Berkley 12 JE Thrust Bearing Problem

[sidewinder]

Hi all,
I always come here for answers, usually I can find an old posting that helps. But I haven't found this particular problem. I had to replace the thrust bearing last season and since I've done that the boat runs great, but after a couple hours the thrust bearing begins to whir. Once I grease it the noise disappears for a couple hours, then I have to repeat. The boat is a 1981 18' Baja bowrider with an Indmar 350 Chevy/12-JE Berkley setup. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks!

[IMPATIENT 1]

Hi all,
I always come here for answers, usually I can find an old posting that helps. But I haven't found this particular problem. I had to replace the thrust bearing last season and since I've done that the boat runs great, but after a couple hours the thrust bearing begins to whir. Once I grease it the noise disappears for a couple hours, then I have to repeat. The boat is a 1981 18' Baja bowrider with an Indmar 350 Chevy/12-JE Berkley setup. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks!
even a fresh pump may make alittle noise at idle. are your seals installed rite?may be pushing out the grease instead of packing into thrust bearing

[Cs19]

Is it only noisy at idle, then go away as you give throttle? If not you need to take a look at your bearing. It sucks having to pull the engine but better safe than sorry.

[TIMINATOR]

Check and make sure that there is clearance for the spline to operate fore and aft. If the motor is too far back it can cause your condition, and wear out the thrust bearing in the motor too. TIMINATOR

[jetboatperformance]

Just curious if you recall which brand bearing it was . also under normal circumstances the Berk brg cavity wants to be only about 2/3 full ,overfilling can cause problems too. I'm with CS19, rather put a bearing in at than chance a failure and the possible consequential damage (impeller and motor thrust etc) it could cause. If you got it from us I'll "comp' you another ,call if you need help Tom

[hang tight]

Is it only noisy at idle, then go away as you give throttle? If not you need to take a look at your bearing. It sucks having to pull the engine but better safe than sorry.
True. If you pull it a part check to see if bearing is on correct. You can put those bearing on backwards.

[sidewinder]

Thanks for the replies! Once the noise starts it will increase with RPM. I can't find the receipt for the bearing so I'm not sure what type it is. Before I pull the motor I'll check the spline clearance, but can you explain to me how to do that? Thanks again!

[SmokinLowriderSS]

Easiest way I can think of is to unbolt the coupler and see if it will slide back toward the pump. Not knowing your engine mounts, this would be damn near impossible with my 3-point bellousing setup on my "F" pump. My F is the same as your E but for the factory trim/diverter system.

[centerhill condor]

also, see if your starter is fully disengaging from the flex plate. Sometimes, the condor will make a noise at idle that goes away with just a little throttle. Also, sometimes if I restart the noise goes away.
just a thought. There are some noises sound similar to pump problems.