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1978 302 MERCRUISER Lower unit Trouble?

D

Dale23

New member
I have a 1978 302 Mercruiser motor and lower unit on my boat. I've only had the boat for two years so I don't have allot of experience with it. I did have the lower unit water pump recently replaced. I noticed the first time I ever had the boat on the water when I put it in drive I thought it sounded like something was too loud with the drive? But I didn't know the boat and it's old so dumb me. I used it on vacation last week and the first four days it ran great still loud but running great. About the third day I thought I felt it pull a little to the left but I did not give it much thought. On the fourth day I was heading back into camp and something made a grinding sound and the baot shutter and stopped moving? The engine stayed running so I looked down the back and thought maybe I just hit a log or something. Then when I tried to put it in drive again the motor raised up but we went no where. The boat sat in the water for a few day until the water calmed down and I could load the boat on the trailer. After pulling it out the water all the lower unit oil came out the holes where the water is pulled in. Any thoughts to what I might be looking at? Gears, drive shaft?
 
could try pulling the top cap off and take a look.If damage is there from lack of oil I`d find out if they pressure tested it. May have lost the quad seal during reassembly
 
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