upper drive problems
 

i have a 2001 32 sunsation with hp 500 efi's with bravo drives. the boat has 175 hours on it. this past weekend i lost the gears in one of the upper units. mercury suggest going to xz units. are rebuilt uppers going to be okay? should i go with factory? i'm looking for some answers; i need to be on the water by this weekend and can make with the right advice. thanx, mark

The new gears have thicker floors and if driven with some respect, will live. The other alternative is to go to XR gears. How bad was the damage in the case. Some experts say that if you break things big, it will tweak the case and it will break again.

Good luck.. hope this helps

Dick

thank you for your imput! this is all a very fast learning curve for me. i could always use some more insight. from what i have gather so far it is my understanding that xr units must be replaced with both upper and lower unit. however with the xz you can still use the bravo 1 lower. i decided to search for rebuilt xz drives and found new ones out of florida for below dealer cost; much to the dismay of the local marine. by going with xz i will get a new case as well as the assesbly to fit my transom, which was not ready for the upgrade. thanx again for your input. mark