1992 Johnson Lower Unit Grinding

[joeltjen10]

Last weekend at a really low speed i hit my lower unit on a rock. There is a scratch on the lower unit but not much visible damage to the LU or the prop. It then became really loud and almost sounded like a light but continuous grind that increased the overall noise coming out of the motor. There was no noticeable performance issues but the sound doesn't make me feel good.

Anyone have thoughts? I am going to drain the LU oil tonight to see if there are shavings. Anything else I should be looking for?

 

[Joe Reeves]

Any kind of noise within a lower unit is reason for concern... especially after hitting something. I'd say it would be a good idea to tear the lower unit down for inspection rather than to wait for the sound to get louder.