My cousin has a 2002 75 hp merc 2 stroke with auto oil injection. The motor developed some strange noises one day recently. To me it sounded like a bearing had gone. He took it to a marina and the guy listened to it and said, yes its a bad bearing. In further conversations with a couple other marine mechanics they are saying its not uncommon. That regardless of manufacturer the auto oil injection systems are or can be a problem. My guess is that the motor wasn't getting the proper oil delivery it should and the bearing went. So now what. To take it to an official Mercury mechanic/marina they are talking $4000+ for a new powerhead and labor. First, I think we have to find out what caused the problem so as not to repeat. Then, there are numerous places online where you can buy a rebuilt powerhead for $2000 or less with a warranty. Doing the work ourselves doesn't scare me at all and my plan would be to do some disassembly of the powerhead to see what damage occured, partially because I'm nosy and in part to make sure it really is a bearing issue. I think after re-assembly of new parts I'd then eliminate the oil injection and run pre-mix...like in the good old days. Seems to me like there are a lot of older outboards still running today that were pre-mix fed. Does this problem ring a bell with anyone? Anyone have any experience with any of the rebuild vendors out there?