bellows topic again

[betty boop]

sorry for flogging this horse again ........

funding is almost secured for a bellows change (alpha drive, Gen2) at £500 but I'm wondering if I should be trying it my self esp as the dealers I've approached have told me it labour time intensive rather than parts or complicated.
any thoughts before I go looking in the manual etc? should I give myself the grief n worry or just use the flexible friend?

theres also varying advice on shift cable changes at the same time &/or trim senders whilst the drive is off, & a cant see an extra £200 to change the impellor whilst the leg is drained & off is a fair price

any helpfull pointeres gratefully accepted
BB

[jamie1131]

Despite my whinging and moaning I would probably do it again myself to save the money. Its really not that complicated but it was time consuming when doing it for the first time. I know that if I was doing it again I could do the bellows and impeller in a day. I'm a fairly competent mechanic (engine changes in land rovers etc no problem!) Changing the shift cable may require a special tool (crows foot type socket) to get the lock nut off, if your not changing the cable you can leave this on and pull the cable out of the boat whilst its still attached to the bell housing. Despite what all the internet guides say the exhaust bellows can be fitted without the special tool using a pair of tyre levers, fit the bellows to the bell housing first then work them on the transom using the tyre levers from inside the bellow.
Plenty of soap helps the water hose go on.
As far as the impeller goes, if you can get the lower unit separated from the upper then its v.easy.

Where are you based? if you nearby I can offer advice if you need it.

[Gazjen]

£200 to do the impeller, that's a lot of money is that the going rate? especially while they are in there anyway changing the bellows.

I did Overfinch's in about half an hour and that was the first one I've done I can't believe the prices I can understand the bellows prices (a bit) as it looks a very labour intensive job .

Chris you owe me a beer (Or Seven)

[Overfinch]

You might get a case of 24 if you can find my trim tab bracket

[Gazjen]

All sorted mate. Just need to order the weather now

[Cap'n Jack]

To make life easy if you are thinking of doing the job yourself and it is really easy, invest in a bellows expander tool. You can get them on eBay for next to nothing saving lots in labour.
Also if you are going for the shift cable change you will need a special tool to remove the cable from the bell housing. I tried a box spanner but it wasn't strong enough so got my local mechanic to weld one to a socket, can't remember the size something like 9/16 I think. With the right tools it's easy without the right tools it can either take a little longer or be a real pig of a job with lots of f***ks thrown in.

[jamie1131]

"To make life easy if you are thinking of doing the job yourself and it is really easy, invest in a bellows expander tool. You can get them on eBay for next to nothing saving lots in labour.
Also if you are going for the shift cable change you will need a special tool to remove the cable from the bell housing. I tried a box spanner but it wasn't strong enough so got my local mechanic to weld one to a socket, can't remember the size something like 9/16 I think. With the right tools it's easy without the right tools it can either take a little longer or be a real pig of a job with lots of f***ks thrown in"

Your spot on with the size, 9/16. It took me a while to work out what it was. I too tried the box spanner which shat itself very quickly. In the end I made up a deep socket using a short 9/16 1/2" drive socket and some 1/2" box section.

I dont think you need the bellows expander, you can either use my method with the tyre levers or by an exhaust tube which only has to fit on the bell housing. I'll do the latter next time.

[betty boop]

it looks doable, no doubt about that, if I pick up an all in one replacement kit it will help. found some great u tube videos on getting it off but none putting it back

still confussed on the shift cable removal being complex & looking into the age of the cable change at 5 years I'm hoping to avoid that,

originally I was told I needed an alignment tool as well? seems not now, unless I was on the wrong page totally, which concerns me cos the dealer agreed to sell me one

Cap'n-
ur not a million miles from me, anyone you can recommend if time gets the better of me & I have to pay?

[jamie1131]

I think the alignment tool is for checking the engine alignment. The seloc manual didnt recommend doing this but some people do. I didnt bother doing it, I havent moved the engine so why would it need adjusting? My gimbal bearing was as good as new, if there was an alignment problem there would be play in this bearing.
If your gear shift is currently smooth, and the cable is in good order I would leave it. If you want I can do a drawing of the tool I made up and send it to you? My shift bellows had been weeping sea water which was the reason for the lock nut being seized.

[betty boop]

cheers Jamie, gonna read up on the manual later n print it off, make a plan of action etc. then sit and slowly but surely add it loads of self doubt n panic.....until the weather break and I get going in early March (that is unless a dealer makes me an offer I cant refuse). If you hear a load scream coming from the London area it may possibly be me

[EastCoast]

Hi BB,

Do it yourself & save the money for fuel. Its a relatively easy enough job, but like the others have said you will need the correct tools. Hinge pin tool, shift cable tool or home made as a few have suggested, the bellows expander tool is handy but if you go for the exhaust tube rather than the exhaust bellows its not needed. £200 for the impeller change is a ridiculous amount to have to pay, If you decide to do it try taking off the lower casing before removing the drive, these can sometimes be a pain to split.

Also I remember from a post a while back you said you had probs with engine movement I think, is this still the same boat? if so it would be a good time to get the alignment checked.

[betty boop]

good memory EC.

ur right, I'm not convinced its movement as such - on the front engine mount the top nut doesnt fully compress the spacers and washers all together, A crank with a torque wench tightened it about 3/4 of a turn, but it still didnt reduce the engine shake though. if I was describe it I'd say it shakes side to side than front to back. the service manual only shows that mount/spacer as a tighten only BUT if theres any signs of something wrong I'm gonna address it then -thanks for remembering though

As for the bellows, going to have to do it myself now, HM revenue nicked most of my 'boating fund' bonus, Mrs BB has a rule --no bonus no boat, ---365 of working my nuts off for the yanks and I get shafted by the UK government as well.

[BIG ZEBEDEE]

Blame the banking bosses. Bonus's are frowned upon now.
Unless you are a bank boss, in that case, h ell mend you, you greedy sod

[betty boop]

no just a humble abused and un appreciated telecoms project manager, unpaid and brided with a promise of a very small bonus if I sell my soul to corporate America on an daily basis. one of many sliently abused victims of todays corporate greed.

Don't sound too bitter do I?

[betty boop]

all parts ordered and delivered bar the expander tool, every thing for a complete 2010 enginer & drive overhaul, its gonna be a long DIY spring.