Drive Shower Question

[RedDog]

I have noted that the Bravo I on my newly acquired 22C has a bit of a chalky finish. I assume this is due to hot running temperatures. I could mount a shower to help with this, BUT...

When climbing into a Classic after a swim, the only easy way is to climb up using the drive as a step. Will a shower hinder this or is one model more susceptible to possible damage than others? Any recommendations?

[Stan]

That chalky appearance is most likely mineral deposits. Quite harmless and easy to remove with CLR or any other mineral deposit remover. Spray on and brush off. As for the drive shower, I use an Eddie Marine drive shower on my bravo. And I also use my Bravo as my ladder to get back in....no problems. Just don't use the shower as a handle.

Good luck

Stan........ :cool: :cool:

[MOP]

Usualy when you see the white crusty stuff the drive is cooking the minerals out of the water, running a bit warm. You may be able to get the temp down a bit going to a good synthetic oil. You may have to go with a shower.

[smoothie]

I can idle around all day and have the deposits,my crust is coming from the exhaust.

[RedDog]

...easy to remove with CLR or any other mineral deposit remover. Spray on and brush off. CLR - is this something like "lime away" that is used to clean your bathroom shower?

[Donzigo]

RED DOG -A drive shower is cheap insurance that your Bravo will run cool. Cool = low maintenace costs in the long run. I recommend it.

[terry]

Here's food for thought,
Innovation Marine, a huge high performance Mercury certified repair center and builder of super high performance engines......had a F-2 ABPA race boat in for repair...not drive related. They discovered it had raced an entire season with drive showers INSTALLED INCORRECTLY so that the showers were blasting the drives with super heated exaust water! Raising the drive oil temp by 80 degrees. (The showers were the Imco type that actually bolt to the top of the drive cap and spray a ton) After totally disassembling both drives a close inspection showed no ill effects or any abnormal wear on any of the internal components.

Kinda makes you wonder if they really work :confused:

[CDMA]

Ted,

Interesting. I too am pretty skeptical of all the drive shower propoganda. I have heard some people say that a drive shower actually will cool the drive too much. This slows the boat down not only because of the drag of the water pickup but because the viscous effects of the gear oil are greater. I think this might be why you see a lot of raceboats without showers. The other thought is if these things are so great and are really necessary then why doesn't mercruiser put them on themselves? Or for that matter volvo...I vaguely and I mean vaguely remember some service bulletin from Mercruiser to this effect. Anyone?

Chris

Why yes mom there are now 5 boats in the yard...its ok though. Blame Baxter.

[RedDog]

THANKS - the CLR (I tried Lime-Away) is a great tip. I had the drive on my work bench and had been attacking the chauk with rubbing compound with limited success. Flipped the drive over to try the Lime-Away on an area I hadn't worked on yet and almost instant results!

[roadtrip se]

I spent a ton of time fitting a Simrek drive shower to my set up. First time out, I soon realized that it was scrubbing 3-5 mph from my top end. Tried it on and off, 2X, to verify the results. It's in the attic now....

[mphatc]

Best solution to protecting your drive from high temperatures

REDLINE Synthetic . ..

This stuff really reduces friction and improves bearing and gear life!

Redline is made from a higher critical temp base than other synthetics, and consequently will protect contacting surfaces at higher operating temperatures . . which they won't reach because the friction is lower . . . :)

MPHATC

[Ranman]

Reddog,

I run a Simrek Halo shower on my Bravo One. I didn't notice any speed loss with the shower and I have tested it both ways. I don't personally think I need a shower as my B1 is on an 18. I do feel that the showers have a bigger benefit on larger boats where the drive is being worked harder. I've also noticed that after a hard run, my drive is warm (not hot) even with the shower.

If nothing else, I never have to clean white chaulk off my drive and that alone makes it worth it to me. If you by the Halo shower, you can still use the drive as the ladder with no problems.