Which Bravo 3 Steering pin to buy?

radscoot

Member
Nov 8, 2016
95
Georgian Bay, Canada
Boat Info
260 Sundancer, 2006,
Engines
5.7 Merc/Bravo 111
I see the link is to a SS pin. That is good. I got a SS pin from JRmarine.
 
My buddy got his ss pin from Nu Wave marine, they sell online and on eBay , worked out well for him
 
I did my last boat with the one from Nuwave marine and lasted with no issues for the 8 years I had it after. They have a youtube video somewhere that attempts to show the difference in "slop" between theirs and some ebay competitors. That was good enough to convince me to go with theirs. I think JR marine is top notch, but their cost is pretty high and at that point you might as well go with Mercruiser's stainless pin (used in their seacore products).

I just purchased 2 more Nuwave pins for my new boat I'm doing now. I have a brand new mercruiser steel pin from my past boat I never used and I see a noticeable difference between that and the Nuwave stainless pin in the height of the groove where the o-ring seal sits. I have to inspect this more closely and ensure they are the same part numbers. I'll grab a picture in the next day or two.
 
You get what you pay for.

There are so many types of stainless steel. Some are very strong by design. Some more rust resistant by design.

Unless you go with Mercruiser’s OEM pins, look for the type of stainless the pin is made with. Your reputable marketers, like Nu Wave and JR Marine, should be fine. But the cheap general merchandiser would be suspect for fit and metal quality. That pin carries enormous loads and could wear prematurely if it is made with cheap steel.

I just purchased two brand new Alpha transom assemblies and considered installing stainless pins before they were installed. That is when I started researching. After consulting with my mechanic friend and doing a lot of reading, we decided in my case, leaving the original pins is best for me. I keep my boat on a trailer 95% of its life. A thorough wash to the gimbal area followed with air blow out then 656 coating will work fine for me.

Good luck.
 
I grabbed the upper pin kit (w/ arm) from nuwavemarine on ebay last summer. Also got the OEM gimbal/bellows repair/reseal kit and OEM trim sender/limit kit.
They weren't the cheapest but were quick and combined the shipping for me.
 
I'm most likely going to go with Nuwavemarine.
I had them bookmarked already and your recommendations confirmed what I had read in their
positive feed back on eBay.
Just a note, I'm in Fresh water and boat is wet slipped from May until October.
Clearly this is one of many major design flaws by Mercruiser on their I/O's.
Its no wonder the recent generation of boats are going Outboard.
If I were to purchase new thats what I would be looking at.



Thank you all for the replies.
Randy
 
Dear All
Is it correct that for a replacement Steering pin, bushings and Seal, they need to take the engine out ?
 
No, engine does not need to come out with a few different methods of replacement.
 
Engine out only to replace the entire transom assembly. I had the JR Marine kit done on both of my drives two seasons ago. PLan to do transoms if I have to re-power. Holding firm so far. Difficult part is getting it to seal. Don't recommend the Merc kit at all. Be sure to replace with stainless steering pins.
 
No, engine does not need to come out with a few different methods of replacement.
Hi Quint4 - different methods ? - i know and read about the JR Marine kt - what are the other solutions ?
 
There's a "Mercruiser" method that involves drilling 2 holes from the sides that's shown in the repair manual. The holes get filled with plastic plugs.
 
When I did my drives I researched the Merc kits and didn't find anyone that had a positive experience with them. My marine mechanic had tried them several times before and ended up doing transom assemblies in the end. He did the JR kits (for his first time) and although they were quite the project, they worked. One drive sealed on first install, the other took him 3 times to get it water tight. If I had to do it again, I think I would just go with replacing the transom assemblies and be done.
 
@
When I did my drives I researched the Merc kits and didn't find anyone that had a positive experience with them. My marine mechanic had tried them several times before and ended up doing transom assemblies in the end. He did the JR kits (for his first time) and although they were quite the project, they worked. One drive sealed on first install, the other took him 3 times to get it water tight. If I had to do it again, I think I would just go with replacing the transom assemblies and be done.

So take the engine out ?
 
If you can get through the season as you are, the best choice (IMO) would be to have the transom assembly done in the off season. You can do the JR kits, but doing the transom assembly is the 100% for sure fix and be done with no worries.
 
My mechanic says he can pull and engine out and replace the transom assembly faster than using a repair kit. With less labor the cost is less.
 
What about the 3k the new TA cost's ? The new TA is going to have the same crappy pin that started this thread.
 
Last edited:
I checked my pin on Tuesday. It was replaced in June, 2016 using the JR marine method with a Nuwave marine SS shaft. She's still bone dry.
 
I did my last boat with the one from Nuwave marine and lasted with no issues for the 8 years I had it after. They have a youtube video somewhere that attempts to show the difference in "slop" between theirs and some ebay competitors.

Old thread I know, but I had the same question about qhich pin to buy, here is the video I found from Nuwave comparing their pin to another (presumably a cheap Ebay / China pin as I have never heard anything bad about the JRMarine pin)
 

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