[jasfiveo]

I have been having problems with getting the boat in and out of gear and the mechanic just called and said my outdrive (upper unit) needs replaced. Ouch to say the least. He quoted $2200-2500 to rebuild it. I have read about this and it is a very technical fix. Should I buy a remanufactured drive....a new drive...or let him rebuild it. Is the lower unit going to go out soon after or should it be replaced too. I looked at a entire new outdrive and it was $5500 (not including labor). I am very upset and need some input on this. Has anyone had to replace theirs? This sucks....could it have not waited until the end of the season. Damn boats...all they want is your money (like women).

[Dredd]

I've been hearing good things about Jasper drives. They have a better warranty than MerCruiser and a complete Alpha One Gen II can be had for ~$1500.

[MAJIC]

Hey Jasfiveo!

I just went through this last year. Mine went out due to a previous accident that the previous owner hid from me when I purchased it...

Anyway - I've got the same B3/7.4L setup you have. The thing to look for in the lower unit is any play in the shaft. Depending on what went in the upper unit, it may have caused the lower unit to move outside of specs - causing imbalance and impacting bearings, alignment, gear wear, etc.

I got the upper and lower units replaced for around $4,500 - a big ouch when I didn't do anything that caused it...

I haven't heard of Jasper before. If you put it on - who will maintain and fix it - if it breaks?

The outdrives should last just about the life of the engine. What caused your's to malfunction? I would make sure that your replacement isn't going to do the same thing.

Finally - I looked for rebuilts on line and by the time I got it shipped, inspected and installed it wasn't any less expensive then having the marina put on a rebuilt that they'll stand by.

I hope that helps!

[Dredd]

Originally Posted by MAJIC

I haven't heard of Jasper before. If you put it on - who will maintain and fix it - if it breaks?

They're just rebuilt Merc drives. I'm not sure how extensive their dealer network is but I happen to have one locally. There's a dealer search tool on their site.

[dieselwiezil]

depending on where your at, you can find used ones for not to bad of a price <700. Gotta be careful and inspect it make sure your not buyin the same problem you have. I have noticed alot of the ALPHAS for sale like from 08 boats because people are re-powering with big blocks and bravos.

[jasfiveo]

I think I am going to go the remanufactured route. It comes with an 18 month warranty. I went to the marina and saw my outdrive. They had a pair of vice grips on the spot where the shift cable would go and asked me to try to move it forward or reverse. It was extremely hard. I then went into the boat and the shifter (obviously disconnected from the outdrive) was smooth as butter. They had not gotten into the housing and did not know if it was bearings, shims, etc. causing it to stick. They could rebuild it for less money but I am going to pony up and just have it replaced with a warranty. No significant event caused the problem just kept getting worse each season and I do not want to keep rolling the dice and get stuck on the lake. I'll say it again...DAMN BOATS!!!