Help with alpha drive alignment?

[wruebs]

I have a twin 4.3's with mercruiser alpha one drives. My neighbor tells me that the drives need to be taken off and the spline shaft (or something pertaining to this) needs to be algined so it doesn't get wear marks and take out a bearing. He has a boat maintainence buisness. He is also out of town right now, so I'd like to get some opinions before I see him. I have a clymer service manual that has no mention of this. He also says that this should be done every year of it's used alot. I've always worked on my own boats, but I had OMC drives before this boat, which I had for four years now.

Any longtime merc owners out there hear of this? I like to learn as much as possible before I pay somebody to do something I may be able to do. Thanks for any responses.

[frenchriver1]

Try the website for the manufacturer. They would be the best source of such type info, with all due respect to those who post here...

[Priority1]

Yes the out drives need to be pulled and serviced yearly. Here is a Mercruiser site.
http://www.sterndrive-information.com/wwwboard/index.php?act=SC&c=2

[SalmonBum]

If you use your boat more than 50 hrs a yr, you MUST remove the Lower unit and grease the spline and U-joints, especially if it's an older boat. Some newer Merc's have sealed U-joints, and a zerk fitting on the shaft just inside the transom assy. usually, it's easier to get to it by removing the Lower instead (I pull the newer Merc's I do). The newer Volvo’s still need to be pulled to be serviced. I had an old 88 OMC that was serviced every yr by the previous owner, and then I had it for 5 yrs. The people I sold it to in 2002 still have it, and I'm guessing that it's pushing 2500+ on the original Lower unit. Why? Maintenance. Every Fall I pulled the lower, checked the gimbal bearing, greased the U-joints, used "Spline" grease on the spline (not bearing grease), replaced the gaskets and Impeller, and changed the lower unit fluid. The reason I do this in the fall is if I find a problem, I can have it worked on thru the winter rather than in the spring when shops are booked. If you have water in the oil and don't change it out, there is a possibility that there is enough to freeze and crack the I/O .

As for aligning the Lower, it's very rare you need to do this. The main reasons for having to re-align the lower is :
1. Hit something
2. Motor mount bolts have come loose and let the motor drop
3. It was set-up wrong from the factory (I have seen this the most)

Not to say you should get it checked every yr or so, but when I take mine off and it goes back on like butter, I'm guessing it's OK. If something did happen to get the motor\Lower out of align, usually you will have a problem well before you pull it off for service. If it does go out of align, it doesn't take long for it to tear thru Gimbals, couplers, etc.....

If you don’t feel comfortable doing this yourself, you can get a mechanic to all the above (including the alignment) for about $125.