150hp xr2 lower unit shot

[bugawan]

I have an 88 150 hp Mercury xr2 black max that started acting up recently. After draining the lower unit (to check for metal shavings on drain plug, which were present and the consistency of the oil, which was milky) I decided to remove it to replace the seals. The problem was much larger. The gears inside are mangled. My 1st question is : What would cause this damage to the gears? And 2nd: How do I find out what other years or models may be interchanable for parts?

 

[Dukedog]

Re: 150hp xr2 lower unit shot

May never figure out what caused tha damage because there's a lot of reasons for it to happen. Might be better off replacing tha whole thing other than rebuild. Good parts (other than expensive, new) or gettin' hard ta find. Plus finding a "good" gearcase guy might be a challenge now days. Understand tha aftermarket thats out there now is a pretty decent case for money and tha normal "fishin" motor. I've never ran one though. Any V6, any year other than a 3.0 liter motor will fit if its tha same shaft length. Avoid tha pre-load (very early V6) if possible. Will also need ta be 2 ta 1 gears (if yours is still orginal) to possibly avoid a prop change.............jmo