LouC wrote:
This is why, I have said for a long time you really should be pulling the drive and checking alignment. In this case you would have not been able to avoid the repair because the when the engine was replaced the wrong washers were used, but in most cases if you are pulling the drive once a year or at least every other year you will know it when its off, and can investigate why. If you buy a new boat it should be done while under warrantee and a new to you boat should be done as well before you start using it.
If you do this regular maintenance the gimble bearing, u joints, the drive itself will all last much longer. Leave it on and never check will result in a big enough bill to make some just sell it.
Totally agree! Once you get over the initial hump of building or buying an outdrive cart and alignment tools, it really isn't that bad of a job.
Also, given the pressures involved on the spline, a grease high in molybdenum disulfide (e.g. Loctite 51048 Moly Paste Anti-Seize Compound) should be used on the spline instead of regular grease.