High Pitch Whine in outdrive
 

You can't hear it from the boat, but if you are sitting on the dock when my boat passes by you can hear a high pitch whine noise coming from the outdrive. The oil level is good and it has no problem going from neutral to forward or reverse. Any ideas what this could be?
I guess I should mention that it is a Bravo 1 outdrive.

Re: High Pitch Whine in outdrive
 

sounds like a gimble bearing to me.

how old is the boat? when's the last time you had the drive off? have you greased the zerk on the outside of the housing lately

you can usually spin them with your fingers and you will fell the resistance if they are bad.

Re: High Pitch Whine in outdrive
 

It's a 2001 model. I did pull the outdrive earlier this year and greased everything. I may pull it again and check it out to be on the safe side.

Re: High Pitch Whine in outdrive
 

i just re-read your post and noticed that you don't hear it from inside the boat. usually with the boat in gear you can hear/feel a bad gimble inside the boat.

does the niose happen when your not around a dock? have someone that is swimming close by listen for the niose. i was on a dock once that would whine when any boat went bye.

Re: High Pitch Whine in outdrive
 

A friend of mine told me that he heard it as I passed by. I got on the dock and let someone drive my boat and I too heard it. Some of the whine is normal,like when the boat is headed towards you, but as the boat passes by you can hear it loud and clear.
The boat shifts great, no other noises, like gears grinding or something about to fly apart.

Re: High Pitch Whine in outdrive
 

Have you changed anything in the outdrive like the oil that you use?
How long have you owned the boat. Do you know the boat well?
It is normal to get some wining out of a drive. Is this noise heard over external exhaust?

Re: High Pitch Whine in outdrive
 

gimble bearing

Re: High Pitch Whine in outdrive
 

I bought the boat new, so I know it well. I've never had anyone tell me the outdrive was making noise until now. I have changed the oil, but used the same kind that came out of it (Mercury high performance). And yes it can be heard over the external exhaust, but not inside of the boat, only from the shore.

Re: High Pitch Whine in outdrive
 

How do I check the gimble bearing? What do I look for if it is bad?

Re: High Pitch Whine in outdrive
 

Take The Drive Off And Try To Turn The Bearing In The Gimble Housing. It Should Turn Free With No Hard Spots. If It Feels Good Grease It And Go Like Hell. But It Is Most Likely Your Problem And It Will Feel Rough Seeya :drink:

Re: High Pitch Whine in outdrive
 

"High Pitch Whine "

My wife go out in your boat ?????

Re: High Pitch Whine in outdrive
 

I don't care who you are.....thats funny right there.

Re: High Pitch Whine in outdrive
 

How loud is it? I can hear another boats prop in the water if I am anchored and they pass by me. If I am swimming and under water I can hear them loud and clear even if they are 1/4 mile away. Do I have super hearing? I doubt it, my exhaust probably stole 30% of my normal hearing.

Re: High Pitch Whine in outdrive
 

I think I know what he is talking about. I hear it from just about every boat with thru-hub exhaust.

Roby

Re: High Pitch Whine in outdrive
 

that is the niose i was thinking too !!

if it was the gimble bearing you can usually hear and feel a slight vibration inside the boat

Re: High Pitch Whine in outdrive
 

First off thanks to everyone for their advice. Even offthefront! I wish it was your wife in my boat making that noise. It would be easy to solve!! :)


First off I pulled the top cap of the outdrive and checked the top bearings. They seem to be just fine. Move very easy and no friction. Then I pulled the outdrive off and checked the gimble bearing. It too moves very freely with no rough spots, rust or anything that appears wrong. I also checked the u-joints. They too are fine.
The only thing I noticed when I pulled the top cap off was that the oil looked a little foamy. Not sure if this is normal or not since this is the first time I've done this. Even though I changed the out drive oil earlier this year, I might go ahead and do it again.
Any suggestions will be welcome.................

Re: High Pitch Whine in outdrive
 

what gear lube ya runn'n

Re: High Pitch Whine in outdrive
 

Mercury High performance. It still looks good and does not have a burnt smell to it.

Re: High Pitch Whine in outdrive
 

I noticed this whine on all of my boats with straight cut gears. I think it is normal, especially with 1.50 ratio gears. My IMCO sc really whined. When I had that boat, I thought it was the whipple chargers making the noise, but my skater makes the same noise with straight cut gears. It did not make as much noise with the xz spiral cut gears. I had an older Cobalt back in the early 90s that made the same noise, it ran like that all 500 hours I had it. That boat did not have thru hull exhaust. People would tell me it sounded like a turbine flying by.