YOU SAVED MY VACATION! I tried twice before I was successful. The first time I attached the tye wraps to the third rib, it didn't work because the top part of the bellow (which you can't see) wasn't inserted properly. The second time, I attached the tye wraps to the fourth rib and put litle bit of grease around the bellows. While my wife slowly lowered the I/O, I used a small screwdriver to make sure the top part of the bellow was inserted properly. It took me about 30 minutes to fix it. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!😁
This video is a life saver! I spent 5 hours trying various techniques and couldn’t reattach the bellows. I’m pretty handy but with this, I felt defeated, exhausted, and depressed. Then I saw the video. Within 20 minutes the exhaust bellows was reattached and the clamp tightened up. Mission accomplished, spirits restored, a new confident outlook on life. Thank you for the outstanding tip! The Boat’s fixed and I’m emotionally sound again.
Love your good attitude! I am facing a no reverse issue, just wondering how the hell I could fix it. From the engine side, the shift cable hit a hard stop before reverse engaging. .
I did this today thanks to your video. New boot was so short and hard to stretch. Used the zip ties and after getting the trim angle set just right I was able to slip the rubber boot on flange and then attached the stainless clamp afterwards. It kept getting in the way so I did it last. Took me a while because of my arms getting tired. But you saved me from paying the boat shop $95 a hour to do. Now I am replacing the rubber exhaust connectors on the engine also. Thanks for the tip. It works.
I started to lower the boat lift yesterday when I happened to notice the exhaust bellows flopping down. The previous owner paid the marina $1500 a little over a year ago to replace the bellows, but it looks like they used silicone instead of bellows cement, allowing it to slide off. I was trying to figure out how I was going to remove the outdrive with the boat on the lift, and me in 4 feet of water, when I saw your video. I used a work platform from HD to stand on, and your fantastic idea in your video allowed me to make quick work of it. I used tie wraps all the way around and pulled them up tight, allowing me to do it by myself. You sir are a genius, I can't thank you enough. It took longer to get the tie wraps and socket for the clamp together than to get it done. It only took about 5 or 6 min.
Lol 😆 I fought for hours with my bellow then there was your video. I followed your procedure and I can’t thank you enough. Turned the job into a 10min job. I will never forget it thanks
We did it! We went by our local boat shop today to ask for tips and he said it's just plain hard and most people can't do it and I wouldn't even try to do it. Then we found this video and went home and gave your method a try and it worked. Thank you so much.
I have struggled for 6 hours now. I used the Quicksilver Bellows adhesive on both below and flange. The result was that when the engine side was done and fixed with the hose clamp, and I started on this 7 minute install trick, the bellow popped off on the transom side. almost like the flange is a cone. After 3 pop off's, I cleaned the bellow for adhesive with acetone, fixed it to the transom flange (with the adhesive on) I really had to work it on, due to the resistance in the adhesive. Then I could continue with the 7 minute trick (35 minutes hell for me), and finally, now it's fixed. I'll let it rest for a couple of days before I'm lifting the gear again. I did this 23 years ago, and now I remember that I made myself a promise: Never ever a Alpha one in my hands. My memory isn't what it was, apparently.
Big props to you and the making of this video!!!!!! I was in the battle of my life to get this bellows hose installed and was on the brink of just taking my boat to the shop. BUT THEN I FOUND YOUR VIDEO!! And i cant thank you enough for saving me the trip and money. it was still a lil tricky but i was able to get it installed and secured. (the first time it slipped off when i trimmed it up hahaha) I just cleaned the grease off and redid the steps and voila!!! It held and i am now back on the water. AGAIN....... THANKS
Great method for a PITA job. I used the zip ties and to do it myself i used a length of rope tied to each of the zip ties and the rope looped around my feet so when I laid under the O/D I could manipulate the bellows easily by pulling the bellows in as closed as needed with my feet.. worked great! Thanks for the ingenuity.
6/25/23 Fantasy video! Huge thank you for this video. Saved my husband the same frustration you were having. Again thanks so much for sharing your work around for installation. You're the Man!
Worked like a charm! I used tie wraps around the drive instead of the white tie rope. That was I could tighten it a little at a time so it didn’t bind the tube against the inlet. A little lithium grease and I pushed on the bellows in the middle until it slid right on. Thanks for the video!!
Awesome! I noticed today (unfortunately i was looking for a leak and saw bellow was off) and fought for a while. Taking boat home tomorrow and will get it reattached using this method. Will update when project is done! Thank you!!
Just saved me alot of time, you can do it by yourself just tie a rope with a loop around the outdrive and twist it tight pulling the zip ties up in place. Thanks man worked great!
Thank you for the video, it helped a lot! I didn’t have anyone to help pull on that zip ties so I hooked a bungee cord to each side and pulled it behind the outdrive and it held it in place.
Thank you for this awesome video, works like a charm, just follow instruction very well and you cannot miss it. I have done it and save me a lot of time, keep good work and thanks for that video. bellow install in about an hour with perfect fit. You can twist the clamp downward to help tighten it. AAA+++ THIS GUY IS AN EXPERT, THANKS AGAIN
Works great! Would recommend soap as well. I placed mine on the 4th rib in to give a little extra room to work with. Took a cloths pin apart and used to stretch around pipe with using a little dawn around the outside lip. 1 hour by myself.
I am in the basement watching your video in stereo and was going nuts trying to figure out what noise I was hearing upstairs... Left speaker and whatever sound coming from your video... LOL. Great video! Thanks
I love this system, I used it to install my bellows, but it was a headache, the bellow is round, and the pipe is oval, and when I brought the outdrive down it didn't just slip in. also when tightening it was not easy. but I think it is a good system. thank you. ( you can also do it with two paint stirring sticks tied down to hold bellows.
A great idea. I even did a trial run and it worked, but the minute you put the adhesive on, you will struggle because it does not want slide on like shown. JW. Orillia
This video was very helpful. However, my new rubber exhaust bellows was so stiff it was unmanageable. I warmed it up with a hair dryer to 120 Deg, F. This helped a lot to make it more pliable. Even so, after using the zip ties as explained in the video, I was still not able to muscle the bellows the rest of the way. I then slowly lowered the outdrive a little at a time, guiding the bellows carefully over the drive exhaust fitting. It basically installed itself. From the underside of the unit, I used two large screwdrivers to pry the bellows the last 1/2 inch or so. It was very easy to do. I lubricated the bellows and fitting using only water.
Would it be a lot easier to just instal the MerCruiser Exhaust Tube part number 78458A 1? The Exhaust Tube can be used in any location the Exhaust Bellow goes and it also helps lower engine exhaust back pressure on some boats. Some aftermarket exhaust tubes are reasonably priced compared to the OEM exhaust tube.
I’m gonna give it a try, I ordered my unjoint bellows because it tore and I tore my exhaust boot while removing and it’s gonna be after the weekend before I can get a new one here. I think I’m gonna keep on truckin and just use your method on Monday
Hi. Love your idea. Did you use bellows adhesive at all on this joint? After replacement. My bellows popped off at the transom side. It is impossible to put back on. I am going to remove it from the outdrive side and start over using your technique. I don't want to remove the drive again. Thanks again. Joe
Hi. Thank you for the great video. One thing I noticed is that you never used bellows adhesive. Did you use it on the UJ bellows / front of the exhaust bellows ? Stu
If you don't want to do it the right way merc has a exh tube made of rubber that only has one clamp but you still need bellows adhesive and when u are using the adhesive put the part on let it dry 20 minutes before an atemting to clamp same with the u joint bellows
Before I knew about the trick, I`ve tried to connect first with the hose already attached to the transom side and connect it to the drive side then tried to the other way with it already connected to the drive side. So that's where I`m at now. Think I can push it on there some kind of way to the transom side or just disconnect it from the drive side and connect it like in your video? That hose sure is a little short even with the drive all the way down. I guess the adhesive is not really necessary huh.
The u joint bellows and exh bellows and the one end of the shift cable bellows takes bellows adhesive no grease? Are the drives that hard to pull or is the gasket to expensive only takes a couple hours to change all the rubber parts don't see the benifit
Great video. What brand of bellows are you using. Some blogs say after market brands are smaller diameter and hard to get on. What has been your experience? That Joe
I like your way of thinking outside the box! Just wondering if something like this would work for the upper drive bellows as they are supposed to be glued on both ends to keep the water out. Not so important for the exhaust bellows.
Долгих лет тебе, великий человек. Я нахожусь в России,и если бы не ваш метод я бы сошëл с ума одевая этот сильфон. Воспользовавшись вашим способом, огромная экономия времени.
When you say cementing each side down,do you mean securely attached to each side? Just want to make sure adhesives aren't used for a water tight fit or something
I’m about half way through this, spent 3 hours on it yesterday, really struggling to get the bellows attached to the out drive. Do you have it in trailer tilt or just as far up as it will trim with the rocker switch?
What is the part number for the Mercruiser 3.0 exhaust boot / i bought one from Amazon 18654A1 and it seems the dimension is too small by 2 1/2 by 5 1/4...
I've been messed with that thing 3 hours 62 years old a seasoned mechanic but I just got taught a lesson thank you
YOU SAVED MY VACATION! I tried twice before I was successful. The first time I attached the tye wraps to the third rib, it didn't work because the top part of the bellow (which you can't see) wasn't inserted properly. The second time, I attached the tye wraps to the fourth rib and put litle bit of grease around the bellows. While my wife slowly lowered the I/O, I used a small screwdriver to make sure the top part of the bellow was inserted properly. It took me about 30 minutes to fix it. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!😁
I literally spent 6 hours trying to get this done the other day. Wish I saw your video before that thank you so much!
This video is a life saver! I spent 5 hours trying various techniques and couldn’t reattach the bellows. I’m pretty handy but with this, I felt defeated, exhausted, and depressed. Then I saw the video. Within 20 minutes the exhaust bellows was reattached and the clamp tightened up. Mission accomplished, spirits restored, a new confident outlook on life. Thank you for the outstanding tip! The
Boat’s fixed and I’m emotionally sound again.
Love your good attitude! I am facing a no reverse issue, just wondering how the hell I could fix it. From the engine side, the shift cable hit a hard stop before reverse engaging. .
I did this today thanks to your video. New boot was so short and hard to stretch. Used the zip ties and after getting the trim angle set just right I was able to slip the rubber boot on flange and then attached the stainless clamp afterwards. It kept getting in the way so I did it last. Took me a while because of my arms getting tired. But you saved me from paying the boat shop $95 a hour to do. Now I am replacing the rubber exhaust connectors on the engine also. Thanks for the tip. It works.
This was tremendously helpful! Just got my bellows project finished, and this was a lifesaver.
I started to lower the boat lift yesterday when I happened to notice the exhaust bellows flopping down. The previous owner paid the marina $1500 a little over a year ago to replace the bellows, but it looks like they used silicone instead of bellows cement, allowing it to slide off. I was trying to figure out how I was going to remove the outdrive with the boat on the lift, and me in 4 feet of water, when I saw your video. I used a work platform from HD to stand on, and your fantastic idea in your video allowed me to make quick work of it. I used tie wraps all the way around and pulled them up tight, allowing me to do it by myself. You sir are a genius, I can't thank you enough. It took longer to get the tie wraps and socket for the clamp together than to get it done. It only took about 5 or 6 min.
Lol 😆 I fought for hours with my bellow then there was your video. I followed your procedure and I can’t thank you enough. Turned the job into a 10min job. I will never forget it thanks
We did it! We went by our local boat shop today to ask for tips and he said it's just plain hard and most people can't do it and I wouldn't even try to do it. Then we found this video and went home and gave your method a try and it worked. Thank you so much.
Me and my boy put it back on in under 30 mins thanks to your video! Can’t thank you enough. Boats going in this weekend!
I have struggled for 6 hours now.
I used the Quicksilver Bellows adhesive on both below and flange. The result was that when the engine side was done and fixed with the hose clamp, and I started on this 7 minute install trick, the bellow popped off on the transom side. almost like the flange is a cone.
After 3 pop off's, I cleaned the bellow for adhesive with acetone, fixed it to the transom flange (with the adhesive on) I really had to work it on, due to the resistance in the adhesive.
Then I could continue with the 7 minute trick (35 minutes hell for me), and finally, now it's fixed.
I'll let it rest for a couple of days before I'm lifting the gear again.
I did this 23 years ago, and now I remember that I made myself a promise: Never ever a Alpha one in my hands. My memory isn't what it was, apparently.
you are the man!! thanks so much for making life easier. I was about to take the whole thing apart to get the exhaust belows in place.
Thanks! Excellent tip. It took some patience but I got the bellows attached. Didn't think it was possible. Smart guy!!
Big props to you and the making of this video!!!!!! I was in the battle of my life to get this bellows hose installed and was on the brink of just taking my boat to the shop. BUT THEN I FOUND YOUR VIDEO!! And i cant thank you enough for saving me the trip and money. it was still a lil tricky but i was able to get it installed and secured. (the first time it slipped off when i trimmed it up hahaha) I just cleaned the grease off and redid the steps and voila!!! It held and i am now back on the water.
AGAIN....... THANKS
Great method for a PITA job. I used the zip ties and to do it myself i used a length of rope tied to each of the zip ties and the rope looped around my feet so when I laid under the O/D I could manipulate the bellows easily by pulling the bellows in as closed as needed with my feet.. worked great! Thanks for the ingenuity.
Thanks funny stuff.
You need to make a video of that with the feet loops, thats badass! For me I'm always rolling solo so help is extremely rare for me.
Dude - you rock! After an hour of cursing, I came across your video. 10 minutes later, done! Big thank you from Texas!
Not his idea
So helpful, love when CZcams pulls through like this. Thanks
6/25/23 Fantasy video! Huge thank you for this video. Saved my husband the same frustration you were having. Again thanks so much for sharing your work around for installation. You're the Man!
Worked like a charm! I used tie wraps around the drive instead of the white tie rope. That was I could tighten it a little at a time so it didn’t bind the tube against the inlet. A little lithium grease and I pushed on the bellows in the middle until it slid right on. Thanks for the video!!
This is ABSOLUTELY brilliant! Works great!
Awesome! I noticed today (unfortunately i was looking for a leak and saw bellow was off) and fought for a while. Taking boat home tomorrow and will get it reattached using this method. Will update when project is done! Thank you!!
Been fighting this for a few hours and will try your trick tomorrow. Thank you for posting this!
Just saved me alot of time, you can do it by yourself just tie a rope with a loop around the outdrive and twist it tight pulling the zip ties up in place. Thanks man worked great!
Perfect! I've been putting off this job for sometime. I'll give it a go today.
I can't thank you enough for this video!!!!! FANTASTIC WORK!!!
Thats Awesome as i,m sure i have to do this in the near future!!
I’m trying this and I just can’t get it
Thank you for the video, it helped a lot!
I didn’t have anyone to help pull on that zip ties so I hooked a bungee cord to each side and pulled it behind the outdrive and it held it in place.
Thank you for this awesome video, works like a charm, just follow instruction very well and you cannot miss it. I have done it and
save me a lot of time, keep good work and thanks for that video. bellow install in about an hour with perfect fit. You can twist the clamp downward to help tighten it. AAA+++ THIS GUY IS AN EXPERT, THANKS AGAIN
Works great! Would recommend soap as well. I placed mine on the 4th rib in to give a little extra room to work with. Took a cloths pin apart and used to stretch around pipe with using a little dawn around the outside lip. 1 hour by myself.
This was super helpful. I used a ratchet strap to pull the zip ties tight and control the tension. A little white lithium grease was helpful as well.
Thank you for this video and everyone’s tips.
Worked for me like a champ!!! Thank you!!
I am in the basement watching your video in stereo and was going nuts trying to figure out what noise I was hearing upstairs... Left speaker and whatever sound coming from your video... LOL. Great video! Thanks
You're the man!!! This is why I love CZcams. Thank you
Thankyou!! This just made the job so easy. 1997 Bravo 2 leg
Dude! Thank you so much for this!!!!! Worked like a charm!!!
I fought this for about 20 min and then thought "theres gotta be a better way". Watched this video, done in 15 min. Can't thank you enough
Freaking genius love it. I also liked Rolf's feet idea. Amazing how one can be creative to getter done!
Thank you for making this video. made life much easier
U
After about an hour and a half of fighting with this today your video saved my ass!! Was on 15 minutes after watching. TY!
Thanks for the tips, one enhancement I made was I used CLAMPS Squeeze types to pull the zip ties without a helper.
Just finished this method! It works, hope the bellows stays on!
You are a Genius! This worked great, thank you
What kind of loser would thumbs down this video. This was awesome. Thanks man....
The guy who doesn't have to work on a i/o.. or he is just that unhappy fella always lol
The guy who put grease on the bellow to work it on instead of adhesive and it popped off, that sank his boat on a sundee first time in the water.
Will try this tomorrow after giving up trying to install today!
Awesome move with the zip ties saved me a time of time
Thank you so much for sharing this !!!.
This is pure genius did it in 10 minutes , got a tip for you to fit metal locking ring use oil filter lot of them seem to be exactly correct size
this is a genius idea. thank you for the video. helped me a ton.
Genius? Doesn't EVERYONE use zip ties [aka cable ties, tie wraps, etc] for just about ANYTHING that he can't do with DUCT TAPE?
I love this system, I used it to install my bellows, but it was a headache, the bellow is round, and the pipe is oval, and when I brought the outdrive down it didn't just slip in. also when tightening it was not easy. but I think it is a good system. thank you. ( you can also do it with two paint stirring sticks tied down to hold bellows.
Thanks Worked for me 3 zip ties and a ratchet strap 2 big screwdrivers and it was a 1 man job
A damn fine video. THANK YOU!
Thanks used this method and work great excellent video
A great idea. I even did a trial run and it worked, but the minute you put the adhesive on, you will struggle because it does not want slide on like shown. JW. Orillia
Thanks alot. Just tried the zippy thing and it worked petty good. Now to keep fingers crossed. Lol.
Awesome. THANK YOU!!! I wish I had watched this before I fought it for almost 2 hours. (and got my ass kicked). Round 2 tomorrow.
Life savor!!!! Thank you
Thanks, looks like it will be a big help.
Great tip! Took 5 min after struggling for an hour
Man you are saving us hours of frustrations....
Great tip !!! Thanks... will try it soon
This video was very helpful. However, my new rubber exhaust bellows was so stiff it was unmanageable. I warmed it up with a hair dryer to 120 Deg, F. This helped a lot to make it more pliable. Even so, after using the zip ties as explained in the video, I was still not able to muscle the bellows the rest of the way. I then slowly lowered the outdrive a little at a time, guiding the bellows carefully over the drive exhaust fitting. It basically installed itself. From the underside of the unit, I used two large screwdrivers to pry the bellows the last 1/2 inch or so. It was very easy to do. I lubricated the bellows and fitting using only water.
Create solution man ! Helped my ❤
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
YOU SAVED MY RIVER TRIP
FOR THOSE INSTALLING THIS GET SOMEONE TO HELP YOU AND IT'S A 5 MINUTE JOB
Have someone standing behind outboard pulling the zip ties and one person under neath securing it. Money!
I currently have the tube style and it's loud. A lot louder. Especially if you trim up the outdrive.
Soooo good. Thanks man.
Would it be a lot easier to just instal the MerCruiser Exhaust Tube part number 78458A 1? The Exhaust Tube can be used in any location the Exhaust Bellow goes and it also helps lower engine exhaust back pressure on some boats. Some aftermarket exhaust tubes are reasonably priced compared to the OEM exhaust tube.
Wow very suspenful outro 👍
Great tip thanks
I’m gonna give it a try, I ordered my unjoint bellows because it tore and I tore my exhaust boot while removing and it’s gonna be after the weekend before I can get a new one here. I think I’m gonna keep on truckin and just use your method on Monday
Thank god for this video 👍🏻👏🏻👌🏻
Hi. Love your idea. Did you use bellows adhesive at all on this joint? After replacement. My bellows popped off at the transom side. It is impossible to put back on. I am going to remove it from the outdrive side and start over using your technique. I don't want to remove the drive again. Thanks again. Joe
Hi. Thank you for the great video. One thing I noticed is that you never used bellows adhesive. Did you use it on the UJ bellows / front of the exhaust bellows ? Stu
Thank you brother
If you don't want to do it the right way merc has a exh tube made of rubber that only has one clamp but you still need bellows adhesive and when u are using the adhesive put the part on let it dry 20 minutes before an atemting to clamp same with the u joint bellows
You go my brother I just did that on my boat after you showed me the way
GRACIAS POR HACER ESTE VIDEO. UN ABRAZO
worked great thx. although when I bought a new bellow to install I wastold by the mechanic its not needed
Nice video! How big is the screw driver? (inch)
Excellent idea!! When I do it, it think I will attach the zip ties to a stick and turn it like a tourniquet.
Do you know if the top bellow can be replaced without removing the out drive.
Before I knew about the trick, I`ve tried to connect first with the hose already attached to the transom side and connect it to the drive side then tried to the other way with it already connected to the drive side. So that's where I`m at now. Think I can push it on there some kind of way to the transom side or just disconnect it from the drive side and connect it like in your video? That hose sure is a little short even with the drive all the way down. I guess the adhesive is not really necessary huh.
The u joint bellows and exh bellows and the one end of the shift cable bellows takes bellows adhesive no grease? Are the drives that hard to pull or is the gasket to expensive only takes a couple hours to change all the rubber parts don't see the benifit
Great video. What brand of bellows are you using. Some blogs say after market brands are smaller diameter and hard to get on. What has been your experience? That Joe
I like your way of thinking outside the box! Just wondering if something like this would work for the upper drive bellows as they are supposed to be glued on both ends to keep the water out. Not so important for the exhaust bellows.
Good video, bet your buddy would have been over had you told him you were going fishing, lol.
My bellow is off on the opposite side. Any advice for that? I was thinking of removing it from the outboard side and attaching it to the other side.
Nice video, i recommend using soap instead of grease however.
Долгих лет тебе, великий человек. Воспользовавшись вашим способом, огромная экономия времени.
Долгих лет тебе, великий человек. Я нахожусь в России,и если бы не ваш метод я бы сошëл с ума одевая этот сильфон. Воспользовавшись вашим способом, огромная экономия времени.
When you say cementing each side down,do you mean securely attached to each side?
Just want to make sure adhesives aren't used for a water tight fit or something
Omg it works. Thank you so much for this video. You just got rid of my headache. Wood hoo.
I’m about half way through this, spent 3 hours on it yesterday, really struggling to get the bellows attached to the out drive. Do you have it in trailer tilt or just as far up as it will trim with the rocker switch?
The metal grounding tabs face to the bottom. 😎
Thank you!
Exclent worked a treat
What is the part number for the Mercruiser 3.0 exhaust boot / i bought one from Amazon 18654A1 and it seems the dimension is too small by 2 1/2 by 5 1/4...
Brilliant!!!!!!
Thanks for that tip
How does the hose attach to the rear end of the drive
Did you use adhesive on the outdrive side too? You mentioned grease but not adhesive
Great vid. If the exhaust belows slips out while in the water, can that sink your boat?