reelfishin
Captain
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2007
- Messages
- 3,043
How much play is normal in the swivel pin on a Mercury?
I just picked up a 2007 Optimax and if I grab hold of the skeg, I can rock the motor about 3/8" on the swivel pin. I tried my 1995 115ELPTO and it's the same way. So is my neighbors 1989 200HP. I've got several older Evinrudes and none of them show any play after years of use. the 2007 Optimax came from a buddies boat which he re powered right after buying it with a much larger motor. This motor doesn't have more than 5 or 6 runs on it all last summer/fall. It's been in his garage ever since. I was also the one that put nearly all those hours on it.
It's a little unnerving to see that kind of play in such a new motor. It's got as much as the high hours 200 my neighbor has. If I do the same test to my well work 1976 Evinrude, it shows no play at all. The Mercs aren't wobbly, you just notice it if you lift it by the skeg and gain leverage on it. You can't rock it from the top cover and it don't wobble when raised or lowered. But I can see it adding some steering play?
There is no play up and down, and no play that I can detect up top. It appears that the yoke or socket that the pin sits in moves around quite a bit.
Could this be normal?
I just picked up a 2007 Optimax and if I grab hold of the skeg, I can rock the motor about 3/8" on the swivel pin. I tried my 1995 115ELPTO and it's the same way. So is my neighbors 1989 200HP. I've got several older Evinrudes and none of them show any play after years of use. the 2007 Optimax came from a buddies boat which he re powered right after buying it with a much larger motor. This motor doesn't have more than 5 or 6 runs on it all last summer/fall. It's been in his garage ever since. I was also the one that put nearly all those hours on it.
It's a little unnerving to see that kind of play in such a new motor. It's got as much as the high hours 200 my neighbor has. If I do the same test to my well work 1976 Evinrude, it shows no play at all. The Mercs aren't wobbly, you just notice it if you lift it by the skeg and gain leverage on it. You can't rock it from the top cover and it don't wobble when raised or lowered. But I can see it adding some steering play?
There is no play up and down, and no play that I can detect up top. It appears that the yoke or socket that the pin sits in moves around quite a bit.
Could this be normal?