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Hey fellas , was wondering what you all think it should cost to replace both bellow, shift cable, and gimble bearing on a 1997 Horizon Rs. 5.7 gl with an Cobra SX drive. I found a hole in my exhaust bellows and got a price to do all the following for around $875 That seems about right. your thoughts

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1997 Horizon RS 180
5.7 GL Volvo Penta /SX drive. (1.60)
2018 Ford F-150 super crew 4x4

Depending on what labor is where you are that's probably in line with what's typical. If you only have a hole in the ex bellows you know that you don't need to change it right?
That's only if it's the drive shaft bellows (upper one). I change the driveshaft bellows when I notice small cracks starting to form in the folds. Last one went 11 seasons!
Took me about 1.5 he to do both, the d/s one was still ok but getting old the ex bellows was really starting to fall apart. If the gimble spins smooth Id leave it be...

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Good Deal, Thanks for the info Lou, Ya a couple guys around here said that was around the going rate, actually cheaper since they were replacing the gimble. I've had the boat for 5 seasons now and have never had to replace anything. This is really the first major issue Ive had. I was more concerned about the upper as well, figured since the lower was bad I had better go ahead and replace the upper for piece of mind. No I didnt know you could boat with a bad exhaust bellows. Ive had some guys tell me you can get water track back up into the engine with it being bad. Hell If I would have know that i would have taken that sucker out this past weekend. It was Hotter then hell here. lol Well at least I will be at ground zero and know when all this has been changed. They started replacing everything this morning. Said is should be completed by tonight.

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1997 Horizon RS 180
5.7 GL Volvo Penta /SX drive. (1.60)
2018 Ford F-150 super crew 4x4

Most exhaust bellows have water drain slits or holes in them, to allow water to drain. The original ones on the OMC Cobras did not but they were added in later production. What you can do to check your d-shaft bellows is this, tilt the drive up all the way and get a bright LED flashlight. Look in the folds of the bellows, and turn the drive side to side to really get a good look at it. If you see small cracks forming in between the folds then yes it makes sense to replace it. Also, when they pull the drive, if the gimble bearing turns smoothly (you just put your fingers inside and turn it, should be very smooth), and you have not gotten any noise from it, then there is no reason to replace it. I pull the drive each season and check all these things. My exhaust bellows was getting really old and the d/shaft bellows was starting to get small cracks. Replaced both but left the gimble in there because it was new in '05 and has been greased every year and never had water in there.
The best thing you can do for your I/O longevity is the yearly drive pull, inspection & maintenance. It really helps to avoid expensive problems and when you learn what to look for, you can also avoid paying for un necessary work.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

+ 1 for Lou's comments. Also, the driveshaft bellows on my '95 190 actually wore a hole in the forward rib from contacting the worm screw part of the hose clamp. During your future inspections, move the out drive all the way to the left and you should be able to see this. As you are looking forward, this part of the clamp should be in the 2:00 o'clock position, ie, right side above the center line. I ran that 190 for 18 seasons and over 2100 hours. Never needed to change the gimbal bearing. Servicing it and the u joints every year makes a huge difference.

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Surface Interval: A scuba diving term for that time between dives to relax and prepare for life's next great adventure.

Current boat: '02 FW 268 Vista
Previous boat: '95 FW 190 Horizon