2 questions prop and gas

oldblumerc · Aug 6, 2003

this is my third post and you guys have given me some good help so thanks. to the questions. i have a 74 mercruiser i/o with a 140hp engine. My first problem is that my dad was running it in salt water for a while and neglected to clean the salt off the prop real good(bad dad. bad) now i can't get the d@#$ thing off it's stuck any sugestions. I do have a new prop but i'm hoping to not have to cut the old one off (would like to keep it for a spare). any thoughts? next i read in another post that you shouldn't use gas with alchol in it, but they were talking 2 stroke. does this apply to mine(still running leaded heads). this would be such a problem except the reserviors near my house require you use gas without mtbe and if it dosen't have mtbe its got ethanol in it. wow that was alot longer than i planed sorry

Dunaruna · Aug 6, 2003

Re: 2 questions prop and gas

oldblumerc, with the prop, try soaking with a good penetrating fluid (crc etc.)I'd be more worried about where else the salt is sitting and doing damage, if the leg wasn't clean properly then was the raw cooling system flushed? in Australia, ethanol was introduced by some of the lesser fuel companies 5 years ago up to 25%concentration, in my workshop (automotive) I see plenty of evidence of damage to fuel injection systems in vehicles where the owners buy from discounters (presumably the ethanol sellers). I'm no chemist but the trend is worrying. I dont see any problems with carby engines. In my boat I run a 1980 high compression 302w and ONLY use optimax and have had many years of trouble free boating. Aldo

oldblumerc · Aug 6, 2003

Re: 2 questions prop and gas

no worries it has a closed coolong system and we flushed it after each use but some people were telling us that to clean the prop right we should pull it clean it and greese the shaft after each use and he never did. oh well.

magster65 · Aug 6, 2003

Re: 2 questions prop and gas

Unfortunately there is no easy answer for the stuck prop. Let the penetrating oil do it's thing for a while. I greased my prop shaft maybe twice a year and never had any problems. That's with probably 10 launches a month average.

oldblumerc · Aug 6, 2003

Re: 2 questions prop and gas

oh sorry i wanted to add as well that in the u.s. more specificaly california ethanol is us as an oxygenating agent to get gas to burn cleaner instead of a chemical called mtbe which i know will tear up the seals in your engine and injection system.

oldblumerc · Aug 9, 2003

Re: 2 questions prop and gas

ok i've decided to cut the darn prop off iv'e soaked it for a couple of days and it still won't budge (last chance for some advice on that) and i've beed searching aound in the forums and found someone saying my boat would work better for wake boarding(better hole shot and cleaner wake) if i put on a four blade prop. this sounds real good but i can't find an aluminum prop and i don't want to run ss because i'm affraid if i hit something i won'tbe able to afford a new lower gearcase. anyone know where i could find them or if they even exist for my boat. Did i mention that my merc i/o is pre alfa. Will an alfa prop fit on my stern unit?

Bondo · Aug 10, 2003

Re: 2 questions prop and gas

You need a long arm gear puller, Or a prop puller to remove your frozen prop..... If you try cutting it off, You'll be in Deeper $hit than you are Now.... Any prop that fits the V6 Merc outboards, Or the Alpha, Or the Bravo1s, Will fit your Mod.1.... If the shaft splines are Greased upon installation, You wouldn't have the problems you're having Now....

airman · Aug 10, 2003

Re: 2 questions prop and gas

You might try a heat wrench, too.

oldblumerc · Aug 13, 2003

Re: 2 questions prop and gas

ok guys i've taken your advice up to this point and not attemped to cut off my prop. Now i'm getting desperate i've been soaking it with liquid wrench, heatingit, they don't make a prop puller for I/Os, and i cant find a gear puller big enough. i've bacically given up all hope of getting the old prop off and still having it useable. any more suggestion. pleeease.

GibsonHouseboat1987 · Aug 13, 2003

Re: 2 questions prop and gas

is your boat trailerable, if so, you might need to spend a few bucks and have a boat mechanic take the prop off. I worked at a boat mechanic shop for a little bit a couple of years ago. The master mechanic had a puller cause we had a couple of houseboats and cruisers that had frozen props on them. After he popped the props off, they were still useable. I believe it cost something like $75 per prop to get removed. You might give this a try.

airman · Aug 13, 2003

Re: 2 questions prop and gas

Sorry, I think I gave you a bit of bad advice. Your prop probably has a rubber hub in it so you'll never get the heat where you need it without melting it. You're best bet is a puller or a mechanic who has one. If you want you might try hammering it backwards though. Back up the prop really well, with 2 or 3 heavy metal blocks (like a large hammer), 1 per blade to absorb the shock and prevent damage to the lower unit. Put a nut on the shaft to protect the threads and hit the nut. Don't go too crazy with this and wreck your leg but it is an effective technique.

Boatist · Aug 13, 2003

Re: 2 questions prop and gas

OldBlue As far as the fuel goes all the Union 76 Stations her in Sacramento are mtbe free. I use arco in my 140 and never had a problem. All the stations will be MTBE free soon. I boat in the Bay area alot and also out of Bodega Bay. I greese my prop shaft one or two times a year and have never had a problem. To get old one off try a prop shop they may be able to punch the old hub out then cut the hub off and rehub your prop so you can still use your old prop.

beckerdg · Aug 14, 2003

Re: 2 questions prop and gas

Soak it with Pblaster, best penetrating solvent out there. Works well where others fail. According to my manual if the prop is rubber hubbed you can apply heat to the prop to melt the rubber bushing on the hub. It says as the rubber melts it will expand and the prop will actually be blown off the hub so stand clear. Use a knife to cut off the remainder of the rubber. Then you can work directly on the sleeve left on the prop shaft with a puller and heat, or a hack saw if necessary. I use my boat in salt. I grease the prop shaft at most once a year. Always comes off easy. Key is if you take it off make sure you give it a good coat when putting it back on. As many said a prop shop will probably do it for less than $100 and you may end up with a usable prop that way.

Spidybot · Aug 14, 2003

Re: 2 questions prop and gas

An anglegrinder will do fine. Just take great care not to touch the shaft itself

Once you get it off, an annual greasing (with marine grease!) will make sure you never have this worry again. There are more 4-blade alu props for you out there: For example Mercury has the QA4 Aluminum 4-Blade Propeller, Michigan has Vortex - Propeller Series A and Diamond 4 Prop.

oldblumerc · Aug 23, 2003

Re: 2 questions prop and gas

hey guys thanks for trying but i did end up just cutting it off and it still put up quite a fight. also no worries it will get a twice yearly greasing from now on.

oldblumerc · Aug 23, 2003

Re: 2 questions prop and gas

oh and just so you know i did go to my local guy and he said he may have destroyed it getting it off and he couldn't even look at it for two weeks os my impatience won out.

djvan · Aug 24, 2003

Re: 2 questions prop and gas

I use anti-sieze on my prop shaft yearly. Is that ok? Or should I use grease? DougV> Sorry to steal the thread but I thought this fellow would be interested in the answer too.

2 questions prop and gas

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