ujoint boot ripped ????????

[groupergulper]

just replaced gimbal bearing, all new boots, new trim limit switches, tested and adjusted everything, put boat in water, adjusted shift interrupter switch. boat runs out well, everything seemed great. Got it home, and was washing it and noticed a rip? in the bottom of the ujoint bellows. Still baffled? have no idea how? i do have the limit switches adjusted properly, according to the book, and the instructions that came with them. I hardly trimmed it up. so i guess since it got salt water in there, i need another gimbal bearing, and 2 new ujoints? and of course a new booot. But i dont know what caused it to fail. i dont want to have the same thing happen when i replace these. any ideas? thanks

[Tech Support]

Possibly the screwdriver slipped when installing the bellows? Hard to say what caused it to fail. If you fount the problem wuickly, you shouldn't need to replace the u-joints or gimbal bearing. Just get some fresh grease into them.

Tech Support

[groupergulper]

my dealer was going to warranty the boot kit, but now says that he is out of stock and will not be stocking them until the season. so, he said that sterndrive will honor the warranty? is this correct? thanks

[admin]

We do not have a fault free warranty on the bellows kits, but it wouldn't hurt to send a picture to warranty@sterndrive.cc with a picture of the tear. If they think it might have been a manufacturer defect, then they will send you a new bellows.

Tech Support

[groupergulper]

i will take a pic. it seems like the assumption is that the boot was installed incorrectly. other than jamming a sharp object into it, i dont know how you could put it on incorrectly. the tear is in the bottom of the valley of one of the ridges, from 5 oclock to 7 oclock. it ripped in a matter of 30 min run time. im baffled as to how it ripped. i did have the sterndrive tilted up at the ramp, and the new limit switches are installed according to the specs in the manual, and the trailer switch also. even if you dont warranty the boot, i need to find the problem so it doesnt happen again. I am experienced with putting on these boots but have never had a problem. Tom

[groupergulper]

Emailed pics

[admin]

The tear definately doesn't look like a manufacturer defect, it looks like something got in there and chewed it up. Make sure there was no loose items in the bellows and also make sure the hose clamps are in the proper spot. Its kind of hard to tell, but one of the pictures looks like a trim line or something is between the u-joint bellows and the exhaust bellows. See the arrow in the attached picture.

Tech Support

[Bt Doctur]

From the pic I also agree something caught the inner support spring and tore the boot.In the first pic it appears the U joints are very rusty looking. I`d pull the drive to inspect everything.

[groupergulper]

u joints are rusty as it ripped a few months ago, ive been working lots of hours and havent been able to work on it yet. after looking at it closer it looks like the spring may have moved and been caught by the u joint. i am positive the spring was at each end when i installed it. how would the end of that spring end up in the middle? my limit switches are correctly adjusted. i do have to tilt it up almost to full tilt when its on the trailer. could that have pulled it out of its grooves? it didnt with the old outdrive. the arrow in the pic is the exhaust bellows. it is also cut. i believe from the spring, if you look close you can see the end of the spring, it has an eye rolled on it. ????????