Alpha I Gen II Bellows Replacement

Trying to get my bearings here. Tell me if I have thing right or not.

The (inner) shift cable has an end fitting/slide on the drive side. Remove that and the cable comes out from the inside of the boat. I think Your year probably has a nut on the forward side of the cable housing brass end. The important thing here is to look carefully at the route that the cable goes around the Y pipe. In fact, take multiple pix of different angles. Then the cable housing should pull out the drive end. You might have to do a little pushing from the inside as well as pulling.
 
Charlie - You got it.

- Disconnect the cable from the engine side and remove the connection rod - cable core will slide out from transom.
- Transom end of cable has a fitting that screws into gimbal - you need a special sized socket to remove this. It is part of the cable, so when you loosen, the whole cable turns.
- Once cable is loose from the gimbal, it slides out from the transom side. There is also a plastic sheath wrapped around the cable that protects it from rubbing against the exhaust Y pipe. I have read that you MUST remove this sheath or the cable will not slide out through the transom assembly. If you try and force it the sheath will bunch up in the transom assembly and big mess. I can get my hand on this sheath, but it does not want to slide up the cable so I can remove it. So, knowing I am replacing the entire cable, my question is can I just cut the cable at the gimbal (removing the retainer fitting on the cable) and just slide it out from inside the boat - this way I don't have to worry about the plastic sheet getting caught in the transom assembly. It sounds simple enough and probably and probably is the easiest way to do this, I would just like to hear from someone who has done it. The access is in the area where this cable goes through the transom, if you mess something up it would be impossible to get in and fix it.
 
Remove the spirial sheath, remove the slide and guide tube from the cable inside the boat,pull drive and pull core from sheath.
cut the plastic guide tube and use a 9/16ths thin wall 6 point socket to loosen the cable nut.

Now pay attention:
get yourself an old control cable core about 10 feet long. pass it completely thru the old cable and tie off the boat end.
From the transom, pull the old cable out , this leaves the solid core as a guide .
Now send enough of this core to the transom so to pass completely thru the new cable core and visegrip the end at the plastic guide tube. As you pull the core from inside the boat ,it will act as a guide to pull the new cable thru the transom motor mount area.
Once pulled thru, tighten the nut into the gimbal housing WHILE TURNING THE CABLE CORE INSIDE THE BOAT .

To do the shift bellows, once the cable core is removed leaving the solid core , retract it as much as needed to pass it thru the new shift bellow and back thru the housing or CAREFULLY retract it just enough to install the bellow and slide it back thru the bellows.
 
I guess there have been 3 types of shift cable brass ends that went into the bell housing. The original screwed into the bell housing from the forward end. That type would get the brass threads stuck in the bell housing.

Then there was the brass end that screwed from the drive side and had a nut on the forward end.

The one I like required, on earlier models, the threads drilled out in the ball housing and the brass end just slid thru the bell housing with a securing nut on the forward end. This was the easiest design. My boats all had very early models so I drilled out the bell housing on 3 boats. Worked like a charm.
 
Mine has the brass nut/fitting attached to the cable outer cover, screws into the gimbal and requires a special "skinny" deep 9/16 socket. None of that is my issue - my problem is getting the plastic sheath that is wrapped around the cable on the inside of the boat where it rubs against the Y-pipe. I can't get that to come of, so the cable won't pull out through the transom. Thinking about just cutting the nut off and pulling the cable back through the inside of the boat. Just wondering if anyone has done that - don't think it will be an issue, but wanted to be sure.
 
Are you talking about the spiral wound nylon sheath? Never had one stick...but I think it should unwind. If nothing else, cut the cable housing with a small bolt cutter or big dikes.
 
Yes! Can't seem to get the spiral sheath loose. Going to work on it this weekend, but my question is, is there any reason I can't just cut the cable and pull it in through the boat if I can't get the sheath off? Not planning to re-use any parts of the old cable.
 
Reason I'm glad to read alien's post is that it can be VERY difficult to fish the new through if you haven't come up with a guide of some kind. It's a maze down there and if you ever had it in right, you want to be able to replicate that positioning.
 
You talkin about the cable or the cable housing. The steel cable is easy to get out. No reason you can't cut the housing, as long as you KNOW how to route the housing inside the boat.
 
Yes Charlie, the cable housing, getting the inner core out is not a problem. Was going to attached a pull string before I pull the outer cover out.
 
Worked on this yesterday:

- Pulled bell housing, removed old bellows, water hose, gear lube hose, shift cable.
- Installed new water hose.
- Installed new trim senders.
- Basically ready to put things back together.

So here are the issues I had - nothing ever goes completely smooth with a boat.

- A 10" section of gear lube hose runs from the bell housing to the transom assembly. The assembly that passes through the transom is plastic, with a quick disconnect on the boat side (to the gear lube bottle) and a 90 deg plastic barb fitting on the outside. I had read to be careful as this breaks very easily and depending on the boat you can play heck replacing the $15 part. Yep it broke! Good news is after an hour of moving the power steering cooler out of the way, I have good access on the inside and easily removed the fitting. A new one is on the way.

- The shift cable is not wanting to come loose from the bell housing - on that sheath I was fretting about, I reached in with a pair of needle nose plyers and just yanked it out! I have the special tool for Alphas, but it does seem to be doing the job. It is a socket with a slot down the side so it can fit over the cable, but when I really apply pressure, the socket flexes (because of the slot) and slips. It's soaking in PB Blaster right now, going to get a deep 9/16" socket and have another go at it. Next will be heat. If that doesn't work, I guess we will be drilling it out.

Overall it's not going to bad - I knew the shift cable was going to be a PIA. I knew about the oil hose fitting being fragile and in spite of being careful still broke it. The hinge pins were tight has heck! But some grunting and a breaker bar got them loose.

This a big job - not really hard technically, just that everything is hard to get to, and dirty and stuck. It takes more time than you think. But I am still hundreds of $'s ahead and I have a few new boat tools.
 
Yeah, I made that slotted socket, but figured as long as the housing was gonna be cut anyway, why not cut the housing right next to that nut and use a regular socket. Also, after you get the rest of that brass tube out, does it slide out the back. The thing is, that style should not have been that hard to remove the nut. It's just anchoring the cable housing end...as long as it ain't the type that the whole brass tube threads into the bell housing.
 
Mine slides out the front - the whole brass tube threads into the bell housing.
 
That's the kind we try to get rid of. Went out to check a '78 transom assembly. It had the same older style. I thought I converted it already. This was one of the conversions GVP gave us. I did the conversion on at least one other drive. It just required drilling out the threads in the bell housing with, I believe, a 5/8" bit. The new brass tube had a flanged nut incorporated in the forward end and the bell housing side was threaded for a nut. At least that's my recollection. It was the salt that got into the threads of the bell housing that locked the tube in place.

Just a thought...maybe Geo has that fix in his mechanical How-to articals

http://www.boatered.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=67
 
Interesting, mine is a 1999 Gen II. The brass fitting (nut, threads) is part of the shift cable. I'm going after it full bore tonight - it's been soaking in PB Blaster since yesterday, I've got a hardened up deep socket 9/16" 6 point and a propane torch. If that doesn't get it out I guess we will be drilling and tapping. I think my nifty little removal tool buggered it up. With the slot down the side it is not strong enough, it flexes and slips on the brass nut. Hopefully I quit messing with it before I screwed it up too bad and a real socket will grip it. With boats it seems the hard is always easy and the easy is always hard! I was all worked up over the hinge pins, they came out like butter compared to the shift cable!
 
Ok - finally got the shift cable out. It was tight, but once I got a good 6pt deep socket on it, it moved. Soaking overnight in PB Blaster probably helped also. I think the root of the issue is the junk shift cable tool, it just isn't very strong and was flexing when I put some torque to it. Just glad it's out without heat, drilling etc.
 
So I pretty well wrapped this job up yesterday. For a review, here is what I did over 3 Saturdays.

List of repairs done:
-Replace raw water pump impeller
-Check/adjust engine alignment
-Check gimbal bearing
-Install new transom tilt switch
-Replace trim limit/sender swtiches
-Replace u-joint, exhaust and shift cable bellows
-Replace shift cable

Day1:
-Pulled outdrive
-Replaced water pump
-Repainted lower half of outdrive
-Inspected gimbal bearing / checked engine alignment
-Installed transom tilt switch

Day2:
Dis-assembled everything - removed bellhousing, old bellows, shift cable.
Cleaned up bell housing.

Day3:
-Installed new trim sensors
-Installed new u-joint bellows
-Installed new exhaust tube
-Installed new shift cable / bellows
-Installed new water hose
-Installed new gear lube hose
-Installed gear lube transom fitting (broken during disassembly

Total cost, including the special tools I needed $413.

Special tools:
Hinge pin removal tool
Shift cable socket tool
Bellows retainer ring install tool
Alignment tool
- Total cost $100.36

I used Sierra parts, really went back on forth on this, it wasn't about cost (there is about $100 difference), it was just I can't see paying more for the same thing. I was able to physically compare the Sierra / OEM parts side by side and I just could not see any difference.

The two parts that prompted this repair where the shift cable bellows (leaking) and the trim limit switch (could not trim up) - the u-joint and exhaust bellows still looked to be in decent shape.

This is a hard job! Not technically, but physically. Things are very hard to access, stuck together, heavy and dirty. I did all of the work alone except the shift cable - I had help feeding it through the transom. It is about impossible to get it fed around the Y-pipe without a helper.

Some final thoughts:
-You cannot do this job without the tools I listed above - you will drive yourself nuts and probably damage your new parts.

-Get a good flexible shaft screw driver and every conceivable swivel socket combination you can think of for the clamps, you will need them.

-Take pictures of everything, you won't remember things when you go to re-assemble.

-I went with an exhaust tube this time. I hear it will make the engine sound a little louder, but is was easy to install and saved $ on the special tool

-Be careful removing the oil line and water hose when removing the bell housing - just cut them and replace with new. If not you risk breaking the plastic fittings that pass these through the transom. Depending on the boat you could have a real problem replacing a $15part due to the tight access behind the engine. I broke my oil fitting - took another 3hrs of removing stuff to get it replaced - on most boats the oil cooler and steering has to come loose to access it. I real PIA.

So in the end, I'm tired and a little banged up, but my wallet still has the $1000 labor in it and I feel a pretty good sense of accomplishment. I am not looking forward to doing this job again anytime soon.

Last remaining item is fine tuning the shift cable adjustment next weekend with the boat in the water.
 
BillK - thanks for an excellent write-up! I need that job done on 2 Alphas this spring, and as great as your instructions are (they really are!) I'm leaning more and more toward having someone else do it.

I'm capable enough, but I have some physical limitations. Just reading about the job from other sources led me to believe it might be too physically taxing for me, and I think you just confirmed it.

You have a right to feel proud of yourself.

John
 
John - Thanks. I would do it again (just not anytime soon), the key is taking your time and having the right tools. Having another person would be a big help.
 
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