oil leak in my alpha 1
 

I decided it was about time to dig my ChrisCraft 169 out of the
mothballs to start the spring boating.

it was winterized correctly, but needles to say. I'm wondering what is
going on. it appears to ahve gear lube oil seeping from the lower end,
especially from between the prop and lower end housing and also from
the bottom of the water intake ports, left the lower end in "trailer"
position for the last 6 months, and was wondering if I have seal[s]
going out? or is this a sign of a more serious complication. I was
wondering if there is anything I could inspect before taking it to a
marina. Understandably, those guys are pretty well covered up this time
of year, and if ti's something simple I'd like to get going.

any help is appreciated.
Thanks!

On 16 May 2005 19:47:12 -0700, "Tim" wrote:

I decided it was about time to dig my ChrisCraft 169 out of the
mothballs to start the spring boating.

it was winterized correctly, but needles to say. I'm wondering what is
going on. it appears to ahve gear lube oil seeping from the lower end,
especially from between the prop and lower end housing and also from
the bottom of the water intake ports, left the lower end in "trailer"
position for the last 6 months, and was wondering if I have seal[s]
going out? or is this a sign of a more serious complication. I was
wondering if there is anything I could inspect before taking it to a
marina. Understandably, those guys are pretty well covered up this time
of year, and if ti's something simple I'd like to get going.

any help is appreciated.
Thanks!

This suggests a leaky seal on the downshaft of the upper unit, or the
tail shaft of the lower unit.
Cheap Approach: check /fill oil levels, take a ride.
Inspect for leakage and level after.
Bristol Approach: Get a pressure check,
replace seals as necessary.

Brian Whatcott

Thanks Brian,

I thought to myse3lf, I dot' have time for this crap, so I toook it to
a friend of mine who isn't really a mechanic, but used to work part
time for a marine mechanic when in highschool. Not skillfull, but
knowledgeable.

it looked at the bottom, and saw where somebody had welded on the
housing to fill up soe type of crack. We thought that in it's previous
life it had been frozen, but are more covinced that it was hit. We did
siome scraping around inside the drain hole, and found SAND!

ARRRRGH! somebody hit it, did a quick fix (sor of) then threw it on
ebay to get rid of it.

So....

I will say it IS a nice boat and worth more than I gave for it, but I'm
thinking on installing a new bottom end lower half.

Costly, but it's done right.

Thanks!
Tim

The old saying: "Always hope for the best and expect the worst"

I took the boat to a good marine mechanic, and he told me that he
really didn't think it was that bad, and could be repaired fairly
easily. He told me after he had the lower end dissasembled, he'd tell
me the olutcome and give me an estimate. But so far he said it would
propbably be about $150-175.00 to change the seals, flush out the
housing, inspect the gears and weld the casting. This guy has been
working on boats for about 30 years, and from what I gather the people
I've talked with say he's "the man"


*Whew*

"Tim" wrote in
oups.com:

But so far he said it would
propbably be about $150-175.00 to change the seals, flush out the
housing, inspect the gears and weld the casting. This guy has been
working on boats for about 30 years, and from what I gather the people
I've talked with say he's "the man"


Look closely at his face when you ask him for this in writing....(c;

$175 is the price for a nut on an Alpha One....

Oh, I understand.

where I was getting the real concern is all the oily looking crap
bleeding fromt he water intake and the prop. he told me that what that
was,...was a mixture of green anti-freeze and some RV "pink crap".

When I got the boat, i noticed there was a portion of a bottle of "pink
crap" back by the engine compartment. so actually, no leaks.

But I wanted him to do an inspection on it anyhow. I have heard ghost
stories of somebody getting out in the middle of the lake with a burned
out gimple or lower end. Not saying it would happen, but it could
happen.... he's going to pull the unit also and install a new lower
water pump, inspect the shafts and gears.. concerning the crack in the
housing? The friend that recommended him to me, told me that he welded
up a hole in his bravo 1 , and there was no problem.

So, I'm pretty confident in his work. if the lower end is shot,(which
I really doubt) I'll pay him for his time and if I think his estimate
is too high, I'll get a new aftermarket lower end from ebay. I don't
know if they are better or worse, but they have a one year warrenty for
less than $800.00 , a book, and do it myself.

Tim

"Tim" wrote in
oups.com:

I don't
know if they are better or worse, but they have a one year warrenty for
less than $800.00 , a book, and do it myself.


Outdrives scare me. I like a little more between me and the sea flooding
in around me than a rubber diaphram....

I heard a woman frantically calling for help on 16 last summer. She was
screaming about the boat flooding and someone got her to beach it on one of
the harbor's little islands before it sank. The diaphram in her outdrive
had ruptured, probably from lack of proper maintenance, and water was
flooding in around the drive. She was OK after the grounding.

Every time I see an outdrive underwater at the marina here in the salt
water, I swear I can hear something fizzing away underwater as the sea
consumes amazingly expensive parts you can't flip up out of the water like
an outboard. Today I was staring down into the jet pump on an amazingly
expensive Hinckley jet-powered picnic boat and wondered what all the
corrosion was about on the amazingly expensive jet parts I could see in the
murky salt water.....fizzing away, too?...(c;

LOL! I agree Larry, I live in S. IL. and don't know what salt water
even looks like. Been a long time since I was around an ocean.

I did take the "diaphram and gaskets into consideration. I asked the
mechanic to check it all out. I don't know how many boats I've seen on
ebay say something like "Minor leak aound the outdrive at the transom"
UUUGH! scarry thought.

Anyhow, he didn't say a pricce but I got a call on my answering machine
where he called and said "he fixed the oil leak and put a new water
pump in the outdrive." He also said the outdrive pressured fine and the
diaphram and bellows were in great condition. I'll find out how much
I'm hit for when I pick it up tomorrow.

But last thing se said was "It's ready for the lake"

Tim

Today I was staring down into the jet pump on an amazingly
expensive Hinckley jet-powered picnic boat and wondered what all the
corrosion was about on the amazingly expensive jet parts I could see in
the
murky salt water.....fizzing away, too?...(c; ""

Of course, if you can afford something like that, I doubt if you're
worried about the "fizz"

Well, here's the latest.

I picked it up today and payed the bill. parts $115.90 Labor 2-1/2 hrs
87.50.

"Removed and replaced lower unit. reseaql leak replace lower pump.

Alpha 1 waterpump kit 77.80, shift seal 17.95, lower unit grease 7.95,
trim tab 12.20

total w/tx. 211.20

we talked about it for about a half hr. and he was giving me the
details and what and how to check stuff. he was pretty thorough. he
wasn't far off his guestimation of $175. so I'm not griping.

I think it was a fair shake. now...TO THE LAKE!!

Tim

On 21 May 2005 12:01:32 -0700, "Tim" wrote:


Well, here's the latest.

I picked it up today and payed the bill. parts $115.90 Labor 2-1/2 hrs
87.50.

"Removed and replaced lower unit. reseaql leak replace lower pump.

Alpha 1 waterpump kit 77.80, shift seal 17.95, lower unit grease 7.95,
trim tab 12.20

total w/tx. 211.20

we talked about it for about a half hr. and he was giving me the
details and what and how to check stuff. he was pretty thorough. he
wasn't far off his guestimation of $175. so I'm not griping.

I think it was a fair shake. now...TO THE LAKE!!

Tim

Stay away from the shallow rocks!

Brian Whatcott Altus, OK

"Tim" wrote in
ups.com:

But last thing se said was "It's ready for the lake"



When I'm at a boat show and some slick used car salesman in boat shoes is
spouting off about his twin, counter-rotating outdrives finer features....I
always ask, seemingly out of the blue, "How much does it cost when it hits
a rock about here?", pointing to the front of the outdrive just above the
bulge where the horizontal propshaft forward bearing is hidden away in the
pot metal housing....(c;

Why does a lower drive unit cost more than a 2005 Ford Focus straight off
the showroom floor without rebates?

"Tim" wrote in
oups.com:

Of course, if you can afford something like that, I doubt if you're
worried about the "fizz"



Oh, I don't think so, Tim....

Those rich people are awful finicky about those Hinckley picnic boats....

Brian Whatcott wrote in
:

Stay away from the shallow rocks!

Brian Whatcott Altus, OK



Wow! Tim got out CHEAP!......

On Sat, 21 May 2005 20:26:25 -0400, Larry W4CSC
wrote:

"Tim" wrote in
oups.com:

But last thing se said was "It's ready for the lake"



When I'm at a boat show and some slick used car salesman in boat shoes is
spouting off about his twin, counter-rotating outdrives finer features....I
always ask, seemingly out of the blue, "How much does it cost when it hits
a rock about here?", pointing to the front of the outdrive just above the
bulge where the horizontal propshaft forward bearing is hidden away in the
pot metal housing....(c;

Why does a lower drive unit cost more than a 2005 Ford Focus straight off
the showroom floor without rebates?

You know the answer - low volume equals high price. And that casting
is an aluminum alloy not pot metal, as far as I know

Brian Whatcott Altus, OK

On Sat, 21 May 2005 20:28:05 -0400, Larry W4CSC
wrote:

Brian Whatcott wrote in
:

Stay away from the shallow rocks!

Brian Whatcott Altus, OK



Wow! Tim got out CHEAP!......

....this time!

:-)

Brian W

Brian Whatcott wrote in
:

You know the answer - low volume equals high price. And that casting
is an aluminum alloy not pot metal, as far as I know

Brian Whatcott Altus, OK


Hmm....it always looks like pot metal after the zincs fizz away...(c;

No takers on why it costs more than the 2005 Ford Focus?

Wow! Tim got out CHEAP!......

....this time!

Aw shucks. were's still talking about a disposable 18 ft runabout. I
still have less than 2K in the whole package, and it's a nice
boat...for what it is.

lower end more than a Ford Focus? probably because they can charge that
much and get by with it.

I can understand what you're saying about the slickmiester sales geek.
only pointing out the "advantages"

LOL!

No takers on why it costs more than the 2005 Ford Focus?


OK, I'll bite.

Why does it cos more than a 2005 Ford Focus????