Winterizing time is an ideal time to check the condition of your stern drive bellows. The bellows are rubber boots designed to keep water out of the boat as well critical areas of the drive itself. There are three primary bellows for today's outdrives. The U-joint Bellow : This bellow is attached from the bell housing to the transom plate. It is designed to protect the u-joints and drive shaft that connects to the engine coupler.
This bellow when bad can cause several problems. When water gets into the u-joint bellow it can attack the u-joints, gimble bearing and even work water into the outdrive itself through the input shaft seal. Here are a few symptoms if your u-joint bellows could be bad. The Shift Bellow : This bellow is attached from the shift cable at the drive to the transom plate. Let them know that you're worried about the bellows in particular.
You can also do a visual check of the bellows. If the rubber looks cracked or like it's disintegrating, that's also a sign that you may need bellow replacements. Posted on: 28 August Before you put your boat away for the season, you should take some time to check the sterndrive for issues. What Is a Bellow?
What Types of Bellows Are on the Sterndrive? Generally, there are three different types of bellows on most sterndrives. About an hour into its first outing, we learned what might have contributed to the low price. Turns out the U-joint bellows inside the stern drive had split in one of the folds, and it was leaking water into the bilge.
The bellows itself is the beefy rubber boot that goes from the transom assembly to the upper drive housing. It looks like an accordion. The output shaft from the engine runs through it, from the gimbal housing to the where the pinion meshes with the upper gear set.
When bellows crack, water can seep into the boat and soak your output shaft and gimbal bearing. Then it is a big deal: Water seeps in the cracks in the boot, floods past the gimbal bearing, and drops into the bilge. Sure, the bilge pump should keep up with the flow, but the real question is how long your batteries will be able to provide power to run the pump. Keep the clamp screw on top of the bellows. A hose clamp over the end of the bellows should be kept for this. Put the bellows on aft mount position.
Apply adhesive and install a clamp on the aft side of the bellows. Fit the ground clip under the bellows and slide the bellow expander tool. After tightening the clamp to the specs, reinstall the shift shaft. Shift crank and the Teflon washer should also be shifted.
If the bellows have already caused water damage, then fix it. This can include lubricating the gear, bearing, etc. Replace all the rusted parts. If you find rotting, replace those parts too, or at least furnish them again. After you have fixed the bellows, make sure you take care of the sterndrive.
Measures include not putting too much pressure on the bellows. Yes, replacing bad bellows is expensive. Although these are very small parts of the boat, the lower unit needs to be removed to reach the bellows. This service is typically expensive. You cannot replace the bellows by yourself. So, a mechanic has to be involved whose charges are expensive. Special tools are required for the job.
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