Bravo 3 maintenance question

[cskeller07]

So we have our Bravo 3 drives serviced yearly which this is what the marina states they complete.
-Change gear lube and pressure check drive
-inspect/grease prop shaft
-grease all fittings
-check alignment
-inspect drive

My question is when you change the gear lube do you not need to grease certain fittings?
Whenever we have had them do this, i can tell the cap for the grease fitting for the gimbal bearing has not been removed. So is there someway they got grease in somewhere else, or just didn't do it?
This also has me question if they've greased the U-Joints, and the engine coupler

 

[Lazy Daze]

Newer gimbal bearings are non-greasable. Is that what you have in there?

 

[scoflaw]

Some bearings and U-joints are sealed. Not sure what you have there. If they greased the input shaft before install that would be good enough for a season

 

[BillK2632]

Like Dennis said, newer gimbal bearing is no greaseable. They should be greasing the input shaft when they re-install, there is also a fitting on the coupler, it's hard to get to, so most people just grease the input shaft and call it done. Only other grease points are on the hinge pins.

 

[cskeller07]

Newer gimbal bearings are non-greasable. Is that what you have in there?

Well there is the grease fitting on the side with a plastic cap on it. It's a 2004 Bravo 3

 

[cskeller07]

 

[scoflaw]

You would have to pump grease into that fitting while observing where on the bearing the grease is coming out. If it comes out at the outer edge it's a sealed bearing.

 

[techmitch]

Well there is the grease fitting on the side with a plastic cap on it. It's a 2004 Bravo 3

That zerk fitting is for the old type of bearing. if you have the new type sealed bearing, that fitting is not needed or used.

 

[cskeller07]

That zerk fitting is for the old type of bearing. if you have the new type sealed bearing, that fitting is not needed or used.

So you're saying simply having that fitting is not enough to tell if you have a sealed unit or not?

 

[techmitch]

So you're saying simply having that fitting is not enough to tell if you have a sealed unit or not?

Correct. The bearing may have been replaced with the sealed version but we don't know that for sure.

 

[Brite Idea]

Mercruiser going with sealed bearings is just another way to increase failures so they sell more parts IMO. The early Alpha One drives had grease fittings all over the place and those u-joints and bearings lasted forever.