Broken Skeg?? Force 125

[Baylinercapri1987]

How can I repair a broken off skeg on a 89 Force 125? Is welding my only option? It is also leaking out of the skeg area, the skeg is completely gone.

Thanks!

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Broken Skeg?? Force 125

I took mine off and took it to a prop shop where they put a new one on. You could never tell it had been replaced.

 

[Baylinercapri1987]

Re: Broken Skeg?? Force 125

So they welded a new peice on? How much did it run you?

 

[rudedude]

Re: Broken Skeg?? Force 125

Man, welding is the only way. At least to make sure it wont fall off at a later time. Pick your welder , make sure he or she has time under the arc with alum. Welding will also make you take it apart so it wont warp any inside gears and burn seals.


I am a certifed welder for 26 years and hold a 2" alum. welding cert. A lot of new welders out there, some very good but a few that only think they can. If they tell you they can mig it with wire feed RUN, tig is the best way to controll the heat so the houseing wont warp, bend or get weak around the weld site.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Broken Skeg?? Force 125

Welding is the only way to go--especially since you say it is leaking near the skeg area. Nothing else has the strength. However, if you do have it welded be sure to use a reputable and very skilled and experienced aluminum welder. If not properly welded, this aluminum can become porous and/or the case can be warped out of round.

Now: If it is also leaking gear oil near the skeg, you have cracked the gearcase and possibly bent it. My recommendation is: If you need to invest more than a hundred in welding--and you will--Buy a good used complete lower unit. The reason is that those gearcases are shimmed and you need to be careful when replacing a gear pak into another case. Improper shimming will destroy the gears. It is much better for an amateur to just bolt up a whole lower unit than to replace the gear pak. Just My opinion!

 

[Baylinercapri1987]

Re: Broken Skeg?? Force 125

Sounds like I will just replace the lower end. How about spot welding it for now to stop the leaking, Can it be done with a flux wire feed welder?

Thanks!

 

[contractorguy]

Re: Broken Skeg?? Force 125

for a temporary patch, you could use some of the two part epoxy 'metals' (like JB Weld.) I tried some plumbers epoxy last year to stop a water leak on a line that I couldn't shut off. It worked under water!

 

[rudedude]

Re: Broken Skeg?? Force 125

Even a spot weld will cost you, they still need to do prep work . Do the JB weld thing for now just make sure you clean the area real good so it will hold.

I just don't care for a mig gun on cast anything. Flux core or shelided gas. I can control the temp on a tig a lot easer with my foot.

 

[Baylinercapri1987]

Re: Broken Skeg?? Force 125

Even a spot weld will cost you, they still need to do prep work . Do the JB weld thing for now just make sure you clean the area real good so it will hold.

I just don't care for a mig gun on cast anything. Flux core or shelided gas. I can control the temp on a tig a lot easer with my foot.

Since you know about welding... Will a small flux work to spot weld this? Should I even mess with aluminum wire?

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Broken Skeg?? Force 125

So they welded a new peice on? How much did it run you?

Best I can remember it was around $80.

 

[rudedude]

Re: Broken Skeg?? Force 125

The Key to any weld or braseing ,soldering is haveing the area very CLEAN. Flux is used to keep impurities in the sourounding air away from the weldment.

But yes it can be repaired useing a flux core Mig gun,( just not a clean weld bead after) my concern is the heat on cast alum. Its a process that needs to be done by a welder that has had experence in alum. repairs and cast alum. Cast anything has more pores and this allows more impurities in the base metal. You set the heat range on a MIG gun on the mach. then go strike an arc, a TIG is controled by a foot petal and you can strike an arc at a lower temp and bring it up to the welding point. Neat, clean bead .

I have seen guys strike an arc and just keep going and then (because the puddle looked good) then stand back and scrach there heads wondering how it got so warped out of shape. The first thing out of them was "I have Never Had Anything Like This Happen To Me Before) I just walk away saying "well I guess you haven't been welding long then".

Dont get me wrong, wire feed duel shelid , inner sheild, or just sheilded gas has its place, Me ,myself and I just prefer tig on items like this.

A lower unit is hollow to allow seals ,gears ect. and must not be warped at all or it will not seal and your back to needing a lower unit houseing. If you get so much as a small "bubble" the houseing the gears and seals will not go back into place. There are welders out there that can weld it with all the seals and stuff inside but your going to pay for it. First thing a welder will tell you is they can't garentee it wont warp.