Bellows warning for TRS owners
 

Learn from my mistake. I failed to check my bellows last fall, even though I knew one was getting soft. A couple of weeks ago I discovered it had a hole. In pulling the outdrive, water ran out from around the drive shaft, and some remained in the void between the rear tailstock bearing and the front tailstock bearing. It had been there since boating last fall.

In the picture, you can see the rear bearing and in the middle, the splined coupling with the fwd bearing around it. The lake water was between the two. Can't immange what salt water would have done.

This picture shows the inside of the spline. Here is where mistake number two happened. I assumed the spline was solid, and used a gear puller to remove the siezed rear bearing. Instead of spanning the rear bearing and pulling against that, I inserted a 1/4 drive extention and socket into the splined coupling and pulled against that. At this point, I did not know it was a mistake.

As the splined coupling turned inside of the bearing, but the bearing did not, with the help of OSO, I concluded the fwd bearing was also siezed due to the water sitting next to it all winter. This requires pulling the engine.

Once the engine is out, it is simple to remove the tail stock and access the oil seal and fwd bearing. NOTE: pay attention to where the oil seal is located. You can easily put it in too far, and then the rubber middle will not seal on the coupling.

At this point I inserted a finger into the splined coupling and felt a loose part floating free. I almost had a melt down, because this repair kept snowballing and getting uglier. To fix this loose part required tearing into the transmission. Something NONE of us there wanted to do. We even thought about sending it to a transmission shop, but concluded they know these well enough that they can reassemble a "basket case" as easily as a whole unit. So we ventured in.

Oops! Wrong picture, though it is of us pulling the engine down on the family farm!

Try this picture for the above write up.

When we pulled the tail stock, ATF flowed out, and it appeared milky. We concluded the oil seal leaked over the winter, and water got past the rear trans bearing (upstream of the socket extention) and into the tranmission.

The loose part is pictured to the left of the transmission, sitting on the shop towel. It is an expansion cup that sits over the fwd end of the splined coupler. It is what I dislodged with the puller and extention removing the first bearing. Because of this quarter-sized piece of pot metal, we had to completly disassemble the transmission. There are 1.9 Jagillion parts in there, and some are spring loaded! We made it through more from dumb luck and fear than from knowledge or skill. We went slow, and tried not to panic at key points. Actually, it is very logical and straight forward, but I hope to never be back in one again.

BTW, Two 6x6's under each motor mount, and one 6x6 under the transmission or one 4x4 under the flywheel housing works GREAT. Kept the engine very stable.

So, in conclusion: Because I tried to get the last good out of my bellows, I had to:

Replace the rear tail stock bearing

Pull the engine

Replace the front tail stock bearing

Replace the oil seal X 2 (Cause the first one always gets bent)

Remove the transmission

Disassemble the transmission and replace the #^%*&@ expansion cup

Reassemble and replace the transmission and hope like heck it works (I still don't know)

Reinstall the engine, etc.



Things I learned:

Go buy a engine leveler. (big screw that goes between the engine and the pulling equipment, that adjusts the balance of the swinging engine) They are worth the $40.

Install the engine from the stern if possible. It works slick that way. In the past we pulled them from the side, and the engine hits everything possible on the way out/in.

DON'T ASSUME THE @^*$% SPLINE IS SOLID.

And oh yeah, check and replace the bellows often.

Hey Chart

Thanks to your advise, I'm firmly decided to replace all that @#*$ in the transom assemblies because I have TWO to cause me the kind of grief that you went through, and with this boat and its ever deepening mysterious past, the last owner decided that %$#^&%& zincs were too expensive to replace...ever and the drives became the zincs...in boston habor...for the four years he owned it. So for all I know, there IS no bearing in there. When I took the drives off, I noticed tranny fluid in the bellows...no real rot or rust and no water, but since I'm doing a COMPLETE restore of this boat and its completely empty, I'm gonna do it anyway. Sorry you had to go through that, but because of that, alot of new guys like me won't have to.

Hey Chart

Thanks to your advise, I'm firmly decided to replace all that @#*$ in the transom assemblies because I have TWO to cause me the kind of grief that you went through, and with this boat and its ever deepening mysterious past, the last owner decided that %$#^&%& zincs were too expensive to replace...ever and the drives became the zincs...in boston habor...for the four years he owned it. So for all I know, there IS no bearing in there. When I took the drives off, I noticed tranny fluid in the bellows...no real rot or rust and no water, but since I'm doing a COMPLETE restore of this boat and its completely empty, I'm gonna do it anyway. Sorry you had to go through that, but because of that, alot of new guys like me won't have to.

Sorry to hear your minor project became major, but that seems to be the rule on boats. I've gotten to the point where if I take anything out, with the exception of engine or drive, I just rebuild it. I'm hoping you remembered to check the condition of your gimbal, ie upper swivel pin seal/bearings, etc.
Gary

Dark Horse, that is exactly why I posted this. Like you, I've learned from many others' bad experiences. It was just my turn again.

Gary, Gimbal bearings, huh?

While you have the engine out and bell housing off, it's the perfect time to change out the upper swivel pin grease seals and bearing. Or is it too late now?
Gary

Yes, too late now, but there is always next time, I'm comming to realize.

no wonder i didnt see you out on the water saturday! hope your done with it by memorial weekend.
later
dave hughes

Gary Anderson and Chart,

The upper pins in the gimbles? Is that what a "kit takes the place of? Or is that just a fix for a weak link? This "kit" I refer to is the top pin area takes up side to side slop in the gimbles...a plastic hex head plug is used to seal both sides? If so, my drives have been "kitted"...any other worry spots to check? I have a completely empty boat so nows the time. Its getting some major power upgrades so I don't want to find out on the water that I goofed up. And by the way Mr. A, thats my philosophy exactly...do it ALL when you can, so there is now worry later. Course it doesn't always get done that way now does it?

Darkhorse468
Yep, you've been "kitted". The upper pin is not too much trouble on TRSs. MUCH stronger than the bravo. Main problem is lack of lubrication to the upper swivel pin. Greasing them once every 5 years doesn't quite cut it. The grease seals eventually do wear out and water can leak in. But If I had the engine and bell housing out anyway, I would change the seals and bearing.
With big power, be glad you've got a TRS and not a bravo.
Gary

I hope so also. It still has a little dressing out to do in the engine compartment, but I'm traveling for work, and unable to complete it now. Friday I plan to deliver it to the upholstry guy to redo the cockpit, sun deck, and bolsters. Assuming no major repairs this summer, that is my big upgrade for this year. He should have it ready by Memorial Day weekend.