www.iFourWinns.com

How ironic, earlier this season, I discussed out drive maintaince schedules on this board. Sunday I pulled my drives to grease the u-joints and find water in one of the u-joint bellows. Questions: best source for bellows and do I change the gimbal bearing because it has been wet? It feels good and spins freely. I don’t know how long it was wet for. The maximum would be two years, more likely less than one season. Dan

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Current Boat: 1994 278 Four Winns Vista

Here is my thought process.

Yes, it "may" still be good and you could probably put it in and be fine with it for a long time...who knows.

Or, err on the side of caution and replace it. You already have things apart so you might as well go all the way. It sure beats being stranded on the lake....

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Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

can't go wrong with replacing the bearing to be safe, if you want to save a few bucks you can go with mallory stuff, i have been using their stuff for several years with few issues. however you can rarely go wrong with factory parts, except for the price sometimes!

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Brian Borchik
The Winds of Cold Springs Harbor Marina
Baldwinsville, NY

I do agree with changing the gimble unless you are sure it turns completely smoothly. This is in fresh water, right...salt for sure you'd have to change it.
This is why I advise pulling the drives in the fall, water doesn't sit that long and you have time to fix it in the off season.
Bellows, go with OE parts...

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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

Yes it is fresh water. Certainly for the next few seasons, I will be pulling the drives at the end.
I would like some input. Four years ago I changed both u-joint bellows and starboard gimbal. At that time the bellows were each cut on the side at about the two o'clock position. We noticed that the clamp tighten screws were aligned perfectly with the cut. I was informed that the clamp should be at 12:00. I paid to have a mechanic install the new bellows. I haven't checked the position, but it sure seems early for a failure. The season after I paid to have mine done, I changed my friend's (same boat). It is VERY difficult to tighten the clamp with it in this position. And by the way, it is very difficult to seat the bellows and make sure it is in proper position, with bellows adhesive all over your hands. I wouldn't mind some input, gotta do it myself because the shops are booked for weeks. Dan

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Current Boat: 1994 278 Four Winns Vista

It's a little extra work, but I always remove the pivot housing each after season (undo the big plastic nut on the water pipe, slacken off or remove the shift cable clamp, remove the bolt holding the ground cable, remove the trim sender -2 bolts and then the 2 pivot bolts; they need a 1/2" hex driver bit, even though they look like they have splines).

I do it primarily so I can give the transom assembly (and inside the pivot housing) a good clean and coating of antifoul paint, as I boat in salt water. However, it gives much better access to the bellows and clamp (and the gimbal bearing). I find the bellows go onto the transom shield groove very easily; they just push on. Maybe your clamp, allthough slackened off, was still too tight ? When I'm pushing the bellows on, I have the clamp very loose. With the improved access it's easy to make sure it's in the right place with the ground wire tab under it once the bellows are in place.

The VP recommendation is that the clamp screw body is in the one or two -o-clock position. A flexible shaft driver with a socket end makes tightening the clamp easy (their "special tool" is in fact one of those!).

If you do decide to go the pivot housing removal route, a hint; when replacing the pivot housing, loosely attach the ground cable before fitting the pivot bolts; it's a lot less fiddly !

Hey,
With water in the bellows, you can bet money the gimbal bearing needs to be replaced too. Pulling the outdrive, checking for water in the bellows, alignment, greasing the couple splines is yearly maintenance. Bellows should be replaced after 5 years.
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Are you looking for the best flexible bellows | protective bellows

Anyone in DFW area that has done this? I am pretty mechanically inclined, but have never attempted this. Could supply beers to a soul that would like to oversee...

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2006 FW 203 FS
2005 Dodge Laramie 1500
2003 CRF 247F SuperMoto racer
2001 CBR1100XX