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Bellow not fixed (Bravo III)

2.9K views 26 replies 12 participants last post by  jonl21  
#1 ·
Hi alltogether, during the inspection before let boat in water, I recognized that this bellow (see photo) is not fixed. I could not fix it again, because there is not enough space for my hands and that bellow is to stiff to put it into the nozzle. Is this the exhaust bellow? And how critical is this? Maybe it was in this state in last season. A friend of mine told me, that it doesn´t matter, I can leave it in this state. How do you think about?
Have you tips to mount the bellow again?

Brgds Peter
 

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#5 ·
Generally, no, it's not a problem. However, there are two instances where it "could" be.

1) The open end gets pinched closed thereby restricting exhaust flow and possibly allowing water to build up inside the tube and, eventually, back feed into the engine.

2) If the open end of the hose orients itself in such a way that it creates a "scoop" where backing down hard forces water into the engine.

I believe both scenarios have a small chance of happening... but the chance does exist.
 
#6 ·
Hi Dennis,

thanks for explaining and I also think, these szenarios are not very probably, but really not to exclude. To find a solution for short, I could cut the bellow a little bit shorter and will change the bellow in Winter into that tube mentioned from Shenanigans77. What du yout think?

Greets Peter
 
#10 ·
Curious. Never have I heard that one. But have heard many talk about the back flow into the engine. I wouldn't want to risk it.
 
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#13 ·
Hey Peter! I've installed both my drives exhaust bellows using simple zip ties. You'll be able to do this and it won't matter if the hose is a little stiff. Check out the YouTube video (about 7.5 minutes in) to see this simple procedure. I was amazed. Hope this helps!

 
#16 ·
Great! Glad to be of help. Avidazen!
 
#24 ·
The definitive answer is on a Bravo, it does not need to be connected.
I have the Mercruiser Sport Bellows, which intentionally do not connect to the drive, they close when drive is down, but not up. They give a nice blubbada blubbada sound (think Harley) at idle. The bellows in picture in post #2 is the Sport Bellows.
Plus, they last about forever because there is no flexing in the accordion which causes cracking. Most mechanics are recommending to go with them (because they are a hella lot easier to install), and Merc calls them 'replacements' for old bellows.
 
#25 ·
Hey Peter! I've installed both my drives exhaust bellows using simple zip ties. You'll be able to do this and it won't matter if the hose is a little stiff. Check out the YouTube video

I followed the video to the T and it worked out great. Noticed a bit of corrosion where the bellows attaches, looks like I’ll need a new gimbal housing soon. I did notice smoother and quieter operation for the engine.

Using zip ties reminded me of pulling one’s loose trousers up by the belt, made me chuckle a bit.
 
#26 ·
I followed the video to the T and it worked out great. Noticed a bit of corrosion where the bellows attaches, looks like I’ll need a new gimbal housing soon. I did notice smoother and quieter operation for the engine.

Using zip ties reminded me of pulling one’s loose trousers up by the belt, made me chuckle a bit.
Glad it worked out! Can't take credit for the idea, just saw it on youtube and it sure made a seemingly tough job easy. I like easy.