mirage drive maintenance

Just finished breaking down, cleaning and lubricating my '08 mirage drive.  Took my time, so it took maybe 2 hours... all I can say is: WOW... it is so incredibly smooth and quiet now.  Can't wait to get it back on the water and put some pressure on it.  Last time out it had a brutal squeak and trolling pace, total suck-fest.  One thing I did that made a big difference is tighten the hell out of the bolt and nut that the pedals pivot on when adjusting their position.  I never move them, so I just wrenched it all the way down tight.  That alone got rid of a noticeable amount of play.  Chains felt a bit loose to me, so when reinstalling them I got them just a bit tighter than they were.  Now they feel more like the chains on my wife's V2 drive, which has considerably less mileage on it.  A little messy and time consuming, but totally worth it, good rainy day project.

 Did you check out all the cables and sprockets? The cable connectors and sprockets are places to watch. Something to think about in the future, you can up grade the drums, chains, and idler cable to V2.  The total cost is around $160 for all the parts. We just did this to Chris's(Tigerfish) drive and he loved it.

Did you check out all the cables and sprockets? The cable connectors and sprockets are places to watch. Something to think about in the future, you can up grade the drums, chains, and idler cable to V2.  The total cost is around $160 for all the parts. We just did this to Chris's(Tigerfish) drive and he loved it.

Mechanically everything is in beautiful condition.  I am a stickler for taking care of my stuff... I always pull the drive when coming ashore, which seems to be the single biggest thing you can do to prevent damage.  That, and a good rinsing after salt exposure.

I spray silicone on all the 12 moving parts before each day's outing. Helps a lot.