Need Boat Help

[Windknot]

Here's my boat question:

How can one tell if thier gimbal ring needs replacement? Is it in the wiggle, the shimmy, or the "Hmmmmmmmm"....or is it a combination of any of the above??

Explanation for query is below....

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Guy at one marina told me last fall that I needed to replace my gimbal ring on my 20' Sea Ray (1978) when they got done winterizing it. (I should add that I put quite a few hours on it going up and down river over the late summer/early fall)

I took said boat to a second marina last week, told him that guy #1 said I needed a new gimbal ring and asked if he could check it out and determine wether a new ring was needed. Guy/Marina #2 comes out, grabs the outdrive and wiggles it back and forth for a minute (I can see the steering wheel move as he does this) after a brief shake he declares...."Hmmmmmmm" I respond..."Hey, if it needs to be replaced, I gotta store the boat for the summer 'cause I dont got the scratch..."(Spent it all on dive equipment that I was planning on using on the boat) I then added that if I could even get one or maybe two more seasons out of the boat before I replaced it that would work too....

Marina man #2 says...."yea, I think that you should be able to get AT LEAST one more summer out of it..." then I respond "GREAT!!!! I didn't know where the hell I was going to come up with $3,000.00 to fix it!!!"

"Three Grand???" Marina Man-2 replied...."That's a $450.00 job if I do it...and then he added that the 'book' gave it X number of hours and he could do it in half the time.

I responded "Cheerist!!! For $450.00 go ahead and fix it....Fair Wife wont blow THAT big a gasket...."

So as soon as I change from "I'm storing the boat 'cause I cannot afford to drop the cash to fix it, to.....go ahead and do it 'cause it's cheaper, Marina Man-2 grabs the out drive again and says......"HHhmmmmmm, I dunno.....I seems a lot worse when I move it this way......" And before you know it, Marina Man-2 says I need this, that, and the other thing and he's up to $1300.00 using used parts....."

I decline and mope away in disgust.

I have sat in an extreme state of depression since then.....I still have the boat in my driveway (violation of township ordinance and peeving the wife terribly....[I hoped she'd cough up the scratch just to get it out of the driveway...]) So I go out there tonight and wiggle the stupid out drive this way and that way, and then I go to a place that's got a bunch of used boats for sale and I wiggle THIER outdrives and am not able to note a remarkable difference between thier rear ends and mine (Flame away....heheheh)

 

[herman]

Don't you just love dealing with repair shops. What kind of outdrive? Merc Alpha 1 , OMC or what. I have a Merc shop manual but it is located with the boat 150 miles away, may can get to it in a couple of weeks and see what it says.

 

[Windknot]

Out drive says MerCruiser 288....

I am NOT mechanically inclined. I have the "Clymer's Official Shop Manual" and it doesnt really say about testing or tolerances, just replacing (which I might add is WAY outside my abilities....)

All I know is it has a 305 Ford V8 engine, and a MerCruiser 288 outdrive on it.

Does that help?

WK

 

[herman]

Yea, sounds like a pre-Alpha series. I can fix the things myself but due to the need for a lot of special tools, I don't mess with the outdrive a lot of the time. I have repaired more small block chevy's than I care to think about so all the engine work I do myself. I keep the manuals mainly to understand what the mech is telling me and to help sort the BS from the truth. I took the books down to the boat 2 weeks ago, figured they needed to be with it. I will let you know if I find out anything. I can tell you off the top of my head that the gimble ring (unless it is actually broke, which is not likely)does not need to be replaced, the bearing in it however do wear out some times, mainly from lack of grease. Isn't owning boats FUN!!

 

[danceswithoctopus]

I don't do outdrives (I play with the electricity--much less messy), but do have a lot of contacts in the field. It sounds to me like your mechanics are tending to be a bit, uh, opportunistic? I would be happy to ask around out here or to give you the names and numbers of some credible folks who can give you some information. (It might be helpful to get input from someone who does not have a chance to make money off the deal.)

You have a MerCruiser 288 behind a 305 Ford in a '78 Sea Ray 20, I'll ask some folks during the course of business today.

Are any of these marina guys 'Authorized Mechanics' for MerCruiser?

 

[Windknot]

Thanks...that would be great, I'm dying to get this figured out.

And yes....the original guy is a very high end marina/delaer/repair facility and known to be very pricey.

Marina Man-2 and shop are a dive and in a bad part of town, but have had several reccommendations for him.....all from guys that can go in there and talk the talk with him though.....

I check the oil, fill the gas and ALWAYS turn on the blowers before starting.....that is the extent of my engine/mechanical ability so I am at an EXTREME disadvantage.


Thanks again for you help.


WK

 

[danceswithoctopus]

Windknot,

Here's the skinny as I found it today:

If you have more than 3 inches of left to right movement at the back of the outdrive and more than 1/8 up and down in the gimbal ring you should think about updating it to the new style gimbal ring which has a 1 3/8 square swivel shaft. The new style is an upgrade that MerCruiser has that replaces the original.

To test, have a buddy keep the steering wheel steady whiile you check for play. A little bit is normal, but don't let it get too close to the 3 inches. With more than 3 inches of play at the back of the outdrive you run the risk that you may loose your steering all together. (A situation that one of my favorite Dive Instructors would refer to as, "Very not good.")

This operation can be done by a fairly skilled backyard mechanic. But the advice I'm getting is that if you are limited to tune-ups, oil changes, and maybe the occasional water pump or something like that you should probably have someone with more experience handle the operation. There are a couple of special tools you will need, but nothing too fancy or expensive.

Hope this helps. Consider PM'ing me if you want additional info (that goes for anyone on the board as well). I'll give you my personal e-mail and/or phone number and we can discuss this in more depth. (I'm just not sure that the rest of the folks on the board are interested enough in this to keep posting here.)

Best of luck to you.

 

[Tractor Tom]

Hey Windknot (wingnut???),

I'm not a skilled mechanic, but I made my living as one for a couple of years (long before I started working for the phone company) and have a college educated auto technician living at our house. If you can come up with a repair manual and some time to work, haul the boat to Frankenmuth, we'll back it into the barn and tear into it! I have all the necessary tools, but have never been into a Merc outdrive before (hence the request for the manual) and figure we can save you a bundle.

I agree, that most mechanics at boat yards are 'opportunists' and many of them are real hacks, so you may be able to save a bundle if we do it ourselves.

Let me know if you're interested, it'll be a nice change from building farm equipment....

 

[Windknot]

PM's have been sent.....

Thanks.