Cheers,
Pismo
1996 22 Classic
Red with Stainless Windshield
Stock Gen VI 502 Magnum MPI-415hp
Stock Bravo I
25" Mirage Plus
74.5mph best @ 5050rpm GPS (Speedo said 80)
27" Labbed Mirage Plus
75.5mph best @ 4800rpm GPS (Speedo said 82)
Well, started reassembly and found the gasket with the new TA was shot. Packaged poorly and crushed in many places so had to replace that. Bellows adhesive(terrible stuff, stringy, smelly, but works) to hold it down. Then reassem went well. Painted bilge (bilge coat is great), TA on, motor back in, aligned to perfection, then drive slid on easily. Everything works, even the speedo. Steers much better now with a tight gimbal ring. Torqued the u bolt and will do so ever fall.
Cheers,
Pismo
1996 22 Classic
Red with Stainless Windshield
Stock Gen VI 502 Magnum MPI-415hp
Stock Bravo I
25" Mirage Plus
74.5mph best @ 5050rpm GPS (Speedo said 80)
27" Labbed Mirage Plus
75.5mph best @ 4800rpm GPS (Speedo said 82)
Cleaned and back in service. Toughest part was aligning all those silent choice rubber exhaust fittings, took some time.
New TA had all quick connects for everything so I had to fix those. Adapters came with new TA so easy.
Had a good spin up to Paradise bay, all good, no leaks, slow first trip but all good.
So to conclude, my gimbal ring and pin was very shot, leaking, so I decided to change the TA with a new one rather than just replace the parts. Cost was about the same after I sell the old TA and everything is new. Original drive and motor doing well.
Fairly easy job both removal and install. Still took time tho. Easier than expected. Getting motor back in was toughest part.
Moral - tighten those U bolts nuts every fall as part of normal annual service. Mine got loose and before i noticed, ring was shot.
Cheers,
Pismo
1996 22 Classic
Red with Stainless Windshield
Stock Gen VI 502 Magnum MPI-415hp
Stock Bravo I
25" Mirage Plus
74.5mph best @ 5050rpm GPS (Speedo said 80)
27" Labbed Mirage Plus
75.5mph best @ 4800rpm GPS (Speedo said 82)
Glad you got it all fixed.
Do you know exactly where your leak was? Bellow, TA gasket, ?
I've got a leak in mine that I just can't find. It's driving me nuts.
What U bolt nuts are you referring too? Are you actually talking about nut 19 and 21?
Looks like you made the right choice in going all new.
Why is faster never fast enough.
Looks very nice. Glad the steering police have gone away.
Lake St. Clair, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Lake Oakland
I would guess you're talking about #24. One thing to remember, the torque setting for these nuts is 35'#.
Over time, that U-bolt will stretch and the nuts loosen. It's tempting to over-tighten the nuts. But if the torque settings aren't maintained,
and overtightened, the U-bolt will probably break, and probably in the root diameter of the thread (and just inboard of one of the nuts), where the bolt is the weakest.
I guess I'm talking to everyone w/a Bravo or Alpha. Another thing that's useful if you're rebuilding the gimbal yourself. I bought SST pivot pins instead of steel Merc pins. The stock pins will eventually corrode and leak water through the upper seal. Another useful modification that can be made to your new SST pin is to have a machine shop drill down through the top of the pin and cross drill the pin in the area of the seal and bushing (see picture). combined with drilling and tapping the gimbal
housing and install a grease fitting. This allows periodic greasing of these parts and extend their useful lives.
George Carter
Central Florida
gcarter763@aol.com
http://kineticocentralfl.com/
“If you have to argue your science by using fraud, your science is not valid"
Professor Ian Plimer, Adilaide and Melbourne Universities
George Carter
Central Florida
gcarter763@aol.com
http://kineticocentralfl.com/
“If you have to argue your science by using fraud, your science is not valid"
Professor Ian Plimer, Adilaide and Melbourne Universities
FYI: I was looking for something else, but came across an article at sterndrives.com that said to never retorque the bolts. Of course, I'm still going to check that the nuts haven't backed off, but I'll be careful to make sure they are not loose due to wear.
"These bolts where torqued to 50-55 ft pounds when the unit was first assembled. It helped the gimbal ring clamp-down tightly on the upper steering shaft.
The ONLY time these bolts should ever be torqued is when the gimbal ring is new and it is being installed for the first time.
They should never be torqued in an attempt to eliminate free-play in the steering. Free-play is a result of wear and distortion in the gimbal ring.
If you have free-play, the gimbal ring has to be replaced. NEVER tighten the two retainer bolts if you have free-play. If you attempt to tighten these bolts there is a good chance the gimbal ring will snap and fail. This usually happens while you are on plane and going fast.
Damage, Injury or Death can result from gimbal ring failure."
I believe they were using an Alpha ring as an example which uses 2 standard bolts instead of a U-bolt...in case you are wondering why they said the "bolts" were torqued (and not "nuts"). Will also explain the different torque amount, as compared George's comment of 35lbs.
Why is faster never fast enough.
Good point Glen. The U-bolt has completely different characteristics than individual bolts.
On the U-bolt, I've seen torque specs stating 55'#, but that's probably just too much. I remember reading an article recommending the 35'# number as a safety factor. As you point out, it's dangerous for one of these things to break.
I won't make a definitive comment about re-torquing the U-bolt. It's very hard to change the bolt w/the gimbal assembled, and the thing needs to be kept tight.
As a side note, if a person does decide to convert to external steering, it automatically removes the threat as there are no forces at all on the tiller. The pin sees no torque, but only thrust which would probably never wear out a gimbal ring.
.
George Carter
Central Florida
gcarter763@aol.com
http://kineticocentralfl.com/
“If you have to argue your science by using fraud, your science is not valid"
Professor Ian Plimer, Adilaide and Melbourne Universities
Yes ubolt nuts #24. The new TA had them torqued at 55lbs from the factory which according to my manual #16 is correct. I will keep them at that torque as they seem to loosen naturally. New pin looks nice.
Cheers,
Pismo
1996 22 Classic
Red with Stainless Windshield
Stock Gen VI 502 Magnum MPI-415hp
Stock Bravo I
25" Mirage Plus
74.5mph best @ 5050rpm GPS (Speedo said 80)
27" Labbed Mirage Plus
75.5mph best @ 4800rpm GPS (Speedo said 82)
Retorquing once is probably ok but I would not do it more than that. The threads yield and take a set when the bolt is preloaded. You will fail the threads or yield the bolt if you continue to tighten.
Thank you, Patrick
1994 18' Classic 350Mag Alpha
Previously owned Donzis -
1996 22' Classic, 502Mag Bravo
1987 20' Minx, 350Mag Alpha
1975 18' Classic, 350Chevy Volvo 280
I remember torquing the nuts pictured above on my gimbal.
Once I reached 35'#, I could literally feel the bolt stretch, so I stopped. Honestly, it concerned me.
George Carter
Central Florida
gcarter763@aol.com
http://kineticocentralfl.com/
“If you have to argue your science by using fraud, your science is not valid"
Professor Ian Plimer, Adilaide and Melbourne Universities
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