Thank you for the detailed video. I have a Bravo three on my 2001 sundeck that I just purchased. When I drained the oil from the stern drive it had metal shavings in it. Now I’m trying to build up the nerve to disassemble it and see if I can find the problem. I wish you had a video of a complete disassemble and reassemble of your drive. Your attention to detail definitely helps put me at ease when thinking about trying to tackle this problem on my own. Thanks for the video 🙏🏻
Glad you liked the video. I was forced to dig into my problems with the drive probably like you. I have mechanical aptitude but I'm not a mechanic. Some suggestions I would make to you are: 1) get a manual for the year of the drive that you have that will give you specs and part numbers of things you might need. 2) if you're hesitant to go at it alone, ask around at a marina or boat ramp or similar place for the name of a mechanic that you could consult once you get started if you get stuck. You can always throw someone a few bucks to give you advice over the phone or show up for a step that you're stuck on and still have the satisfaction of fixing the drive yourself and most importantly getting to know all about it. You might need to take certain things to a shop anyway to install bearings or the like if you do not have the tools for that type of stuff. Take your time as you do things, be organized. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the tips. I will definitely do some research and see if I can figure out exactly what drive I have and see if I can find a manual for it. I enjoy the satisfaction of fixing something myself. Gaining the experience and saving money at the same time are definitely a plus. Hopefully all will go well. Worst case scenario I can always drive to Florida for your input. lol Just kidding 😂 Thanks again 👍🏻
Hey man, great video and explanation of the process. I think it's great that more and more people are wanting an getting to know more about how their systems work and the anatomy of the cone clutch drives. There's a detail for reassembling these upper units that I'm sure you might not be aware of. Not sure how many hours you have on this drive since this video was made. One thing that's significantly critical on any gearcase, upper or lower, is checking and setting tolerances and things like preload. Anytime something like a bearing or race or even a yoke assembly gets replaced, the clearances need to be checked. Also, the Bravo upper gear assemblies are all timed gears. The top gear will have a + on one side of the gear and a - on the other side. The bottom gear will be stamped in the same manner. When installing the drive gear and clutch cam , these upper and lower gears should be opposite from each other. Example , top gear will be + & lower gear will show -- , and a vertical line should match perfectly with each gear. This is nothing more than a heads up , that's all. Your video is great by the way. I've always wanted to do something like this but never got up nerve. 🤣 Oh yea , I tighten my retainer nuts the same way you do. LOL. Yea everything has a specific torque value however there's things like these retainers and spark plugs , good and tight is plenty sufficient. Good luck with your project my man. 👍
Thanks. The rest of the story: I had to remove my outdrive again for something and there was gear oil in the driveshaft bellows. (I noticed that my gear oil reservoir was a little low too.) Hmm. "WTF is that from?", I thought. I ordered an O-ring and a shaft seal and then started reading about it. When I got to the part about setting the bearing preload in IN-LBS, I panicked. The special torque wrench is about $450 on the low side. Instead of disassembling the gear pack and replacing the seal, I retraced my steps and thought: How about just replacing that big O-ring and then setting the torque on that big bearing retainer ring properly. And I did. and there you have it....fixed. No more oil leak. Phew.
thank you for taking the time to show this very instructional video....I am wondering if that solved your problem with the shifting..Pls let us know..thank you.
As it turned out, this was NOT my problem even though I was convinced this was where my problem was. My problem to begin with was it was VERY VERY hard to shift into forward. When I changed the outdrive cable and ti was not properly adjusted my problem was compounded because I'd shift into forward and the drive would not engage until I started giving it a little throttle and then it would engage. My problem was solved by 1) installing a new helm control shift cable and then 2) CRITICAL: getting the adjustment(s) right where the two cables (the one from the helm and the one that goes to the outdrive meet). Please read my response to other reader for more information.
I hope it helped you. One thing that I have since researched and learned is that when snugging up the large retainer nut using the "special wrench", it requires 200 lb-ft of torque. To do this, you set your 1/2" torque wrench to 135 lb-ft and then stick it in the 1/2 square on the end of the special wrench. Since the special wrench already has a foot of mechanical advantage, when your torque wrench clicks at 135, you have 200 at the nut.
Bravo! Couldn't resist the pun. lol. What an awesome video. Your attention to detail is incredible. I have a 220 searay with the exact outdrive. Lately my son and I notice a slight delay before the drive engages. Especially when going from forward to reverse. Nothing crazy, but i suspect it will get worse. I mentioned a cone clutch replacement to my mechanic and he said it would be an 8K job! I've done a ton of work to my drive and engine in the last 2 years, so i suspect i can handle this one. Your video has given me the courage to tackle the project at the end of the season. Should i have any concerns about timing and/or setting clearances? Those comments scare me. I don't have any timing tools or specific clearance setting tools. I do have almost every other mercruiser specialty tool made however. LMFAO. (what a racket) 😁 Thanks for your time with this video. It has brought hope for our aging SeaRay! Cheers.
I am not a mechanic....like you. The clutch is the clutch so, as far as I know there are no clearance issues that I am aware but consider asking a mechanic who knows for certain. Since you are not changing any of the stuff in the stack up and down, I'm thinking no issues with clearance. What I didn't mention in the video and is in the SELOC manual I have, it says there is an index mark on the centerline of the housing under the back plate and there is a "+" and a "-" on the hubs of the gears that engage the cone clutch and they must all align at assembly. I don't understand why but, there you are! Good luck.
Check first to make sure your shift cables have not stretched and created the problem. There are some good videos on RUclips that show you the symptoms and the adjustments.
@@conradts3338 thanks for the reminder! someone else mentioned this as well. We'll start there for sure. I would be very happy if it fixed the problem. Forgot to mention... my first hair pulling experience with the bravo was an extremely sticky shifter. Turned out that the detent ball spring had broken. Not a single mention of that fix anywhere on the internet. just stumbled upon it will looking at stuff. 25 bucks on amazon and we were back on the water with a smooth shifter.
@conradts3338 i wonder if my cone clutch is bad. I was coming out of a no wake zone and went to throttle down and lost forward motion. The engine just revved. I checked everything and when i put it in foward gear, i can free spin the prop both ways. I took the caps off like you did and i see the shaft spinning in the cone when i spin the prop. Also when i drained the oil, i saw metal shavings.
1. I was looking through my manual for something else yesterday and saw that the torque for the cap and back plate screws should be 18-22 ft-lbs. 2. What finally fixed my shift problem is replacing the cable from the helm to the engine. It seems that years of activity caused a groove or pocket between the sheath and the inner cable causing the bind when shifting into forward. (I had previously forced oil through the existing cable by putting a slightly larger tube 4" long over the sheath with a hose clamp, filling w oil, and using compressed air to force it in but... the new cable was the ticket to success.
Great video,planning on going through my bravo this winter.iv developed aslight delay when going in forward. But dose go ,so ....last yeat new motor next year out drive..thanks for the video...
Glad you enjoyed my vid Glad I could help. Sounds like your delay problem might just be a cable adjustment. A new outdrive can be upwards of $10-12000!
I think you forgot something when putting it back together. The clutch has to marks + and - amd they have to be opposite to each other. Doesnt matter which one goes up but must be opposite. You can see the marks before you put the shift arm
If you have a bravo 3 that is how you do it. The marks are on the clutch. Maybe you got them close enough by luck. I have no idea if there are any long term wear ramifications for not lining the + and - marks but good job on the video.
Yes you have to align the gears. But maybe you got lucky as he said. You seem to also forgot the upper screw on the shift shaft. Either way good video though.
Even though this video does not have all the information. Your demonstration was pretty close. As I am a certified marine mechanic, I noticed a few things of concern. I am only sharing this info to try and help. #1 Never use anti seize. Merc recommends using grease or oil on threads. While cleaning the gears inspect them. If there is any pitting they should be replaced. #2 It is critical on any gearcase, upper or lower, to check the tolerances like preload and backlash. Especially if you replace any internal parts. #3 The Bravo upper gear assemblies are all timed gears. Both gears will have a + on one side of the gear and a - on the other side. When installing the drive gear and clutch cam , these upper and lower gears should be opposite from each other. Here is an example , top gear will be + , and the lower gear will show -- , and a vertical line should match perfectly with each other. Replace all the rubber seals on the top cover and back cover. #4 The torque specs are as follows: B) Shift linkage cap screw with lock tight 271, 16.7 FT-LB C) Top Cap bolts with lock tight 271, 20 FT-LB D) Back cover bolts with lock tight 271, 20 FT-LB E) Shift Assembly nuts with lock tight 271, 80 LB-IN D) Measure the Retainer nut tool from the center of the Big side to the center of the square hole for the ratchet. Normally it measures 12 inches. Now measure your torque wrench from the center of the head (square) to the center of the handle. The following torque wrench lengths are in inches and torque specs are in foot pounds are as follows. 15 inches 111 ft lb 16 inches 114 ft lb 17 inches 117 ft lb 18 inches 120 ft lb 19 inches 123 ft lb 20 inches 125 ft lb 21 inches 129 ft lb 22 inches 131 ft lb 23 inches 131 ft lb 24 inches 133 ft lb 25 inches 135 ft lb 26 inches 136 ft lb 27 inches 138 ft lb 28 inches 140 ft lb 29 inches 141 ft lb 30 inches 143 ft lb 31 inches 144 ft lb 32 inches 145 ft lb 33 inches 147 ft lb 34 inches 148 ft lb 35 inches 149 ft lb 36 inches 150 ft lb E) After reassemble you should pressure test the unit, before refilling it with oil. I hope this information is helpful.
The rated torque is 200 ft-lbs but since you already have an offset from center of the shaft to the end of the special wrench, I set my torque wrench to 130 ft-lbs.
yes please. Also, did you ever end up finding out what your shiftin issue was. Im in the same pickle. I have disassembled and rebuild my upper 3 times now and cant seem to figure out why I cant smoothly shift from reverse to forward. Im only able to do so by tapping the shift linkage with a rubber mallet.
OK thanks, my boat is a 2000 year, and has a 5.0 v8, no hour guage but lots of hours, after I plane up prop sounds like it does when you have trim too high and it is pushing air with prop cavitation and engine revs up., The prop looks OK no damage, so I was wandering if that clutch is slipping. I have prop trimmed all the way down and engine revs up but boat doesn't go fast, gets worse the more it warms up. I was wondering if the cone clutch could slip once engaged and boat is under way or is it locked in place by load of engine?
I am not an expert boat mechanic -- only a weekend warrior, so.... Yes. The clutch can slip if worn. Replacement clutch part is fairly expensive ($550-650 range I think). There is a video on RUclips of a guy using a lapping compound to resurface to extend the life of his worn clutch. There is also a video of a guy with a misadjusted shift cable (shifting into forward without response) and then thumping into forward gear with increased throttle. Your problem sounds more like the former. Also, it is CRITICAL that you maintain the proper gear oil level. That upper gear case where the clutch is located is mostly out of the water and gets very hot. Sorry I couldn't offer more help.
Thanks, I am going to pull the boat this weekend and check oil level then change lower gear oil, I will also check rubber prop hub and make sure it's not spinning on shaft. I am probably overdue on dropping stern drive 😢 but dreading it! Boat is 23 years old, I'm original owner. So its probably time! Thanks
@@TheLtrentlage Understand that all the gear oil is in the same place -- that is, the lower unit's gear oil runs to the upper unit and that's the oil from the reservoir inside your boat. If your reservoir goes empty, it means that oil is leaking out of the lower unit somewhere. My boat is also of that vintage (though I have a new engine) and the original owner left me all the deferred maintenance. Geez. Good luck with your project.
I'm glad it was helpful and that you enjoyed it. I learn more about this boat and its propulsion every day -- sometimes good, sometimes not so good. LOL. Cheers.
I'm not a mechanic, so I'm probably not the guy to suggest to you the failure or the fix. If your gear oil levels in your outdrive drop to critical levels, it could cause an immediate failure, though I believe cone clutches usually fail from wear over time. Without disassembly, you probably won't know what went wrong.
My problem started out that it was VERY VERY hard to shift into forward. Reverse was OK. I started by lubing the cables (putting a tube over the helm end and fording oil with a compressor through to the other end.) Didn't help. Cable shifted easily when not connected so I dug further. Replaced the control cable from the engine into the out drive. Problem persisted. I took out the shift assy in the upper out drive. (the part that connects to the cable and see-saws on the shaft in the outdrive. Didn't find any issue and it was not binding. I was convinced that the problem was in the gear pack/cone clutch and that's when I disassembled it. Nothing found there. So I went back into the boat and asked a couple of mechanics at local shops where else to look. 1. ADJUSTMENT OF THE CABLES AT THE ENGINE IS CRITICAL TO SHIFTING PROPERLY INTO FORWARD OR REVERSE. If your cables are not adjusted right, you many have the symptom of a bad cone clutch.: shifting and not getting the clutch to engage until you give it a little throttle and then clunk., 2. AT one mechanic's advice, I REPLACED THE CABLE FROM THE HELM TO THE ENGINE WITH A NEW SHIFT CABLE WHICH IS WHAT SOLVED MY PROBLEM. Seems that on this 1999 boat with the original shift cable, the pressure of shifting over time, wore a channel in the inside and though it would move easily when disconnected, it was binding when put under load to actually perform its operation.
@@conradts3338 I’ve replaced both cables up top and the lower cable. I’ve got the tools to set the linkage. I either have neutral and forward and no reverse, or neutral and reverse and no forward. I’m at my whitts end!!!
I'm not a mechanic... only a duffer. It sounds like your cable adjustment(s) if your outdrive engages in one direction and/or then the other. I would go back to basics. The cable setup procedure can be found at www.cpperformance.com/bravo-shift-adjust.pdf What I personally found easiest is to rough set the cables per that procedure and then to fine tune it, leave the clevis on the and of the cable attached to the stud and slip the barrel nut out of the pocket and spin it a turn or two in one direction or the other and slip it into the pocket and try it...."lather, rinse, repeat" until you nail it. I know I was very frustrated too. Worst case is that all the heavy stuff (cable changes) is done. Pay a mechanic to adjust it for you. Probably less than $100 and saves you ulcers.
@Kylcrappiejigs what created the hard shifting problem for me was the helm to engine shift cable. It was probably the original, and though it moved freely unattached, when it was connected and under load, it was dragging. Probably had worn a groove inside that was pinching it.
You can try draining some of the gear oil from your lower unit (about a quart) and then you can take the flat plate off the top rear of the outdrive so you can see the shift mechanism inside and the cone clutch mechanism. You can push the cone clutch up and down by inserting a large screwdriver and overpowering the springs that center it to see if everything in the actual outdrive is free. I'm not a mechanic but these are things that I've learned through muddling through.
Thanks for the vid, I'm having the exact same problem with my bravo drive. If you haven't got it working yet I saw another video talking about the cone-clutch and the cone-surfaces and how to possibly fix it. ruclips.net/video/_6VPymKw6ns/видео.html , please let me know if you do fix it and what the final solution was! Thanks
What finally got my shifting problem working: replacing the helm control cable and then getting the adjustment right between the two cables -- CRITICAL. My friend spoke to an outdrive mechanic he uses on his boat on my behalf. I had lubricated my helm cable by inducing motor oil w compressed air from helm on back and told him it was smooth as silk when unconnected. He said that old cables get grooves and when under pressure they shift hard. My cone clutch was in fine shape -- just took three men and a boy to shift into forward -- was ok in reverse. Ordered Dometic Seastar on Amazon cable (about $60). Take it out and measure length or look for marking on sheath if you go this way. Mine was 16ft for my 24 ft boat. Hope this helps. I'll answer anything else I can.
@@conradts3338 Thanks for the response, I'm glad that you got it working! I was under the impression that you had problem with a delay when putting the drive into forward and when it actually catches on in the cone clutch so I think my problem might be something else. My shifter at the helm is going forwards and backwards relatively easy but to actually get the forward gear to engage is the problem for me. I've removed the plate on the backside of the drive to look at the shifter axle and lever and it seems to be moving about the same distance left/right, up/down when the shifter is in forward or reverse and in the center when in neutral so maybe I have a problem with the cone clutch or perhaps the shift yoke/cam..
@@7rille7 So I took my boat out yesterday and I'm happy to say that my shift problem is finally fixed. Shifting was smooth and the clutch engagement was instant. So the two pieces of advice I can give you is: 1) the cone clutch can be worn -- watch my video "in reverse" to get the clutch/gear pack out of the outdrive. It's not difficult but it requires some physical strength and a little mechanical ability. Ir it's worn, there is a way to extend the cone clutch life by using lapping compound to take the glaze off the mating surfaces. There's a video on youtube on how to do it. The new cone clutch replacement is about $500 so it's worth it to try. 2. Replace your shift cable(s)and adjust them properly. In my case, replacing the helm to engine cable was the one that was causing the problem. Even though it moved very freely when disconnected to the shift linkage assy. (and I had previously lubed the interior) I guess the cable had worn a pocket inside the sleeve that was causing some binding when under load during shifting when installed. Once I replaced it, I was FASTIDIOUS about making the adjustments on the two cables according to Mercruiser and their little tool (about $10 on ebay). If the cables are not correctly adjusted, there's not enough throw on the cable to the outdrive to fully snap the cone clutch into position until you start to up the engine revs and then it engages. Good luck.
@@conradts3338 Thanks once again for your response, truly appreciate it! I will take your advice and look over the things you noted, hopefully it's just the shift cable that has been worn..
My friend and I worked on my boat today with this exact problem and your video was so helpful. It’s now fixed. Thank you
I'm glad my video helped. Makes me feel good!
Thank you for the detailed video. I have a Bravo three on my 2001 sundeck that I just purchased. When I drained the oil from the stern drive it had metal shavings in it. Now I’m trying to build up the nerve to disassemble it and see if I can find the problem. I wish you had a video of a complete disassemble and reassemble of your drive. Your attention to detail definitely helps put me at ease when thinking about trying to tackle this problem on my own. Thanks for the video 🙏🏻
Glad you liked the video. I was forced to dig into my problems with the drive probably like you. I have mechanical aptitude but I'm not a mechanic. Some suggestions I would make to you are: 1) get a manual for the year of the drive that you have that will give you specs and part numbers of things you might need. 2) if you're hesitant to go at it alone, ask around at a marina or boat ramp or similar place for the name of a mechanic that you could consult once you get started if you get stuck. You can always throw someone a few bucks to give you advice over the phone or show up for a step that you're stuck on and still have the satisfaction of fixing the drive yourself and most importantly getting to know all about it. You might need to take certain things to a shop anyway to install bearings or the like if you do not have the tools for that type of stuff. Take your time as you do things, be organized. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the tips. I will definitely do some research and see if I can figure out exactly what drive I have and see if I can find a manual for it. I enjoy the satisfaction of fixing something myself. Gaining the experience and saving money at the same time are definitely a plus. Hopefully all will go well. Worst case scenario I can always drive to Florida for your input. lol Just kidding 😂 Thanks again 👍🏻
Hey man, great video and explanation of the process. I think it's great that more and more people are wanting an getting to know more about how their systems work and the anatomy of the cone clutch drives. There's a detail for reassembling these upper units that I'm sure you might not be aware of. Not sure how many hours you have on this drive since this video was made. One thing that's significantly critical on any gearcase, upper or lower, is checking and setting tolerances and things like preload. Anytime something like a bearing or race or even a yoke assembly gets replaced, the clearances need to be checked. Also, the Bravo upper gear assemblies are all timed gears. The top gear will have a + on one side of the gear and a - on the other side. The bottom gear will be stamped in the same manner. When installing the drive gear and clutch cam , these upper and lower gears should be opposite from each other. Example , top gear will be + & lower gear will show -- , and a vertical line should match perfectly with each gear. This is nothing more than a heads up , that's all. Your video is great by the way. I've always wanted to do something like this but never got up nerve. 🤣
Oh yea , I tighten my retainer nuts the same way you do. LOL. Yea everything has a specific torque value however there's things like these retainers and spark plugs , good and tight is plenty sufficient. Good luck with your project my man. 👍
Thanks. The rest of the story: I had to remove my outdrive again for something and there was gear oil in the driveshaft bellows. (I noticed that my gear oil reservoir was a little low too.) Hmm. "WTF is that from?", I thought. I ordered an O-ring and a shaft seal and then started reading about it. When I got to the part about setting the bearing preload in IN-LBS, I panicked. The special torque wrench is about $450 on the low side. Instead of disassembling the gear pack and replacing the seal, I retraced my steps and thought: How about just replacing that big O-ring and then setting the torque on that big bearing retainer ring properly. And I did. and there you have it....fixed. No more oil leak. Phew.
Thank you for the realy good video Sir. Realy appreciated all the details.
Glad you liked it. Glad I could help.
thank you for taking the time to show this very instructional video....I am wondering if that solved your problem with the shifting..Pls let us know..thank you.
As it turned out, this was NOT my problem even though I was convinced this was where my problem was. My problem to begin with was it was VERY VERY hard to shift into forward. When I changed the outdrive cable and ti was not properly adjusted my problem was compounded because I'd shift into forward and the drive would not engage until I started giving it a little throttle and then it would engage. My problem was solved by 1) installing a new helm control shift cable and then 2) CRITICAL: getting the adjustment(s) right where the two cables (the one from the helm and the one that goes to the outdrive meet). Please read my response to other reader for more information.
Great video! Thanks for showing all the detail. Very helpful!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for showing this. I’ve always wondered how the outdrive worked….
Glad you enjoyed it and happy I helped open your eyes to its operation!
excellent detailed rebuild. Thank you
I hope it helped you. One thing that I have since researched and learned is that when snugging up the large retainer nut using the "special wrench", it requires 200 lb-ft of torque. To do this, you set your 1/2" torque wrench to 135 lb-ft and then stick it in the 1/2 square on the end of the special wrench. Since the special wrench already has a foot of mechanical advantage, when your torque wrench clicks at 135, you have 200 at the nut.
Jesus! Vilken bra och detaljerad förklaring.
Kempegrejt 😃👍👍
Thanks for the nice comment. 👍 😊
Bravo! Couldn't resist the pun. lol. What an awesome video. Your attention to detail is incredible. I have a 220 searay with the exact outdrive. Lately my son and I notice a slight delay before the drive engages. Especially when going from forward to reverse. Nothing crazy, but i suspect it will get worse. I mentioned a cone clutch replacement to my mechanic and he said it would be an 8K job! I've done a ton of work to my drive and engine in the last 2 years, so i suspect i can handle this one. Your video has given me the courage to tackle the project at the end of the season.
Should i have any concerns about timing and/or setting clearances? Those comments scare me. I don't have any timing tools or specific clearance setting tools. I do have almost every other mercruiser specialty tool made however. LMFAO. (what a racket) 😁
Thanks for your time with this video. It has brought hope for our aging SeaRay! Cheers.
I am not a mechanic....like you. The clutch is the clutch so, as far as I know there are no clearance issues that I am aware but consider asking a mechanic who knows for certain. Since you are not changing any of the stuff in the stack up and down, I'm thinking no issues with clearance. What I didn't mention in the video and is in the SELOC manual I have, it says there is an index mark on the centerline of the housing under the back plate and there is a "+" and a "-" on the hubs of the gears that engage the cone clutch and they must all align at assembly. I don't understand why but, there you are! Good luck.
Check first to make sure your shift cables have not stretched and created the problem. There are some good videos on RUclips that show you the symptoms and the adjustments.
@@conradts3338 thanks for the reminder! someone else mentioned this as well. We'll start there for sure. I would be very happy if it fixed the problem. Forgot to mention... my first hair pulling experience with the bravo was an extremely sticky shifter. Turned out that the detent ball spring had broken. Not a single mention of that fix anywhere on the internet. just stumbled upon it will looking at stuff. 25 bucks on amazon and we were back on the water with a smooth shifter.
@@callcocoa 🛥 thanks for the tip. happy boating!
@conradts3338 i wonder if my cone clutch is bad. I was coming out of a no wake zone and went to throttle down and lost forward motion. The engine just revved. I checked everything and when i put it in foward gear, i can free spin the prop both ways. I took the caps off like you did and i see the shaft spinning in the cone when i spin the prop. Also when i drained the oil, i saw metal shavings.
1. I was looking through my manual for something else yesterday and saw that the torque for the cap and back plate screws should be 18-22 ft-lbs. 2. What finally fixed my shift problem is replacing the cable from the helm to the engine. It seems that years of activity caused a groove or pocket between the sheath and the inner cable causing the bind when shifting into forward. (I had previously forced oil through the existing cable by putting a slightly larger tube 4" long over the sheath with a hose clamp, filling w oil, and using compressed air to force it in but... the new cable was the ticket to success.
Great video,planning on going through my bravo this winter.iv developed aslight delay when going in forward. But dose go ,so ....last yeat new motor next year out drive..thanks for the video...
Glad you enjoyed my vid
Glad I could help. Sounds like your delay problem might just be a cable adjustment. A new outdrive can be upwards of $10-12000!
I think you forgot something when putting it back together. The clutch has to marks + and - amd they have to be opposite to each other. Doesnt matter which one goes up but must be opposite. You can see the marks before you put the shift arm
Not sure that's right. Didn't see any marks and that would indicate "timing" of some sort. My clutch works flawlessly.
If you have a bravo 3 that is how you do it. The marks are on the clutch. Maybe you got them close enough by luck. I have no idea if there are any long term wear ramifications for not lining the + and - marks but good job on the video.
Yes you have to align the gears. But maybe you got lucky as he said. You seem to also forgot the upper screw on the shift shaft. Either way good video though.
Even though this video does not have all the information. Your demonstration was pretty close. As I am a certified marine mechanic, I noticed a few things of concern. I am only sharing this info to try and help.
#1 Never use anti seize. Merc recommends using grease or oil on threads.
While cleaning the gears inspect them. If there is any pitting they should be replaced.
#2 It is critical on any gearcase, upper or lower, to check the tolerances like preload and backlash. Especially if you replace any internal parts.
#3 The Bravo upper gear assemblies are all timed gears. Both gears will have a + on one side of the gear and a - on the other side. When installing the drive gear and clutch cam , these upper and lower gears should be opposite from each other. Here is an example , top gear will be + , and the lower gear will show -- , and a vertical line should match perfectly with each other.
Replace all the rubber seals on the top cover and back cover.
#4 The torque specs are as follows:
B) Shift linkage cap screw with lock tight 271, 16.7 FT-LB
C) Top Cap bolts with lock tight 271, 20 FT-LB
D) Back cover bolts with lock tight 271, 20 FT-LB
E) Shift Assembly nuts with lock tight 271, 80 LB-IN
D) Measure the Retainer nut tool from the center of the Big side to the center of the square hole for the ratchet. Normally it measures 12 inches. Now measure your torque wrench from the center of the head (square) to the center of the handle.
The following torque wrench lengths are in inches and torque specs are in foot pounds are as follows.
15 inches 111 ft lb
16 inches 114 ft lb
17 inches 117 ft lb
18 inches 120 ft lb
19 inches 123 ft lb
20 inches 125 ft lb
21 inches 129 ft lb
22 inches 131 ft lb
23 inches 131 ft lb
24 inches 133 ft lb
25 inches 135 ft lb
26 inches 136 ft lb
27 inches 138 ft lb
28 inches 140 ft lb
29 inches 141 ft lb
30 inches 143 ft lb
31 inches 144 ft lb
32 inches 145 ft lb
33 inches 147 ft lb
34 inches 148 ft lb
35 inches 149 ft lb
36 inches 150 ft lb
E) After reassemble you should pressure test the unit, before refilling it with oil.
I hope this information is helpful.
Thanks for all the good information.
@@conradts3338 You Are welcome
Great video, thanks from argentina!!!
glad you liked it. thanks for stopping by.
what was the torque you tighted the screws to at the end?
The rated torque is 200 ft-lbs but since you already have an offset from center of the shaft to the end of the special wrench, I set my torque wrench to 130 ft-lbs.
@@conradts3338 sorry I should have been more specific, what’s the torque for the bolts of the casing ?
yes please. Also, did you ever end up finding out what your shiftin issue was. Im in the same pickle. I have disassembled and rebuild my upper 3 times now and cant seem to figure out why I cant smoothly shift from reverse to forward. Im only able to do so by tapping the shift linkage with a rubber mallet.
Does all the horsepower of the engine go through the cone clutch or does the cone clutch just help to synchronize gears?
All the power goes through the cone clutch. 😮
OK thanks, my boat is a 2000 year, and has a 5.0 v8, no hour guage but lots of hours, after I plane up prop sounds like it does when you have trim too high and it is pushing air with prop cavitation and engine revs up., The prop looks OK no damage, so I was wandering if that clutch is slipping. I have prop trimmed all the way down and engine revs up but boat doesn't go fast, gets worse the more it warms up. I was wondering if the cone clutch could slip once engaged and boat is under way or is it locked in place by load of engine?
I am not an expert boat mechanic -- only a weekend warrior, so....
Yes. The clutch can slip if worn. Replacement clutch part is fairly expensive ($550-650 range I think). There is a video on RUclips of a guy using a lapping compound to resurface to extend the life of his worn clutch. There is also a video of a guy with a misadjusted shift cable (shifting into forward without response) and then thumping into forward gear with increased throttle. Your problem sounds more like the former. Also, it is CRITICAL that you maintain the proper gear oil level. That upper gear case where the clutch is located is mostly out of the water and gets very hot. Sorry I couldn't offer more help.
Thanks, I am going to pull the boat this weekend and check oil level then change lower gear oil, I will also check rubber prop hub and make sure it's not spinning on shaft. I am probably overdue on dropping stern drive 😢 but dreading it! Boat is 23 years old, I'm original owner. So its probably time! Thanks
@@TheLtrentlage Understand that all the gear oil is in the same place -- that is, the lower unit's gear oil runs to the upper unit and that's the oil from the reservoir inside your boat. If your reservoir goes empty, it means that oil is leaking out of the lower unit somewhere. My boat is also of that vintage (though I have a new engine) and the original owner left me all the deferred maintenance. Geez. Good luck with your project.
This was really interesting and helpful , thank you
Stuart in Ireland ☘️
Ps I have a bravo X drive
I'm glad it was helpful and that you enjoyed it. I learn more about this boat and its propulsion every day -- sometimes good, sometimes not so good. LOL. Cheers.
I'm not a mechanic, so I'm probably not the guy to suggest to you the failure or the fix. If your gear oil levels in your outdrive drop to critical levels, it could cause an immediate failure, though I believe cone clutches usually fail from wear over time. Without disassembly, you probably won't know what went wrong.
Very good info and video. Thank you
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for your comment! Much appreciated!
Fantastic work my friend
Thank you! Cheers!
thank you very nice video helped me out a lot
I'm happy that it helped you!
Anyway we can talk? I want to know what your problem was before you started.
My problem started out that it was VERY VERY hard to shift into forward. Reverse was OK. I started by lubing the cables (putting a tube over the helm end and fording oil with a compressor through to the other end.) Didn't help. Cable shifted easily when not connected so I dug further. Replaced the control cable from the engine into the out drive. Problem persisted. I took out the shift assy in the upper out drive. (the part that connects to the cable and see-saws on the shaft in the outdrive. Didn't find any issue and it was not binding. I was convinced that the problem was in the gear pack/cone clutch and that's when I disassembled it. Nothing found there. So I went back into the boat and asked a couple of mechanics at local shops where else to look. 1. ADJUSTMENT OF THE CABLES AT THE ENGINE IS CRITICAL TO SHIFTING PROPERLY INTO FORWARD OR REVERSE. If your cables are not adjusted right, you many have the symptom of a bad cone clutch.: shifting and not getting the clutch to engage until you give it a little throttle and then clunk., 2. AT one mechanic's advice, I REPLACED THE CABLE FROM THE HELM TO THE ENGINE WITH A NEW SHIFT CABLE WHICH IS WHAT SOLVED MY PROBLEM. Seems that on this 1999 boat with the original shift cable, the pressure of shifting over time, wore a channel in the inside and though it would move easily when disconnected, it was binding when put under load to actually perform its operation.
@@conradts3338 I’ve replaced both cables up top and the lower cable. I’ve got the tools to set the linkage. I either have neutral and forward and no reverse, or neutral and reverse and no forward. I’m at my whitts end!!!
I'm not a mechanic... only a duffer. It sounds like your cable adjustment(s) if your outdrive engages in one direction and/or then the other. I would go back to basics. The cable setup procedure can be found at www.cpperformance.com/bravo-shift-adjust.pdf What I personally found easiest is to rough set the cables per that procedure and then to fine tune it, leave the clevis on the and of the cable attached to the stud and slip the barrel nut out of the pocket and spin it a turn or two in one direction or the other and slip it into the pocket and try it...."lather, rinse, repeat" until you nail it. I know I was very frustrated too. Worst case is that all the heavy stuff (cable changes) is done. Pay a mechanic to adjust it for you. Probably less than $100 and saves you ulcers.
@@conradts3338 what ended up being your problem with the shifting? I’ve watched your video about 4 times. Great job!
@Kylcrappiejigs what created the hard shifting problem for me was the helm to engine shift cable. It was probably the original, and though it moved freely unattached, when it was connected and under load, it was dragging. Probably had worn a groove inside that was pinching it.
Great video
Well explain keep up the good work
Thanks, will do!
Thanks. That’s some great content. Mine is stuck in forward. I can’t move my center clutch.
You can try draining some of the gear oil from your lower unit (about a quart) and then you can take the flat plate off the top rear of the outdrive so you can see the shift mechanism inside and the cone clutch mechanism. You can push the cone clutch up and down by inserting a large screwdriver and overpowering the springs that center it to see if everything in the actual outdrive is free. I'm not a mechanic but these are things that I've learned through muddling through.
...and i think i read your question wrong. I think the proper torque for the cap ans back is 35 ft-lbs.
Great video
Thanks. I appreciate the feedback!
clear! thanks
You're welcome!
Nice
Glad you like it. Thanks for commenting!
Thanks for the vid, I'm having the exact same problem with my bravo drive. If you haven't got it working yet I saw another video talking about the cone-clutch and the cone-surfaces and how to possibly fix it. ruclips.net/video/_6VPymKw6ns/видео.html , please let me know if you do fix it and what the final solution was! Thanks
What finally got my shifting problem working: replacing the helm control cable and then getting the adjustment right between the two cables -- CRITICAL. My friend spoke to an outdrive mechanic he uses on his boat on my behalf. I had lubricated my helm cable by inducing motor oil w compressed air from helm on back and told him it was smooth as silk when unconnected. He said that old cables get grooves and when under pressure they shift hard. My cone clutch was in fine shape -- just took three men and a boy to shift into forward -- was ok in reverse. Ordered Dometic Seastar on Amazon cable (about $60). Take it out and measure length or look for marking on sheath if you go this way. Mine was 16ft for my 24 ft boat. Hope this helps. I'll answer anything else I can.
@@conradts3338 Thanks for the response, I'm glad that you got it working! I was under the impression that you had problem with a delay when putting the drive into forward and when it actually catches on in the cone clutch so I think my problem might be something else. My shifter at the helm is going forwards and backwards relatively easy but to actually get the forward gear to engage is the problem for me.
I've removed the plate on the backside of the drive to look at the shifter axle and lever and it seems to be moving about the same distance left/right, up/down when the shifter is in forward or reverse and in the center when in neutral so maybe I have a problem with the cone clutch or perhaps the shift yoke/cam..
@@7rille7 So I took my boat out yesterday and I'm happy to say that my shift problem is finally fixed. Shifting was smooth and the clutch engagement was instant. So the two pieces of advice I can give you is: 1) the cone clutch can be worn -- watch my video "in reverse" to get the clutch/gear pack out of the outdrive. It's not difficult but it requires some physical strength and a little mechanical ability. Ir it's worn, there is a way to extend the cone clutch life by using lapping compound to take the glaze off the mating surfaces. There's a video on youtube on how to do it. The new cone clutch replacement is about $500 so it's worth it to try. 2. Replace your shift cable(s)and adjust them properly. In my case, replacing the helm to engine cable was the one that was causing the problem. Even though it moved very freely when disconnected to the shift linkage assy. (and I had previously lubed the interior) I guess the cable had worn a pocket inside the sleeve that was causing some binding when under load during shifting when installed. Once I replaced it, I was FASTIDIOUS about making the adjustments on the two cables according to Mercruiser and their little tool (about $10 on ebay). If the cables are not correctly adjusted, there's not enough throw on the cable to the outdrive to fully snap the cone clutch into position until you start to up the engine revs and then it engages. Good luck.
@@conradts3338 Thanks once again for your response, truly appreciate it! I will take your advice and look over the things you noted, hopefully it's just the shift cable that has been worn..
@@conradts3338 thank you for taking the time to write that all up.