1972 45 hp..junk or fixable

[conor1366]

Hey all,
I am new to chrysler engines and have not heard good things. I have a 1972 45 hp on my bass boat(came with it) and has good compresion and spark. I had it on the lake this weekend for the first time and it shifted fine and ran good for the first hour. I shut it off and drifted and trolled with the little motor about 6-7 times. The first problem was when I had it fill bore and the motor just cut off. Second problem when I was bringing it in to dock, it shifted rough, heard a clunk, and then this really bad grinding sound. When I pulled the motor up, the lower seal above the prop was separated by about 1/8" and oil everywhere.

Question- Are these engines worth fixing or is it a lost cause? If its not one thing its another with Chryslers I have heard.

Thoughts?

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: 1972 45 hp..junk or fixable

That old of a motor will cost as much as a new one to repair if you buy new parts. Don't know what caused your lower to go.There are lots of old Chrysler motors around to get parts from.The old ones usually need more gas to run.
You didn't say where you live.I know in Mi. that there are a lot of boat salvage places to buy old parts. Look around ask local mechanics and boat repair places.Jerry

 

[conor1366]

Re: 1972 45 hp..junk or fixable

I found a guy Franz from The Chysler Crew that sell rebuilt lower units. I am going to disassemble the lower unit tonight and see what I got going.

The motor runs great and I don't have any problems with compression at all. All in all I think the motor will last the summer if I can fix it myself. I should save some$$ as well doing it myself as well.

I think that maybe water got into the lower unit housing through the bottom seal and the gears got jammed up. It shifted fine the first hour then it got worse later in the day until it finally "clunked" into geat and split the seam. so it is my dumb fault.

 

[conor1366]

Re: 1972 45 hp..junk or fixable

sorry...I'm in Winston-Salem North Carolina. There is only a handful of outboard shops around here and they are hesitant to work on Chryslers...so I am going to try my hand at fixing mine.

The origional motor on my 1988 Bayliner Bass Trophy was a Force 50...so it looks like that died and the previous owner put a much older Chrysler on it.

I was thinking about buyng a new/newer motor on it but the cost of the motor would be more than the boat is worth. I have replaced all the floors and carpet, new batteries, and misc odds and end so it is a great boat with a broken motor.