Are the grease fittings on a Bravo coupler useless???

Mudball · Oct 6, 2004

After only 156 hours with my 1999 Donzi 22ZX (old power=7.4MPI), the coupler is bad. I found that out when swapping the engine for more power. This coupler would likely have failed soon, even with the original power.

What I have always done is reach down behind the engine once per year, hook up the grease gun with coupler grease in it and give it several shots into the fittings on the coupler.

Apparently, none of this grease really got into the coupler splines!! :devious:

I didn't overdo it, as I was afraid of it slinging all the extra grease everywhere. But what it looks like now is hard crusted grease, with new grease in one small area.

So, are the grease fittings useless and superfluous? Should you really just pull the drives annually and manually grease the coupler?

Or, do you pump grease in there until it falls into the bilge and then gets slung all over everything?

What's the deal?

Kent

obnoxus · Oct 6, 2004

I would think the alignment would be more of a reason for failure then greasing.

Zen_Nemo · Oct 6, 2004

I usually shoot a few pumps in every couple of weekends. Last year when I had a serious leak and the boat about went under, the mechanic said the only reason I didn't have any drive/water issues was due to the fact I keep a lot of grease pumped in there.

don't know if he knew what he was talking about, but I still do it.

Canada Jeff · Oct 6, 2004

I'm with ob. And yes you should pull the drive once or twice to lube the u joints! Grease the coupler then! it also alerts you if your alignment is off if the drive does not slide back in nice!

cfm · Oct 6, 2004

http://www.cpperformance.com/detail.aspx?ID=682

And yes, alignment is very crucial. Along with not hitting objects in the water and anything else that puts stresses on the driveline. Ok, added HP does stress that, but don't think about that part :shocked:

cfm · Oct 6, 2004

For $60 or so alignment tool go here:

http://sterndrive.info.hosting.domaindirect.com/sterndriveparts/index.html

And make sure to use Mercruiser's Engine Coupler Spline Grease only. I think part#92-802869A 1 . Smart $7.00 investment if not done so already.

MarkyMark · Oct 6, 2004

As said above, grease it more then once a year. And yes you should pull your drive and grease the spline and U-joints, check alignment, and spin the gimble bearing to make sure it spins freely.

Mudball · Oct 6, 2004

Thanks for the info.

I'll order an alignment tool and pull the drive to grease the thing from now on. It's been about 75 hours since I last pulled the drive, greased it, and checked alignment (at a shop). I'll need to rig up something to my engine lift to hold the drive when I pull it.

Thanks for the pointer to the cheaper alignment tool, CFM. That's a bunch less than from Mercury.

I'll check with Bob at FTM, but I don't think the alignment was out. But maybe it was. This boat has big ole aluminum mounts for the engine mounted with big ole bolts through big ole stringers. I don't see any way for these to give, but maybe something else did? I have never hit anything that I know of.

Thanks again!
Kent

Canada Jeff · Oct 6, 2004

There should be an adjustment where the engine mounts to the transom, drive asembly.

As for holding the drive, what I do is just used a couple of straps from my corner cleats to the drive, pull the drive, and it hangs while I grease! easy to reinstall. Now depending on your boat, this may, or may not work. Just trying to help some!

Iggy · Oct 6, 2004

didn't overdo it, as I was afraid of it slinging all the extra grease everywhere. But what it looks like now is hard crusted grease, with new grease in one small area.

Sounds like it never had enough grease from the beginning. Giving it a couple shots once a year wasn't enough to fill the open cavity and hit the splines.

Me, I'm the type that if two pumps on the grease gun is good, then five or six must be better.
I would've pumped the gun till I saw grease flowing out of the coupler. Then I'd know it was greased.
The drive still needs to be pulled annually to inspect the universal joints, gimbal bearing, and alignment.

The coupler on my Alpha has no grease fittings. When I pulled the drive to check the U-joints and bearing I packed the coupler by hand with grease and heavily coated the splines before reinstalling. I knew I had enough in the coupler when the grease had to push out so the splined shaft could go in.

Mudball · Oct 8, 2004

I learned something today...

You can't trust just anyone.

Like I mentioned before, my outdrive was serviced and aligned 75 hours ago, by a shop who I should not name.

Today, I found out from Bob at FTM that my new engine was radically out of alignment. (The new engine 'should' have had the same installed geometry as the old one. Same mounts, and he did not check the alignment of the old engine before pulling it.)

He had to move the engine mounting nuts like a few INCHES!!! Holy COW!!!

So, I am certain that the person who aligned it before is the cause of the 'almost' coupler failure. It probably had enough grease, but the grease fried from the gross misalignment.

So now, I really suspect this as the real cause.

I bought an alignment tool now. Thanks to all!!
This forum is great!!

Kent

cfm · Oct 8, 2004

Sorry for the trouble

But

Congratulations for getting it worked out.

A few inches???

Wobble · Oct 8, 2004

CFM or anyone

I have seen a neat little trolley to help pull/replace a drive at a boat shop, but couldn't find out where to get one.

I have a fixed swim platform that makes putting a drive in a back breaking job.

With my friends boats i think that it would be worth a couple of hundred to have one.

Anybody know where to get one?

Mark

MarkyMark · Oct 8, 2004

What happens with those large nuts is.....they back off with vibration. There are tabs that are supposed to keep them in place, but they do not work too well. I usually check them every time i change the oil to see if the nut started walking.

So....your engine may have been aligned from the other shop, and slowly went out of alignment.

Canada Jeff · Oct 8, 2004

MHawkins48 said:
CFM or anyone

I have seen a neat little trolley to help pull/replace a drive at a boat shop, but couldn't find out where to get one.

I have a fixed swim platform that makes putting a drive in a back breaking job.

With my friends boats i think that it would be worth a couple of hundred to have one.

Anybody know where to get one?

Mark

Can you not just hang it off the swim plant form?

cfm · Oct 8, 2004

MHawkins48 said:
CFM or anyone

I have seen a neat little trolley to help pull/replace a drive at a boat shop, but couldn't find out where to get one.

I have a fixed swim platform that makes putting a drive in a back breaking job.

With my friends boats i think that it would be worth a couple of hundred to have one.

Anybody know where to get one?

Mark

I have. I'll see if I can find them.

I need a few too since no-one in our area can put a Drive back together right :shocked: :shocked: :shocked:

cfm · Oct 8, 2004

I think these are them - wow , only took a minute to find 'm.

http://www.bimsracingproducts.com/Outdrive Stands.htm

Wobble · Oct 8, 2004

cfm-tech.com said:
I think these are them - wow , only took a minute to find 'm.

http://www.bimsracingproducts.com/Outdrive Stands.htm

Thanks CFM,

Just a question of using the correct search terms, I did look... honest.

Mark

cfm · Oct 8, 2004

I had it in favorites - along wih a million other things.

I remember spending a little time with search terms and magazines before.

Again - I think these where what I was looking at. I'm not sure if they where the ones I planned on buying. See'm good enough - I don't know about the 'Clamp' thing though. Is this the only way to attach it?

Wobble · Oct 8, 2004

cfm-tech.com said:
I had it in favorites - along wih a million other things.

I remember spending a little time with search terms and magazines before.

Again - I think these where what I was looking at. I'm not sure if they where the ones I planned on buying. See'm good enough - I don't know about the 'Clamp' thing though. Is this the only way to attach it?

CFM

The one I saw had a hyd jack built in, don't remember how it held the drive, but I'm sure it was plenty $$$ may have been factory merc part.

But the BIMS one you found looks perfect for the hobby guy, as their site says, you can adjust height with trailer jack at front.

goin to order one Monday.

Thanks, Mark

Are the grease fittings on a Bravo coupler useless???

Mudball

obnoxus

Zen_Nemo

Canada Jeff

cfm

cfm

MarkyMark

Mudball

Canada Jeff

Iggy

Mudball

cfm

Wobble

MarkyMark

Canada Jeff

cfm

cfm

Wobble

cfm

Wobble

Top Contributors this Month

Recommended Communities