This was: http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=252632
Took it to a guy 45 minutes away to install a lower shift cable. He called me an hour into it and said he had the cable off but still couldn't get it to shift, meaning that the problem is in the shift box itself and not the cable. He said he was more than willing to replace the cables but that I had bigger problems. He went to change the oil and it was just FULL of water. This is a week after I changed the oil and had put it in the water and ran it for not even 5 minutes when I discovered it wouldn't shift. He said he thinks it's a bad head gasket and the cooling system is basically just pouring water in.
Here is where I stand:
I know my block is good and my lower unit is good. I know the majority of my electronics are good. The bilge and horn don't work but everything else is good including tilt/trim motor,starter, and all lights. I know that I had my engine started and running and saw it run well as long as I didn't put it in gear.
I know my engine is no good. I don't know the full extent of the issues. There are screws missing in various places on the engine and there is what looks to be a mounting bracket sitting in one of the storage compartments, telling me someone has opened up the engine at some point for an unknown reason. I know that I can't shift or it kills the engine.
So....I don't have a book and nobody locally sells one. I'm not a complete idiot and THINK I can replace the head gasket myself. It appears to be a pretty straight forward job and everything is easily accessible. But at this point I worry that this may not be all that is wrong and even if it is, how soon until something else horrible goes wrong?
Couple questions: A)Can I do this myself with no experience? I'm willing to fork out the 40.00 for a manual and 40.00 for a head gasket if this is something I can tackle. B)Just how big a job is this? It LOOKS like a 3 hour job. Take off the carb and disconnect some wires, take the head off, swap out the gasket and put it all back together.
Appreciate the advice from before and look forward to any more.
Took it to a guy 45 minutes away to install a lower shift cable. He called me an hour into it and said he had the cable off but still couldn't get it to shift, meaning that the problem is in the shift box itself and not the cable. He said he was more than willing to replace the cables but that I had bigger problems. He went to change the oil and it was just FULL of water. This is a week after I changed the oil and had put it in the water and ran it for not even 5 minutes when I discovered it wouldn't shift. He said he thinks it's a bad head gasket and the cooling system is basically just pouring water in.
Here is where I stand:
I know my block is good and my lower unit is good. I know the majority of my electronics are good. The bilge and horn don't work but everything else is good including tilt/trim motor,starter, and all lights. I know that I had my engine started and running and saw it run well as long as I didn't put it in gear.
I know my engine is no good. I don't know the full extent of the issues. There are screws missing in various places on the engine and there is what looks to be a mounting bracket sitting in one of the storage compartments, telling me someone has opened up the engine at some point for an unknown reason. I know that I can't shift or it kills the engine.
So....I don't have a book and nobody locally sells one. I'm not a complete idiot and THINK I can replace the head gasket myself. It appears to be a pretty straight forward job and everything is easily accessible. But at this point I worry that this may not be all that is wrong and even if it is, how soon until something else horrible goes wrong?
Couple questions: A)Can I do this myself with no experience? I'm willing to fork out the 40.00 for a manual and 40.00 for a head gasket if this is something I can tackle. B)Just how big a job is this? It LOOKS like a 3 hour job. Take off the carb and disconnect some wires, take the head off, swap out the gasket and put it all back together.
Appreciate the advice from before and look forward to any more.
