1988 Bayliner Sunbridge V-8 / Cobra Stern drive<br /><br />Recently, my boat seemed way underpowered. Someone suggested that I spun the prop. I replaced it and also changed the stern drive oil. I noticed a small amount of minute metal shavings in the old oil from the lower unit. The boat ran perfect again but I noticed a slight whining from the stern drive at slow speed. At higher speeds, there was not any whining. The next day, I put it in gear and as I was gaining speed, I heard a bang and the rpm's increased but the boat stopped moving. I did not hear any grinding or whining though. I assumed I spun another prop. After I pulled the boat out of the water I placed it in gear and could spin the prop with ease both in fw and rev. The shaft also spins so I know it is not the prop this time. I did notice that when in neutral, I can spin the prop by hand freely, but when it is in gear there is just a little resistance and a slight clicking noise (similar to a cat purring). Also, the engine runs poorly when I shift in to fw or rev gear unless I increase the throttle slightly. <br /><br />A little history... I purchased the boat from a reputable marina and marine repair shop last summer. They told me that it "jumped out of gear" when someone was test driving it and that they were repairing the stern drive. Problem is that the boat was on consignment and the owner paid for the repairs so he has the repair order. Otherwise I could probably take it in under warranty.<br /><br />What is your hypothesis of the problem?<br /><br />Thank you!
