Bravo Drive Noise

[RedDog]

I ran my 22C today for the first time this year. I'm hearing nosies that I don't think were there last year. It is a low level rumble / growl from either the drive or possibily the drive shaft / coupler (I don't really know what a coupler is never having pulled an engine). I hear it in neutral and at idle speed but not at speed (every thing else could be drowning the noise out). During the off season I removed my drive and split the upper gear case from the lower in order to refinish the lower. I assume I put it back together correctly because there really wasn't much to keep track of - some shims and spacer type rings on the vertical shaft was about it. I lubed the drive shaft, u-joints, and gimbal when I reinstalled the drive.

I'm I hearing ghosts or something to be concerned about?

[MOP]

I vote for the Gimble Bearing! If it was quiet last fall and just got noisey that is the first place to go!

Phil

[DonziJon]

I'm going to stick my neck out here...AGAIN: and vote for Nothing! There's Nothing Wrong. You're just extra sensitive because you just had it apart. I'm sure it's just fine. Check the gimbal bearing next fall when you take the drive off again. If I'm wrong... then the sound will get will get more noticable over time. Take care of it then. :bonk: John

[Donzigo]

Gimbal bearing............less than $100, certainly worth replacing.

Some do it every year.

I'm forever greasing things, grease is cheap and like MOP says, keeping pumping that grease.

I also flush with 1/2 cup of joy poured into the hose before turing it on. WD40 is my freind, put it everywhere...............can't do enough to keep the salt demons away..........

[MOP]

I change mine every 100 hours! In my past life I changed 100's of gimble bearings, 99 & 44% of the time they will just get noisy! But that other .66% can fetch up spin with the shaft and gall the bore in the housing so it will never hold another bearing cost in and around 2K as everything must come apart and out to change out the shield! My rule of thumb for us trailer trash is one pump on the grease gun every other engine flush cheap insurance!

Phil

[Pismo]

If it is the gimbal bearing, they often go bad because they get wet, if so you need to figure out why/how it got wet. Make sure there are no leaks anywhere. A never-wet, lubed every year gimbal bearing in a lighter boat will last 15 years. They howl when bad in and out of gear of course.

[Barry Eller]

I guess Gimble bearing also. The bellows boot in my King Cobra drive leaked water, got the Gimble and U-joints. King Cobras cannot be lubed without removing drive, from now on mine will be serviced at least once a season. Oops, I forgot, I boat all year. What is a season?

[MOP]

Pismo you are right they can and do last many years, barring a defective bearing water and no lube is the only thing that will kill one.
I doubt that Red Dog put it back together wrong, like he said not much to it. The noise he is hearing is all the time, there are only two things that will make a constant noise in the drive train when in neutral the gimble and the upper gear case. He did not fool with the upper which in neutral will not spin the vertical shaft, to me that points to the gimble but does not fully rule out the upper if by chance the drive did not get filled properly.

[RedDog]

I'm going to stick my neck out here...AGAIN: and vote for Nothing! There's Nothing Wrong. You're just extra sensitive because you just had it apart. I'm sure it's just fine. Check the gimbal bearing next fall when you take the drive off again. If I'm wrong... then the sound will get will get more noticable over time. Take care of it then. :bonk: John

I sure like this answer - think I'll pump some more grease to it and try again.

[Pismo]

Yes, even if it is the gimbal bearing you can probably run it all season and it will just get louder, then fix it in the fall.

[MOP]

We do pray for the neophytes!

[RedDog]

Found my noise issue.
Seems to be a combination of new http://www.donzi.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=20295&stc=1&d=1146273946 plus new http://www.donzi.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=20296&stc=1&d=1146273956

[DonziJon]

Glad you found the problem. Not so much a problem... once you know what's really making the noise. John :wink: