Remove outdrive annually?

daddyox

Member
Apr 1, 2007
244
Connecticut River
Boat Info
Sundancer 320 2004
Engines
260 5.0 B III's
How necessary is this? I use the boat about 40-50 hours a year, and the costs to remove 2 drives and reinstall in the spring are steep. Should it be done every year? Of course you "should" but if I went every other year-- is it that much of risk/ reward? Is it worth the sleep insurance? do all of you?
 
Where do you boat? Fresh or salt waster? Bravo III's? This will help with a more detailed answer.

I like pulling the drives every year for piece of mind. I know my u-joints will be well greased. I know my engines are in alignment, I know that the drive shaft is well greased. I know the bellows are in good shape.... etc... etc....etc

I would check your owners manual for the official answer.
 
sorry-- my bad-- brackish water-- mostly fresh though--- bravo III's.

the manual, on line, reads...Every 200 hours or 3
years
• Inspect the U‑joints, the splines, and the bellows. Check the clamps.
• Check the engine alignment.
• Lubricate the U‑joint splines and cross bearing, if equipped with grease
fittings.
• Lubricate the gimbal bearing and the engine coupler.
NOTE: Lubricate the engine coupler every 50 hours if operated at idle for
prolonged periods of time.
 
I pull mine at the end of each season. Even though your talking 40-50hrs I would still recommend you do it. At hours less than that I might comprimise.
 
If you were running a small trailer boat. . .one that you could haul out on a whim. . I might be inclined to skimp out.

But you are running a 320. . . .a relatively new one at that. The maintenance - for both drives - is probably half? the annual fuel cost. And pulling the boat mid season to fix an outdrive leak or something like that is probably non-trivial. I would do the work.
 
I also have them pulled each year. I'm happy to say that is the only service I will need to pay for this year as all other maintenance and winterization will be handled by me or by marina buddies. The drives are expensive and complex, and I think having an expert pull them and check everything is worth a few hundred bucks each year.
 
I'd pull them myself. You can have the outdrive off with basic hand tools and 20 minutes of your time. Grab a buddy and supply lunch.

Doug
 
I also herd that it's recommended to do it annually. This is one of the reasons I wanted to stay away from the outdrives since I'm in brackish waters. On my 240DA I had it done every other year, but I knew I wasn't going to keep that boat for the next 10 years. I also changed oil every season and It was fine. But, with 320DA and two drives, I don't know if every other year is the best option. Those babies are too expensive to mess around. So, I guess the best answer is do it annually.
 
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If you can lubricate the outdrive splines from inside the boat, and if you have sealed u-joints (the kind that don't need greasing) and you boat less than 50 hours a year, then you may be able to get away with every other year. But if you don't pull them annually, you wont know whether you have any internal water leaks nor will you be able to tell if you have developed an engine alignment problem so the choice is yours.

Regardless of whether you pull the drives or not I would still recommend greasing the gimball bearings and changing the outdrive fluid annually. Changing the fluid is your only way of knowing if you have an internal water leak in the drive (the oil will be milky). Plus if you live in a northern climate and store your boat that water will freeze inside the drive and may cause the cases to be damaged.
 
I went every other year and ended up having to replace a coupler on my 260. Which was more then the savings... The anodes on the drives would be my biggest concern. That is why I went V-Drives. At a minimum grease your coupler. Are you on a lift?
 
If you can lubricate the outdrive splines from inside the boat, and if you have sealed u-joints (the kind that don't need greasing) and you boat less than 50 hours a year, then you may be able to get away with every other year. But if you don't pull them annually, you wont know whether you have any internal water leaks nor will you be able to tell if you have developed an engine alignment problem so the choice is yours.

Regardless of whether you pull the drives or not I would still recommend greasing the gimball bearings and changing the outdrive fluid annually. Changing the fluid is your only way of knowing if you have an internal water leak in the drive (the oil will be milky). Plus if you live in a northern climate and store your boat that water will freeze inside the drive and may cause the cases to be damaged.
How can you tell if they are sealed u-joints or not? Presense of zerk fittings?
Also, If you pull the drive over the winter, do you store it with fresh gear lube? or leave it empty?
I guess I am wondering if the lube from the resevior will leak out during storage???
 
How can you tell if they are sealed u-joints or not? Presense of zerk fittings?
Also, If you pull the drive over the winter, do you store it with fresh gear lube? or leave it empty?
I guess I am wondering if the lube from the resevior will leak out during storage???

Mercury changed to sealed u-joints without grease fittings somwhere along the line but I am not sure when. The ones on my 260DA are sealed and I would think anything produced in the last 3 or 4 years are probably sealed. If you need to know for sure ask your dealer. They will be able to give you an anwswer.

As far as how you store the drive, my preference would be with fresh lube rather than empty. And as I understand it the reservoir shouldn't leak but if it were me and I was pulling the drive I would leave the reservoir empty.

Dave
 
How can you tell if they are sealed u-joints or not? Presense of zerk fittings?
Also, If you pull the drive over the winter, do you store it with fresh gear lube? or leave it empty?
I guess I am wondering if the lube from the resevior will leak out during storage???
I sound like you mean the drive is off the boat and needs to be stored separately. If so that is incorrect. The drive is removed, visual inspection, repaired as needed, then reinstalled on the boat. The lube is changed during this process. Your drive now has nice clean lube in it while sitting for the off season. Leaking of the resevior is not an issue.
 
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So nobody stores their boat with the outdrive off for the winter? I think sterndrive engineering selld covers for the bellhousing to prevent rodents etc. I have been thinking of removing the drive to keep in the basement to touch up the skeg etc while the boat is unreachable in storage.
 
So nobody stores their boat with the outdrive off for the winter? I think sterndrive engineering selld covers for the bellhousing to prevent rodents etc. I have been thinking of removing the drive to keep in the basement to touch up the skeg etc while the boat is unreachable in storage.
I doubt that anyone does that unless they have a reason like you do. It certainly has no advantage to take it off for the winter. One thing I can suggest for those in cold climates is bagging the lower unit. I put a trash bag around it to prevent water/snow/ice from getting inside the prop and water inlets, etc. Sounds silly to some but it only takes a couple minutes and cost nothing, besides it makes me feel good.
 
I doubt that anyone does that unless they have a reason like you do. It certainly has no advantage to take it off for the winter. One thing I can suggest for those in cold climates is bagging the lower unit. I put a trash bag around it to prevent water/snow/ice from getting inside the prop and water inlets, etc. Sounds silly to some but it only takes a couple minutes and cost nothing, besides it makes me feel good.

Not silly at all. I have my shrink wrap guy wrap the drives as well as the boat. I think it's an extra $40-50 bucks but keeps them clean all winter long and less susceptible to damage/vandals/theft.
 
I doubt that anyone does that unless they have a reason like you do. It certainly has no advantage to take it off for the winter. One thing I can suggest for those in cold climates is bagging the lower unit. I put a trash bag around it to prevent water/snow/ice from getting inside the prop and water inlets, etc. Sounds silly to some but it only takes a couple minutes and cost nothing, besides it makes me feel good.

Some boat storage places remove outdrives over the winter to avoid theft.
 
I put a trash bag around it to prevent water/snow/ice from getting inside the prop and water inlets, etc.


I did the same thing for my 240DA. Like Woody said, it's simple and quick thing but works well protecting the drive.
 
My mechanic removes my drives as a time - efficiency thing. It gets him away from my boat quicker during his busy time in November. . . .and allows him to do the drive maintenance at his leisure in February.
 
Speaking from a 2004 5.0L with a Bravo III in Connecticut I pull the drive each year. I like to know what's happening inside the bellows, check the lube condition, pull the props and lube the shafts, and install new seals. As for lube leaking, there is "special Mercury" plunger thingy between the bell housing and drive that keeps the lube in. However when you drain it, 90% of the lube will be out anyway. I like preventative maintenance so pulling the drive allows me to check everything.

I would be careful wrapping the outdrive if you leave it outside on the boat. While it protects on one hand, it could allow for condensation and deterioration on the other. Wrap it in such a way as to leave the bottom open to the air.

IMHO - take it home. Pet it during the winter and dream of being on the water come spring.

tginz
 

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