i belive the cause of all the slop in my steering is due to a worn steering lever, swivel shaft, or both. Who has performed this repair at home with basic tools? how much did the repair cost in the end? it seems like a pain in the ass. i'm not really happy about taking almost the entire gimal apart. any suggestions or tips would be helpful .thanks in adavnce

p.s.: this is a Alpha

its not the hardest thing to do you need a access kit they run around $12 bucks if i remember correct it will tell you the size of the holesaw i think it 11/8" then you need the gimbal and the shaft your steering lever is probably ok they dont seem to have problems very often the gimbal ring runs a little over $500 list and the shaft $90-100 roughly if it needs the lever its another $120+ you will need your basic hand tools plus the merc tools to remove the bellhousing you probably should look at replacing the bellows and shift cable and or shift cable boot if they are over a couple years old once the holes are drilled you use a punch to remove the nut on the shaft. dont forget to replace the shaft seal. then the new parts and using a punch tighten the nut untill you have the proper clearance on the gimbal. there is a company that makes a wrench to remove the nut but i didnt have much luck and ended up bending the wrench now i just use the punch. they are a pain in the ass but can be done in about 4-5 hrs with enough practice i replace about 8-10 a year.

thank you

JR Marine has everythign you need including SS pins, and the entire kit.

The guys name is Ron Bender

http://jrmarine.com/

I did mine last May, but I just pulled the engines. I am not sure what is easier....

seafordguy: it seems that he only sells and repairs Bravo drives.

Reading is not my strong point - sorry about that...

Go with the plate kit that JR has, Forget those UGLY plastic plugs!!! His kit is much easier for a first timer!!!

that plate is for a bravo this is a alpha im not sure it will fit i think the plate is to large

EDIT: depending on the year, that part of the transom assembly is the same size. Call/email him and ask.

I also recommend the JR Marine parts. He'll also rent you the twisted wrenches if you want. Plus, the stainless plates could be laser engraved if you wanted to go nuts...or just a stick a decal back over it.

A lot of times, the wear is the gimbal ring being worn out by the swivel shaft. JR can sometimes reweld the ring. Other times, people figure they would've been better off just replacing the whole darn transom assembly.

Before you do this, you really need to figure out exactly where the play is. It may take another set of eyes in the boat while someone moves the drive. Sure would suck to do a whole lot of tedious work only to find out the problem is in the helm or steering rack.

Like said above call Ron. I have worked with him on several projects and he is the best to work with. He will take the time to explain everything! He hardly makes anything on doing it, and he will talk for 30 minutes

After you do your first one, it will become easy the next time.