merc alpha steering play

[Ralph Savarese]

Has any of you guys experenced steering play in an alpha between the rutter arm and the outdrive? If so what has to be replaced?
Thanks Ralph

[on_plane]

Sounds like a gimbal ring replacement candidate. I had the same problem with an alpha on a previous boat. The problem is the steel steering arm galls the softer aluminum shaft over time, I could move the drive 3+ inches from center each direction !!. I think it cost me 1200.00 at the time for gimbal ring, bellows (you might as well do them while your in there) and some other outdrive maintanence.

[GeneD]

Ralph,
It's called the tiller arm, and it's the weak link in the gimbal.
I have to do the same thing. If I could figure out how to fix it without punching those huge holes in the gimbal plate I would. But...I think I'm just going to get a new gimbal.
It's a dangerous situation bud. Let off on the throttle too hard and SLAM! The wheel and the boat go all over the place.

[Ralph Savarese]

Thanks so much guys this is a side job on a formula I am doing this thing is really beat . Gene I don't understand what you mean by the huge hole in the drive.
Ralph

[blue-z]

I posted this question on my Bravo set up about a month or so ago. If anyone has any reason why the "galled out" aluminum cannot be repaired or properly shimmed, let me know. I am taking mine apart after the weekend. I have been careful not to back off quickly on the throttle. I will take the gimball ring and steering shaft to my friends at a local university that has a nice tool shop in it and call it a "government job with beer included". If anyone has any ideas..let me know. This site is awesome. Always good ideas and relevant info!!

[blackhawk]

I would think that a machine shop could heliarc new aluminum in the worn spots and then use the tiller arm as a "guide" to re-shape it back to the correct shape.

[AVickers]

Apparantly, this is a problem w/ the Alpha and Bravo drives...

There appear to be a couple of options to fix it, but with the rig on the boat, the easiest way is to drill/saw holes in the side of the gimbal plate. The MerCruiser kit includes a template for Alphas -- Bravos have a dimple where the pilot bit goes. With the holes, you can get a socket on the tiller pinch bolt and you can get a drift on the top bolt to knock it loose. As I understand it, the kit also includes a tap to thread the holes so that plugs can then be inserted.

I'm not sure, but I think the other way to fix it is to take the transom assembly off the boat??? Or pull the engine so you can get to the bolts??? (If I go to all that much trouble, I'm going to replace my Alpha w/ a Bravo. Or I'm going to replace the whole rig w/ a Volvo Duoprop.

I was unaware of this as a potential problem with my boat until I had to service my gimbal bearing and u-joints...and noticed some slop in the lateral movement of the bell housing -- traceable to the gimble pivots. Steering and slop in the drive was the one area I thought MerCruiser had an advantage over Volvo (with their helmet setup...). Turns out I was wrong! At least with the Volvo, you can service it without a f*ckin' hole saw! With the Merc, you gotta replace big/critical/expensive parts or get a new assembly AND take your boat apart to get to a couple of nuts???? Once again my respect for the designers of the Alpha (a Fifties-era outboard on steroids) and the Bravo (a design whose basic operating principals were lifted from Volvo...about two weeks after the patents ran out) takes a hit.

What a rant! Can you tell I'm ticked off about having to do more work on my boat -- because some "engineer" somewhere tried to make it cheaper; not better?

[Forrest]

Yea, that's what I think what GeneD is saying. You can bore a couple of 1" dia holes in the correct position in the gimbal housing to allow socket-wrench access to the tiller arm attachment nut and bolt. Merc does sell a kit for doing this job. It come with a template and couple of plugs to cover the holes after the job is done. Without boaring these holes, the only way to remove the gimbal ring is to remove the entire transom assembly, which means removing the engine.

[Doug L.]

Forrest is right
I did it. but I couldn't get a wrench on the nut.
The new nut in the kit will have dimples to use a punch on it's a fun project.
Take a great deal of care when you drill your
holes. Don't forget you will need a pipe tap it is best to have 2 one to start the hole and one that
has had about 3/4" cut off,the first tap will bottom out(DON'T BOTTOM OUT TAP WITH OUT CHECKING
WITH PLUG) before you get to a depth that the plug
screw in to be flush use some lube and don't crack the casting by going to far.
The gimble ring is less then $400. You should also have the ring the square hole for the tiller are shaft not the splined one if you don't have it I would change to one.
Doug
PS: Tap last so you get a good seal on the plug!

[Forrest]

Shhhh!!! Don't tell anyone, but who ever owned my X-18 before me drilled the TRS gimbal housing on one side to tighten the tiller and made the hole slightly too big and the plug falls out. I'm using a piece of clear packaging tape (the thick stuff) to cover the hole. eek! I always give it a tape change after ever 20 hours or so. :p

[Donzified]

Be done with it...external hydraulic steering ,ram mounted right to the drive.

A day on the boat in the rain is better than no day on the boat at all.