PDA

View Full Version : Help with Alpha



PaulO
05-04-2000, 10:58 AM
OK, I replaced the front crankshaft seal and I have some degree of hope that that will solve my oil leak problem. Unfortunately, my next discovery was a small stain of gear lube accumulating under my drive. At first I thought it was a bad seal on the lube fill but, that is not the source. The source is a very small hole on the starboard side of the lower unit just above the "bullet" shaped section. I am probably hoping unrealistically but, the weather has just gotten considerably warmer and I was hoping this is some kind of expansion or that I somehow spilled lube into the pocket in the lower unit. My lame manual is no help. Anybody have any ideas or at least some knowledge of where that hole leads to? BTW Alhpa Gen1
Thanks,
Paul

Forrest
05-04-2000, 11:51 AM
Paul, if lube is dripping out of that little hole, then most likely either the oil seal in the bottom of your water-pump housing is bad or the shift-shaft seal is leaking. Either way, its not really that big of a deal to fix it, but you do need to fix it before water gets in to the outdrive. To replace the oil seal in the lower water-pump housing, just do a water-pump job, but this time replace the lower pump housing, too. Like the upper waterpump housing, it is made of some kind of tough plastic and what's good, a new lower housing has the seal already installed. To replace the seal on you shift shaft, you will still need to separate the upper housing from the lower unit get to the water-pump area. There is a special tool to remove the old screw-in seal assembley, but short of having that special tool, just take an old made-in-China deep well socket and grind the end to fit. Once you see it, you'll know what to do. Once the seal assembley is removed, inspect the shift-shaft really well. If there is any groves or deteration on it, get a new one. Oh yea, once you have the seal replaced, don't forget to replace the little quad-seal for the oil passage between the upper and lower housing.

------------------
Forrest

PaulO
05-04-2000, 02:34 PM
Thanks Forrest. I will split the upper and lower tonight. BTW, I purchased the real Merc shop manual today and am shocked to find that the lower unit is pre-Alpha. The transom assembly and the upper are obviously quite new (spotless paint, not re-painted, new type trim cylinders, etc)and even the lower unit is fairly clean and new looking.
The drive shaft has the pin on top. Could this be an older lower mated to an Alpha upper?

GeneD
05-05-2000, 08:45 AM
PaulO,
If you have a Gen II, you shouldn't have the pin on top of the drive shaft. That was old stuff, that was used to keep downward pressure on the shaft. The newer types used a different method to perform that feat.
Also, an older Alpha lower gearcase will NOT fit on a newer (Gen II) upper. Impossible. They just can't mate up, different mountings and different castings.
However, the older Alpha One's WILL mate up to a Gen II gimbal. The Gen II's have thru bolts attaching the lower to the top, whereas the older versions have bolts that go right into the housings.
Describe what you got.
As for the leak, yeah, Forrest is probably right. But I tell you what, pulling that seal out is not fun. Possible, but not fun.
I had a similar problem with the SS, but it disappeared after the rebuild, I guess the clearances were fixed properly and the seal replaced. If that seal is leaking on yourn, I would guess that the clearances in there are not up to snuff. But really, not the end of the world. I was told by Lake X that excessive clearances in that area are normal.
Who can tell?

------------------
GeneD
007
Melbourne, Florida

PaulO
05-05-2000, 03:33 PM
I have located the culprit. It is a shredded oil seal in the upper gear case. It is the outer seal where the driveshaft goes up into the upper gearcase. Fortunately, it is easily replaceable from below. My local expert says that the inner seal never goes and that this should do it. We will know tomorrow.
Paul

RickR,GroveCity
05-05-2000, 07:49 PM
PaulO
I thought the outer seal prevents water from getting in?

------------------
RickR mailto:riggerb@aol.comriggerb@aol.com</A>

PaulO
05-08-2000, 09:40 AM
Rick,
That was my thought also after looking at the exploded view however, my local Merc guru told me that the inner (upper) seal never goes and that the outer (lower) one goes all the time and drips lube. I replaced it, ran it, and it seems fine so far.
Paul