bravo 3 reseal

lorenbennett

lorenbennett

New Member
Nov 17, 2006
429
Ft. Mohave, Arizona
Was washing all the salt off my boat from cal trip and I noticed the drive oil reservoir very low, I checked it before going out. Checked the level at the drive and its fine. The drive has 340 hours and figure it may be time to have it resealed. Does that sound like a good plan and of course in the process the shop will be able to spot potential damage correct!:smt100
 
lorenbennett said:
Was washing all the salt off my boat from cal trip and I noticed the drive oil reservoir very low, I checked it before going out. Checked the level at the drive and its fine. The drive has 340 hours and figure it may be time to have it resealed. Does that sound like a good plan and of course in the process the shop will be able to spot potential damage correct!:smt100
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Start with a pressure check first. If that fails, then do a reseal. Bravo 3's tend to burp often and seem troublesome to purge trapped air. The low reservoir may/may not be an idication that a problem actually exists.

Doug
 
Any chance that's a diy project and you can explain what I need to do this. I called my local shop and they quoted 4 hours labor plus parts, so just under $400. I really like to know what the problem is before I take it in as I live were there are not many choices on shops. Thank You.:thumbsup:
 
lorenbennett said:
Any chance that's a diy project and you can explain what I need to do this. I called my local shop and they quoted 4 hours labor plus parts, so just under $400. I really like to know what the problem is before I take it in as I live were there are not many choices on shops. Thank You.:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

4 hours plus parts to do a pressure check?

Go buy a drive lube pump for refilling the drive. On the end of the hose you will find the correct adapter that screws into the drive. Disconnect the pump end and instead hook a bicycle pump with a gauge up to it. Pump up the drive and observe if the gauge reading drops. If so, you have a leaky drive. Time for a reseal.

Is the fluid milky? If so, you definitely have a leaky drive. Doing a pressure check will pinpoint where the leak is.

Doug
 
I'm no expert on this, but won't the pressure placed inside of the gear housing gurgle up to the reservoir bottle? The bottle has to be vented to replenish the gear case with lube.
 
oops my bad, the 4 hours plus parts is to reseal the drive, but I would like to pressure test it first before hand and pop the top to visually check it before turning it over to the shop. And the question about the reservoir is a good question?????
 
If it were mine I would just keep a eye on it. Some Bravo 3s seem to consume oil even though pressure testing shows nothing. Both of mine always have. Top it up and if it drops down to the half way mark or lower in the next 20-30 hours then have it pressure tested. If not, then don't worry about it.

Dave
 
Stray Cat said:
I'm no expert on this, but won't the pressure placed inside of the gear housing gurgle up to the reservoir bottle? The bottle has to be vented to replenish the gear case with lube.
Click to expand...

Yes, you would need to plug the hose to the reservoir.

Doug
 
lorenbennett - Not sure what type of boat and drive douglee25 has but, I know David S has the same kind of boat and drive you do so I would listen to him. I've got a Bravo III on my 240SD and just like Dave S said sometimes I have to add fluid to it for no apparent reason. When was the last time the drive was serviced?
 
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I found the problem, the top cap had three loose bolts. I removed to inspect and the inside is fine, but I did see a little water and oil mix outside of O-ring. Going to drain and refill Tomorrow.:smt038
 
chuck1 said:
lorenbennett - Not sure what type of boat and drive douglee25 has but, I know David S has the same kind of boat and drive you do so I would listen to him. I've got a Bravo III on my 240SD and just like Dave S said so times I have to add fluid to it for no apparent reason. When was the last time the drive was serviced?
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What kind of knock is that bro?

Did you read my first post? Here, I'll save you the trouble....

douglee25 said:
Start with a pressure check first. If that fails, then do a reseal. Bravo 3's tend to burp often and seem troublesome to purge trapped air. The low reservoir may/may not be an idication that a problem actually exists.
Click to expand...
 
lorenbennett said:
I found the problem, the top cap had three loose bolts. I removed to inspect and the inside is fine, but I did see a little water and oil mix outside of O-ring. Going to drain and refill Tomorrow.:smt038
Click to expand...

Cool. :thumbsup:, When was the drive last pulled and serviced?
 
I know you said you found the the problem, good news. I just thought I would mention that on my 280 with the BIII's both of my reservoirs were low and the service manager told me that if you over trim the BIII's that they tend to lose a little fluid and you will normally never notice it.
 
douglee25 said:
What kind of knock is that bro?

Did you read my first post? Here, I'll save you the trouble....
Click to expand...

No knock at all, since you do not have your boat info in your signature section I was just saying David S had the same kind of boat and drive. :huh: Plus since I had the same type of drive I had to add fluid sometimes for no apparent reason.

What type of boat/drive do you have?
 
I just had the drive pulled and gimble replaced at beginning of summer. Due to illness it has run more in my driveway than on the water this summer. ( I routinely start it every saturday) Maybe only 25 hours since that was done. I know suspect the mechanics as not tightening it correctly. I move up to kingman from ft mohave this year and changed shops. Looks like I will spend the extra fuel in the future to take it back to Needles.:smt013
 
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