Unfortunately, I learned the hard way how treacherous a local launch is with hidden rocks on one side about 15' from shore.
On the plus side, I was going very slow, just enough throttle to get the boat moving.
The prop has some nicks on the outside edges but is intact. It's a steel prop.
I didn't notice any oil leaking. It runs perfectly, except something I noticed was sometimes - when shifting from drive to neutral - I hear a metallic pinging sound, almost like the sound pistons in an engine make when they stall. It sounds like it's coming from the top of the engine, but who knows. Could this be a problem with the clutch dog? Honestly, I could just be paranoid and it's something that's happened before, or maybe there's a problem with the engine. Again, doesn't happen every shift. If I get it out of gear fast enough, doesn't seem to happen.
If I did have my mechanic evaluate this, what's a fair time estimate to get it checked?
Lastly, the prop has no fore/aft or side to side play, but I did notice it'll spin a good amount when in gear before I feel resistance. The prop itself has no play in its connection. I believe this is nothing new, but might turn a bit more now. Might be my imagination. Is this normal? In neutral it spins smoothly. I'm new to outboards, so please excuse the elementary question.
Any advice would be appreciated. I really thought I did some bad damage but thankfully it still runs. Hopefully I won't need any major work to the lower unit.
On the plus side, I was going very slow, just enough throttle to get the boat moving.
The prop has some nicks on the outside edges but is intact. It's a steel prop.
I didn't notice any oil leaking. It runs perfectly, except something I noticed was sometimes - when shifting from drive to neutral - I hear a metallic pinging sound, almost like the sound pistons in an engine make when they stall. It sounds like it's coming from the top of the engine, but who knows. Could this be a problem with the clutch dog? Honestly, I could just be paranoid and it's something that's happened before, or maybe there's a problem with the engine. Again, doesn't happen every shift. If I get it out of gear fast enough, doesn't seem to happen.
If I did have my mechanic evaluate this, what's a fair time estimate to get it checked?
Lastly, the prop has no fore/aft or side to side play, but I did notice it'll spin a good amount when in gear before I feel resistance. The prop itself has no play in its connection. I believe this is nothing new, but might turn a bit more now. Might be my imagination. Is this normal? In neutral it spins smoothly. I'm new to outboards, so please excuse the elementary question.
Any advice would be appreciated. I really thought I did some bad damage but thankfully it still runs. Hopefully I won't need any major work to the lower unit.
