when outdrive goes bad?

[richardk5457]

gentlemen, my alpha 1 1985 outdrive sounds like growling or bad bearing noise. whats the best way to diagnose an outdrive. will probably be dropping lower unit soon to change impeller, but prior to dismantling any suggestions on what to check first. fired her up today and put her in gear with muffs and shes a little noisey, is that normal? volvos used to be quieter than mercs back then. oil had a trace of water in it. appreciate your comments before tackling. thank you1 richard

[step up here]

turn the steering wheel from left to right while motor is running dont forget to connect water to the drive this will give you an idea how good your universal joints are and gimbal bearing. any noise coming from their is repair time. you should remove lower unit once a year to check it out anyway. bellows bearing u joints water pump shift cable etc etc