Squeal and Vibration - NEED HELP!!!

[moombroo]

I took my 1999 Outback L/S out for the first time yesterday since purchasing it in Jan. About mid to full throttle I'm experiencing a squeal and vibration under the floor/engine bay cover. It is not constant, meaning that it only does it intermittently. The belt is a little loose and I thought that maybe it was a issue with the alternator bearing possibly going out, but I don't believe that would cause a vibration that can be felt. It seems to get worse under load such as turning or choppy water. It has no effect on the performance of the boat that I can tell. I'm planning to take it in to get checked/fixed, but I would like to hear some ideas on what it could be so I don't get shafted at my local marine shop.

Thanks...

[kaneboats]

You should be able to tell if it's the engine or in the drive line. If it's the engine it should be easy to find. If not, I suspect strut bearing wear or maybe the packing not lubricating correctly.

[moombroo]

This is all greek to me. What is the strut bearing? Also, is there an alemite/grease zerk on the drive shaft? I'm use to atv's/utv's and it sounds much like a dry bearing.

[kaneboats]

Your drive shaft passes through a strut before it gets to the propeller. There's a bushing in there that can wear. Your shaft passes through the hull. There's a packing that is actually lubricated by the water and should drip just a bit (unless you have a newer "dripless seal". Do a search on "packing" on here and you can find out all about it.

[phospher]

Hopefully your drive shaft is not bent. Maybe your just out of alignment?

[moombroo]

Ok I don't believe the drive is bent simply because the boat did not do this when I test drove it and it hasn't been in the water since then until now. The alignment was mentioned by a friend, but once again, alignment should be fine as it didn't do it when I test drove it.

Kaneboats... when you say that the seal should be dripping do you mean that it should drip water while on the trailer?

[kaneboats]

Should drip when the boat's in the water, running.

[moombroo]

Ok I got it after searching and reading. Could this cause a squeal and vibration? According to the older post it is possible. The reason I ask is because I am taking on more water than should be normal and it now seems that maybe the packing seal needs to be tightened after reading and better understanding things

[kaneboats]

Just about anything could cause it. A lot of water is a telltale sign though.