Gimble wear - lots of side to side play

Cullie140

Cullie140

New Member
Jul 18, 2023
15
Indiana
Boat Info
2004 sea ray sundeck 240
Engines
Mx6.2 mpi w/Bravo III
Just purchased a 2004 sea ray sundeck 240 with mx6.2 mpi and bravo III. I had a pre inspection done by mobile marine mechanic. During inspection he noted excessive side to side play 10-12”. And that the trim cylinders would need replaced as caps had broken off and water penetration had likely occurred into cylinder. Told me about $2,000 to repair cylinders and gimbal issue. Negotiated and brought the boat home (6hr drive). Local marina is now quoting me $5,600. They want to install OEM transom kit that includes gimbal ring, housing, transom plate, trim cylinders, senders etc.

Question - is this the best route to go, am i really in for $5,600 or should repair just be gimbal ring, bearing, cylinders? When i questioned local tech they told me it all had signs of neglect and needed replaced and if they ordered just parts needed would only be couple hundred cheaper than the kit and longer lead time. Am I getting screwed here?

thanks
 
Check out jr marine. They have kits for fixing these issues that do not require pulling the engine. I used this to pull my gimbal ring and verify the ring was fine but that my steering arm had loosened up on the top pin and causing 4-5” of play. If your ring is worn they also have inexpensive options to repair. https://www.jrmarine.com/instructions.htm
 
At that age I’d go with the new transom. Do it once and be done for many years.

What if you don’t replace it and run into overheating issues from bravoitis?

What if you don’t replace it and
You Develop a water leak from the transom seal?

It’s a bit of an expense but worth it. I’d also recommend a new oil drain hose, good evaluation of the oil pan and a new starter while the engine is out of the boat.
 
Also, you get a full set of trim pump hoses, possibly a new mercathode too.

If you’re worried about a few hundred dollars extra, Get all of your old parts back. You can easily sell the bell housing for $350-$450. Used Trim cylinders are worth a few $$ too. (You said trim actuators we’re leaking, I assumed that’s the trim tab actuators)
 
I did the JRMarine kits on our 340. Lasted 2 seasons and started leaking again. You need to do the full transom assemblies. The side to side is from the steering pin tiller arm being worn out. It is a square fitting on the tiller arm that fits over a square top part of the steering pin. Tiller arm is cast or aluminum (not sure) and pin is steel. That tiller arm square hole is rounded out and not secure around the top of the pin.
The change out is not that difficult. In our 340 we did one motor at a time. Pick it up with a fork lift with side to side moving forks, just moved it back about 12 inches, changed out the transom and put it back. Start to finish, 3.5 days (about 7 hours each day). Don't cut the corner, do it right. You will be way ahead in the long term.
 
I agree with the previous comments. If you try to just fix the parts now you will most likely need to repair something else each year. I know $5600 is a lot, but if you can swing it I would bite the bullet and replace the full transom assembly. I'm getting both of mine replaced next month.

FWIW, $5600 seems like a pretty good price to me. A new OEM Mercruiser Barvo 3 transom assembly is about $4000.
 
You may want to just make sure that tightening the bolt on the steering arm won't clamp tight enough to eliminate the sloop (just double checking the mechanics diagnosis).
Then as others state, go for the new transom assembly. It has the updated water hose fittings, new cylinders and hoses, etc.
I was fortunate to be able to do mine and it was a good time to clean the bilge thoroughly. Hopefully the shop will clean what they can when the engine is out.
 
Appreciate the feedback and suggestions. This is my first sterndrive boat, I've always owned inboard ski boats. So the tips on outdrive maintenance are appreciated. I'm settling on the fact the transom kit is probably the way to go as the previous owner clearly neglected this part of the boat and would give me the peace of mind knowing I'm starting nearly new aside from the upper and lower units I guess. Currently just shopping around to see if I'm getting the best rates.

I'm almost scared to ask but I also think I want this marina to do an engine inspection. I have some service records for the engine so I know some maintenance was done but I'm doubting the worth of my pre-purchase inspection mechanic at this point. It has a bit of a cold start that I wouldn't expect from an MPI engine. I was just contributing to likely old gas but may not be the case and the WOT rpms did not get as high as expected - 4,200 if I trim right. I was thinking the play in the trim cylinders might be affecting that possibly too? Pre-inspection leak down test was good and held pressure.
 
Most likely if you have that much slop sde to side, the tiller arm worn and hardwear rusted to the point it will not budge.
 
I would go with the transom also. Do it right now and save later
 
Just from my experience.....

I did the transom rebuild this past winter on my '95 B3. It had water leaking into the boat through the steering pin seal, horrible side to side play and some up and down , also. I went with the JR Marine cut out kit, S/S pin and their high strength "U" bolt kit. Used all OEM bushings, seals and hardware and a new OEM steering arm (old one was wollowed out bad). The Gimbal ring itself was fine. Took my time on this one man job, over a weekend and was not a bad job at all. Hardest part was cutting out the "window" for steering pin and arm access, but not bad.

This years boating has been a pleasure with so much less steering wandering and zero water leaking in now. Time will tell, but after replacing everything that was even suspect of being worn with new OEM, I don't see the downside or why it wouldn't last just as long as a new one (since the upgraded S/S and high strength parts are in there now replacing OEM stuff that is / was questionable even when new)..
 
Area of concern would be the seating area where the swivel pin seal sits it's subject to corrosion, then you have the transom seal itself which is low quality IMO
 
scoflaw said:
Area of concern would be the seating area where the swivel pin seal sits it's subject to corrosion...
Click to expand...

This is exactly what my mechanic told me. I didn't want to pay him (I have no desire to attempt the JR Marine solution on my own) to "fix" it, only to find out the seals still leak, or leak in the near future due to corrosion, and have to pay him again to replace the TA's. So I opted to replace both TA's now with brand new. They should last me a long time now that the boat is in brackish water.
 
If it is the pin seal, you can see it leaking at the steering arm entrance behind the engine when sitting still (stern low) and engine off. At least I could see mine.
 
marz989 said:
This is exactly what my mechanic told me. I didn't want to pay him (I have no desire to attempt the JR Marine solution on my own) to "fix" it, only to find out the seals still leak, or leak in the near future due to corrosion, and have to pay him again to replace the TA's. So I opted to replace both TA's now with brand new. They should last me a long time now that the boat is in brackish water.
Click to expand...
A smart decision is one that makes you feel confident / comfortable..
 
Yeah you get another 20 years out of new transom assembly so you might as well just do it while you're there and get it done and be done
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,187
Messages
1,428,226
Members
61,099
Latest member
Lorenzo512
Back
Top