I have a 4,1 Alpha outdrive unit that seems a little noisy when turning....sounds fine while going straight. I am told that there are u-joints on this unit which require greasing (u-joints). Problem is.......I can't seem to locate the spot where grease is injected into the joint....really I haven't found the joint yet......can someone enlighten me as what has to be removed so I can service these u-joints.

Thanks in advance for any comments/info.........Joe

Remove the outdrive and you'll find them.

if it makes noise when turning then more than likely it is the gimbel bearing and it needs to be replaced!!!!!


joe
AMERICAN PERFORMANCE MARINE
APMBOATS.COM

You should take it to a shop.

Those damn marinas. $$$$$ Probably gonna charge $200. just because they know where to find that darn fitting.

Definitely get the drive off and check the gimble bearing for any roughness at all. If in doubt replace it they are cheap. Also check over the u-joints very well, a total failure will really ruin you day. And come on guys....lets give the guy some slack, the technical advice is what first got me hooked on this place.

Thanks for all replies to this thread.......I will definately check the outdrive myself or have a local boat mechanic take care of it.

You are right. Just funnin is all. I knew someone would be by to steer him straight. I do agree though if he hasn't done this before, which it sounds like, he really should have someone knowledgeable with him the first time through, to avoid any other potential disasters, which could cost much more. Good luck Alorio1, and welcome aboard. Now go back into the archives on this forum, and start studying everything you can about that boat. It will pay off in the long run...

Since you have an Alpha drive, make sure you put the drive in forward gear before you remove it. It aligns the shift shaft so you can get the drive off without ruining the shift cable. When putting it on turn the shift shaft on the drive and spin the prop until it engages in gear and the shift shaft is parallel.

If you have twin engines and you're removing the counter rotating drive you need to make sure you have the shifter in Reverse.

Well the local boat mechanic said it would take a week just to get to the tearing into the outdrive and the cost would be $450 to 500 bucks to replace Gimbel brg.
So, I went to the local marine parts store and purchased the bearing, gasket set, a MERCRUISER STERN DRIVE SHOP MANUAL and a tube of aqua-lube grease , which they recomended to use for the u-joints.
On the way home I stopped by my local Auto Zone and rented a Three prong hammer knocker bearing puller, which they refund all your money when you return their tools, studied the Mercruiser manual for about thirty minutes then tore into the outdrive.
You guys were right on the money with the Gimbel brg. being the culprit.......Installed the new brg.(aligned the grease passage hole to match hole in brg housing grease port)inspected both u-joints no problem here, so they got the lube job they needed and back in with the outdrive.
Total time spent with the actual repair was about three hours.......total cost for parts and repair manual was about $100 bucks.
All suggestions came in handy such as putting the shift in forward before removing outdrive aligning lever ect.ect.
Some say it doesn't matter if the gimble brg. grease port is not matched up with the brg. housing port but I am a firm believer that is not the right way to install the brg.......The old brg. I removed was dry from lack of grease and the grease port holes were not matched.There was a lot of grease on the engine side of the brg. as if when it was greased the grease found another route to take other than the intended brg. internals.
Checked boat out today......no more noisy outdrive problems.


Thanks to all for suggestions and replies, not to mention the experience I gained and the savings ............Joe