Sure enough the yoke seal was leaking. No big deal. Well, since I bought the boat used and have not been through the drives, I thought we should check them out. Found out all the upper gears had pits on them (no wonder that drive had some whine) The clutches also had some scuffs on them. The bottom end looked pristine. My tech thought it was only time before I had serious drive problems if left alone, so I bought a new upper XR and I am back on the water.

Question: What causes pits on the faces of all the gears?

Now I have this old XR upper that I would like to build up to be as bullet proof as possible. I am not that knowledgeable about drives (yet) so help me out. Exactly what would you
do and what parts would you buy to make the strongest Bravo XR upper???

Re: Ok, Build me a bullet proof Bravo XR upper
 

Bill,
The pits in the gear teeth are from normal wear of the net forged gears. You will see the same thing on the lower gears when they get to the end of their life cycle. The center of the gear tooth starts to give way and the metal flakes off. Depending on load and use this can happen very soon or not so soon.

To build the best upper you can, using XR parts? Aftermarket and Merc parts, well lets see. My understanding is that most aftermarket stuff still use the Merc XR gears. Some have a different clutch shaft and some use different bearings. The most important thing is setup, in my opinion. I have seen enough failures to guide me in the direction that I use to build an upper, and setup is a major component. Gear lash is critical and using Imco's method of rigid pinion system helps hold that lash. A good top cap is a plus, my opinion on what is the best is still not determined. I do know that each have different mesurements and some are better than others.
The problem you encountered is normal wear for the XR gears. They are not cheap, and I try to recommend use of the X gears when ever possible for longer life. But when boat size and Hp and use/abuse warrent the XR, well that's the price we pay. Next best step is a #6, or one of the aftermarket units that use XR stuff or the Bmax, but all have some issues and all have been broken at some point or another.

I hope this helps. If you want to, give me a call and we can discuss it..
616-335-8446

Dick

Re: Ok, Build me a bullet proof Bravo XR upper
 

I agree with what Dick said,,, only difference is that I would go with the after market parts,,, I use Maxx Machine parts and I do believe that makes a difference ,,, The shafts are billet and The top Cap also,, I think that is one of the most critical parts ,,, As said above the specs for assembly is the crucial and it takes a good tower ,top cap and clearances to hole all of that together,,,, final thought ,,,, spend the bucks ,, buy the best parts ,,, and ,,,, have the best Mec put it together ,,,, you need someone who does it everyday and understands the bravo drive,,, good luck!!

RHC

Could the pits in the face of the gears be from dirty oil or the improper fluid in the drive?

Call John P @ The Bravo Shop & get yourself some of hs oil. Several of us have had great success with it.

Wow, this one pulled up from the basements files....

Jesus would I say so! I never look at that stuff until someone points it out. I wonder how many gear sets he is on now?

Prob a bakers dozen by now lol

He has no problems now. He has a Scarab with eggbeaters:)

I don't even remember posting that . . . . . Been a while.