Hi, right in the middle of Summer, my lower unit decided to fail :facepalm: and hopefully, it won't require a new unit ($1700 for a refurbished one). I'll explain the symptom and venture a possible cause. Here it goes (sorry for the length)
Two days ago, while pulling a tube, the engine, started to 'wheeze'. I stopped and noticed I was unable to put it in neutral easily. I had to force it there and it felt 'spongy'. Moving back to forward was easy and back to neutral was still 'spongy'. Putting it to reverse was harder but after some force, I was able to put it there and the boat moved backward. Went back to the dock and stopped for the day, except to try forward/reverse a few time with no issue. Although in neutral, the prop would still turn slowly.
Next day, boat worked fine for about 15 minutes then it 'wheezed' again for a few second before stalling hard. Water was pouring from the water pump outlet so I doubt my water pump seized. I was unable to crank it but I could 'feel it' turn a bit so my guess was it wasn't seized. It felt like a sleeve has overheated and pressing hard against a shaft.
Today, I took the boat out of the water and was able turn the prop counter-clockwise by hand while in forward gear and felt the pistons turn so the engine is definitively not seized. Turning the prop clockwise, I felt the ratchet sound so looks like the forward gear/clutch dog assembly is fine. In neutral, I hear a faint grinding noise, not sure if I should be hearing that. In reverse (again, it's hard to move in reverse, feels spongy), the prop turns about 1/8 of a turn both direction. Clockwise (the way it should turn), I can't turn it pass that 1/8 of a turn. Counter-clockwise (forward direction), I can turn the pistons, just like when I'm in forward gear.
To me, it looks like the drive shaft wear sleeve or oiler tube has broken up, seized up the shaft when it overheated and parts of it got stock between the clutch dog and the reverse gear (hence why it's hard to move in reverse). Does it sound like a plausible cause? If not, anybody care to venture what happened to my lower unit based on the (lengthy) description I gave?
Thanks.
Two days ago, while pulling a tube, the engine, started to 'wheeze'. I stopped and noticed I was unable to put it in neutral easily. I had to force it there and it felt 'spongy'. Moving back to forward was easy and back to neutral was still 'spongy'. Putting it to reverse was harder but after some force, I was able to put it there and the boat moved backward. Went back to the dock and stopped for the day, except to try forward/reverse a few time with no issue. Although in neutral, the prop would still turn slowly.
Next day, boat worked fine for about 15 minutes then it 'wheezed' again for a few second before stalling hard. Water was pouring from the water pump outlet so I doubt my water pump seized. I was unable to crank it but I could 'feel it' turn a bit so my guess was it wasn't seized. It felt like a sleeve has overheated and pressing hard against a shaft.
Today, I took the boat out of the water and was able turn the prop counter-clockwise by hand while in forward gear and felt the pistons turn so the engine is definitively not seized. Turning the prop clockwise, I felt the ratchet sound so looks like the forward gear/clutch dog assembly is fine. In neutral, I hear a faint grinding noise, not sure if I should be hearing that. In reverse (again, it's hard to move in reverse, feels spongy), the prop turns about 1/8 of a turn both direction. Clockwise (the way it should turn), I can't turn it pass that 1/8 of a turn. Counter-clockwise (forward direction), I can turn the pistons, just like when I'm in forward gear.
To me, it looks like the drive shaft wear sleeve or oiler tube has broken up, seized up the shaft when it overheated and parts of it got stock between the clutch dog and the reverse gear (hence why it's hard to move in reverse). Does it sound like a plausible cause? If not, anybody care to venture what happened to my lower unit based on the (lengthy) description I gave?
Thanks.
Looks like it's going to cost me a bundle to have this fixed 