www.iFourWinns.com

My owners manual says that the lower drive needs to be removed every year and the gimbal bearing lubricated. Really? This sounds like a pretty big job to have to do every year. I would hate to have a shop do this but a bit nervous about doing this myself, at least the first time. Do you do this every year on your boat? I have 5.0 Volvo with SX lower drive.

Thx
Mark

Used to have my mechanic do it. Picked up an outdrive jack and plan on doing it myself from here on out!

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-Tony
2016 Robalo R200 w/Yahama 200!

Previous boats:
2003 Four Winns 248 Vista - sold
1994 Sunbird Corsair 200 - sold
1980 Checkmate Predictor - sold

The gimble bearing is lubed from a grease fitting on the starboard side of the transom mount. Best to do it with the engine running on the water hose, that gets the grease all around the bearing. But, to grease the driveshaft splines you still have to remove the drive. If you have u-joints with grease fittings (the better kind) then you have to remove the drive to grease them. When you have it off you can check the driveshaft bellows for water and gear oil. Water means you have to replace the bellows (and maybe the gimble if you let it go too long) gear oil means the input shaft seal is leaking and will result in the drive leaking oil into the bellows. That if left unchecked will result in low oil level in the drive and possible wear and failure.
Sterndrives (I/Os) are high maintenance machines. If they are not maintained they become expensive to repair, and you can be stranded on the water because of a driveline failure. Pretty much all the sterndrive manufacturers recommended to remove the drive once a year, to check the things I listed above and also check engine alignment. I've been doing it a long time and I think this is why the drive on my old Cobra (original except for a few seals) has lasted this long (25 years).

Lower maintenance boat =outboard, not sterndrive. OB costs more up front but yearly maintenance much less.

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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

While it is recommended every year, if you keep your boat on a trailer or dry storage, then pulling the drive every other year is probably fine. However, you can still grease the gimble bearing from the external zerk fitting about twice per year.

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"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings

How many grease gun 'pumps' should be pumped through to the gimbal's zerk?
Can you overfill them?

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2011 Four Winns H180 SS.
Aussie built Mustang 2800.
SOLD - 1997 Four Winns Horizon RS

5 should do it, after a few years there will be a little mound of grease in the bellows, no problem there. You are looking for gear oil (input shaft seal) or water.
I will grease mine with the drive off while turning the bearing by hand. That way the grease gets to all the rollers but also you can feel any roughness which means that replacement is necessary.

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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

Thanks Lou.
Will pumping while the engine is running (in neutral?) offer better grease distribution to the bearing?

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2011 Four Winns H180 SS.
Aussie built Mustang 2800.
SOLD - 1997 Four Winns Horizon RS

Yep much better than if the engine is off.
Neutral is fine no need to put in gear as the input shaft spins whenever the engine is running.
Keep in mind tho that if the drive is not regularly removed it can corrode in place. It actually happens more with VP drives than with Alphas and Cobras, because they have a gasket between the drive and pivot housing (bell housing). The gasket prevents metal to metal contact especially if you coat it with OMC gasket sealer or similar. The VP drives do not use a gasket there (not needed really) so you have metal to metal contact and you can have it corrode to the pivot. If I had one I would coat the edges with OMC/Bombardier triple guard grease to prevent corrosion. And yes it can happen in fresh water too.
To anyone who works on their own drive corrosion control is very important. I coat all bolts with the same OMC gasket sealer (aka brown snot lol) and even after sitting in the salt pond they all come out. Impeller bolts, the anode bolts, the bolts that he the upper and lower gear housings together, and the nuts that hold the drive on the studs.
Works like magic

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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

You're a champion & a wealth of knowledge thanks Lou.

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2011 Four Winns H180 SS.
Aussie built Mustang 2800.
SOLD - 1997 Four Winns Horizon RS

Just this past weekend my port side gimbal bearing (Merc 5.0 MPI with Bravo three's) started to make some noise, not brutal but you can definitely hear it. Thankfully this happened two weeks before the boat comes out anyway, and not in July! I've always greased the gimbal bearings one during each spring via the fittings only. I've got to think now it's worth it to pull the drives as Lou recommends each year for the 1/2 ~ 1 hour it takes so you can have a good look in there for water leaks, and grease them properly.
I'm going to buy the bearing puller and alignment check tool, so does anyone have a good source they recommend? I'm pretty comfortable mechanically, so this should not be a big deal to swap the bearing out from what I've researched.

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2004 Four Winns 298 Vista
"Last Minute"

I do mine (removing drive), it really is quite simple. It can be done with basic socket set and a few odd hand tools. I created a thread here on the removal process, but the pic upload site I used, deleted all my pics, so if you look at the thread, it really doesnt make sense.

Greasing the U-Joints, checking the input shaft seals, bellows, and gimble bearing are worth 30 minutes of labor, as opposed to the $$$ if any of those componets lets loose because they weren't checked/serviced. I told my local boat mechanic buddy that I do all the above myself and he told me he loves me and hates me for doing it. Love because I keep him from having repair big break items, hate because he can't charge me the $150 for winterizing.

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1996 205 Sundowner DLX
5.0FL Volvo SX Cobra
Tow Veh: 2012 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X

True, the outdrive removal/installation is not complex work, honestly as long as it comes off without a battle (which can happen if it was never removed). Getting it back on can be a struggle because you have to get it at the right height, and keep the u-joints and driveshaft as straight as possible to get the driveshaft in the coupler. But it's nowhere as complex as rebuilding a 4bbl carb like a Quadrajet or finicky like adjusting a Cobra shift cable (actually when you have the 3 special OMC tools and the manual not hard at all).
If you want to do your own OD maintenance, then get a stand like the one sold by Stumpy's Fab Works. I have one and it works great. Trust me if you have trouble getting it on one day you WILL hurt your back, get the stand. Also get an alignment bar, Sierra sells a nice one and you can get them from boating supply stores. Some OMC/Bombardier triple guard grease for the driveshaft splines and Pennzoil Marine trailer wheel bearing grease for the gimble and u-joints.
Over on iboats someone once posted how to mod a bicycle pump with an outdrive pump to pressure test the drive for leaks.
If you learn how to do this, you will save money and minimize problems with the drive system. I just store it in the garage, if I find water in the gear oil I take it to the shop to get re-sealed over the winter. I have a cover for the transom mount to keep moisture out of the gimble area.

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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

There is no specific number of pumps when greasing a gimbal bearing (or any bearing for that matter). In the case of the gimbal, pump until you feel resistance. At the moment you feel resistance, STOP. That might be 1 pump, or 10. If you keep pumping and pumping, and never feel any increased resistance, your bearing seal may have already blown out. Or your gun may be empty.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Mike if you look inside and see what happens when you grease the gimble with the drive off, there is no way you can blow out the seal. The seal is on the engine side, the rear side facing the bellows is open, so if you over grease, all that happens is that the grease oozes out of the bearing and there is a pile of grease in the bellows. I like to do it with the drive off so I turn the bearing while greasing and feel if its starting to get rough.
Its kind of like a super lube hub, the rear has a seal, but the front is open, so the excess grease comes right out.
I wish posting pix was easier on this site, I have lots of pix I could share but I find pix hosting sites to be a pain in the rear. So you have to take my word on it....

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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

When I replaced my gimble bearing I used a slide hammer with bearing puller jaws (3ea.) that fit into the driveshaft hole and hammered away took about 15 strikes and came right out. Like LouC said there is a seal right behind the bearing maybe about 1/8" to 1/4" away so be careful you don't damage it when you install the puller. The alignment tool I have was purchased on Ebay for around $100 it does Volvo and Merc you just have to drill a hole to set the depth of the bearing installer flange which was actually harder to do than the bearing itself (need a drill press).

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'96 200 Horizon 5.8l VP/SX