alpha 1 noise

[ihoyte]

[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]hi all-
i just had a new alpha 1 outdrive installed and it is making a noise at approx 800-1000 rpm. the dealer says "don't worry about it, it works fine" but i don't agree. please take a listen to the youtube link and let me know if anyone has any ideas and/or if i'm being unreasonable in demanding it gets fixed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igQ--9CBWn8

thanks

iain

ps. the dealer seems like a good guy but it's not a clear cut call and i'm guessing it may be tough to isolate the noise.
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[Weave]

What about a second opinion?
Is your boat on a trailer, in the water????
What is motor/engine is the drive mated with????
All this info could help the guys around here better adress your question.

Adding the boat info like motor, boat size, location in your signature is very helpful

 

[Sorrento 25]

If its normal, have him let you take a listen to a few more Alpha drives that do the same thing. That should ease your concerns. :grin:

 

[ihoyte]

wow, you guys are quick to respond!!
i have a 2004 weekender 215 5.0 litre mercruiser. the boat is still in the water and seems to operate ok. the new outdrive is a replacement from hitting bottom (only the lower unit hit mud/smal rock). the old outdrive did NOT make this noise. the dealer acknowledged that the noise was not normal but could not figure out what was making it. the only possibility they came up with was 'harmonic' something or another (can't remember). its a tough call as to whether i should make a fuss or not. its definately not right and i don't want it to crap out after 1yr and a day!! i'll have to get a 2nd opinion but would be interested in what other folks thought.

 

[Sorrento 25]

If it was properly aligned then the drive must be bad and the warranty on the unit should cover his replacement labor. Don't back down. The vibration could be causing other damage (coupler???).

 

[Turtlesboat]

mine don't sound like that.

 

[Mike-n-Jolie]

Sounds like pinion mesh(lash) is incorrect. Just my opinion.

 

[Sundancer]

I think you need one more poll option. Invite the dealer to go for a ride and BREAK IT!

 

[garryowen]

If it was properly aligned then the drive must be bad and the warranty on the unit should cover his replacement labor. Don't back down. The vibration could be causing other damage (coupler???).

agree. mine dosnt sound like that. blowing up a drive and getting towed in is NO FUN:smt100
plus your burning what warranty you have as we speak

:smt009

 

[Kameroo]

Good video. I can't tell you what the problem is, but can say that I've seen a lot of Alpha Ones and none made that sound. Your boat is trying to tell you something.

 

[ruf1967]

Mine does not make that sound. Maybe the gears aren't meshing correctly. Were you talking about a "harmonic balancer"?

 

[Weave]

How many hours on it after making that noise? If there is bad mesh/lash of the pinion gears I would venture to say that your drive lube would be contaminated and grayish streaked. Also if you change the lube, the magnetic drain may answer some questions with respect to gear wear by looking at the fragments. The website below has some good info on Merc drives. Educate yourself so the dealer doesn't pull a fast one on you. Have you considered getting a second opinion?
http://www.sterndrives.com/gray_mush_in_gearlube.html

 

[ihoyte]

weave-
the noise was there the minute i picked it up. i notified the dealer the next morning. he says he will pull the outdrive and check for shavings etc. when it gets pulled for the season (any day).
thx
i

 

[Weave]

Good deal....let us know the findings.

 

[SR Tech]

Did they replace the whole outdrive? or just the lower gear housing?

 

[ihoyte]

sr tech-

they replaced the whole outdrive, not just the lower unit.

 

[ihoyte]

ruf1967-

its at the tip of my tongue....i knew what term he was refering to but can't remember right now. not harmonic balancer but a noise created when a certain freqency of vibration is created (by the motor and/or outdrive) and it causes a part to vibrate and make a noise, or an echo in the hull.

i
what the hell is that term!!

 

[Gunn]

I think he was referring to a "resonant frequency" where at a particular rpm or speed, that sound will be there and may grow, until you change the rpm. I have that issue in my Chevelle at 45mph due to a chipped tooth on the rearend ring gear...

I would agree with others that there was probably an issue with shimming all the gears inside of the outdrive properly; whether it was rebuilt or new. Looking for metal shavings is a great idea to find out how bad. But it still should be fixed!

 

[Nehalennia]

Something's wrong. It should never make that noise. They just realize it's a few hours to fix properly and think they can get you down the road long enough until it grenades....then ask you: "What did you do?"
Take it back now.

 

[ihoyte]

thanks to all for your input.

i'll push for getting this noise thing corrected. we'll see what the dealer & mercruiser say. i'll post what happens although i probably won't know the final result until spring.

iain