How do I determine if the bellows (u-joint) on my TRS drives need to be changed. No sign of leaks but they have not been replaced in the 3 seasons that I've had the boat. What is involved with changing them? The drives are off. Will the bell housings have to be removed? What's involved with that? Are there adhesive sealer(s) involved? Are special tools needed or can someone with fair mechanical ability and common tools do the job?

Thank you for your help. I enjoy reading this board.

JK

I did mine a few years ago. I found it easiest to remove the bell housing so you can clean the surfaces better. Put the new bellows on the bell housing, then use the bell housing to line up and push the belows onto the ring on the transom assembly. You'll need a long 1/4" driver with a swivel on the end in order to tighethen the rear hose clamp. Be sure to use bellows adhesive or sometimes I use 3M weather strip adhesive.

It's prety easy to do, no special tools needed for the bellows but you'll need the socket to remove the hinge pins if you decide to remove them.

Panther,

What made you change them at that time? I'm wondering if I need to bother with it. Is the bell housing easy to remove? Reinstall?

Thank you

JK

On a TRS, your bellows can have a hole and you not know. The water does not come into the engine compartment like an Alpha drive. The water sits in the driveshaft "tube", and is really hard on the bearings over the winter storage. (Should have lubed the u-joints in the fall, and not waited for the spring )

After all the grief a failed bellows caused, I check them each year for softness. New bellows are very firm, and older weak ones are soft and pliable. Go to the boat parts store and ask to touch a new bellows. Now compare to yours on your boat and decide if it's time to change. Personally, I'm on the 3-5 year plan on this change. Consider it like a waterpump impeller, and replace it before failure.

There is a special adhesive, but I can't recall if it's mercruiser or something else. If you are pulling your drive anyway, it's not that much more work to replace the bellows. It's one of the few boat repairs I've done where the actual chore went easy. Now, lining the *$&@# drive shaft up to slide into the transmission, that will make a grown man cry.

OH, the rest of your questions: The only special tool I recall was the socket Panther mentioned. You could borrow mine, but the shipping two ways would match the cost to buy from the boat dealer. Mine actually rented out the socket for a few $ a day.

I have above average tools (well, maybe not compared to people on OSO ) but did the actual repair away from my shop in an abandoned pavilion near the lake, only using tools and a floor jack I brought from home in the back of the truck. Granted, two family members that are mechanics supervised, but it was not rocket science. And, I avoided needing a swivel extension by careful placement of the hose clamps.

I replaced it because the hinge pin loosened up and stripped out the threads in the bell housing.

I was replacing the bell housing so I decided to get a new bellows as well. Also it was easier to just cut the old bellows to remove the bell rather than monkey around trying to loosen the hose clamps and get cut up by sharp edges and what not.

Be sure to use red loctite when re-installing the hinge pins.

Chart, Panther, Thanks for all the help. Every fall when I put the boat away I remove the drive and store them in my basement. This is when I inspect bellows, etc. There is no sign of water in the shaft tube and the bellows appear stiff. But, as you say, with all that off a replacement might be a good idea. This way I know when it was last done. Is it posible to replace the bellows without removing the bell housing? Just a thought. I looked at an exploded view of the bell housing and have concerns about disturbing some of the other parts such as trim limiter switches, etc.

Thanks again

JK

Your trim limit switches and indicators still work?!!!!! I thought their life expectancy was days, not years.

Don't have my boat here for reference, but I don't think you want to replace it without removing the bell housing. But before you do anything, GO HOLD A NEW BELLOWS at the boat dealership. Push in the sides in the pleated area and compare to yours. If yours is almost as firm, go find another project to do. If yours is soft, or gummy, then buy the bellows, the tool, and the adhesive and have at it.

To answer your question about replacing the bellows w/o removing the bell housing. It can be done!! I have done it several times. It takes patience and lots of it.
The bellows has a wire coil inside of it. The coil needs to be removed from both, the old and the new. Careful not to distort them. The old bellows will come out easier and the new one will collapse a little more to fit in between the bell housing and the gimbal ring. After both ends are secured, you can thread the coil back into the new bellows, starting at the gimbal ring end first. Good luck.........