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Alpha1 gen 1 outdrives issues

F

floatin radio

Regular Contributor
Crusing across the lake this morning at7 am. Motor trimmed up, but not quite to tilt limit, definetly not into trailer mode. Engine loses power and dies. 4000 rpms, I try to restart and itcwontvturn over, like engine is locked up. Temp was 145, oil is full, no strange sounds before. I row to camp site on an island ( you ever rowed a 18ft ski boat? Don't) I try to start again and steering wheel moves. Move it in and out of gear, prop turns as should in neutral, clicks one way, free the other. In gear I can't turn it, as expected.
Drive is all the way up now. Try to start and it does! Lower drive, put in reverse, it works but noisy, forwardis same way, vibrates and noisy, didn't go far, or at any speed.
I didn't smell any burnt rubber or see any chunks and motor didn't rev high before it died, so I don't think it's the coupler, but I could be wrong.

Maybe just the u joints? I'm still at the lake and my boat is living up to its name "Floatin Radio" I'll pull outdrives off when I get home.
1991 merc 3.0 alpha1

thanks
 
anytime a motor dies underway there is a good chance it will hydrolock.The upper part of the drive could have seized from lack of oil.
 
And we have a winner! Upper gears are toast! Looking like it was caused from lack of oil. Got in a hurry and didn't check it. Not sure how it got that low. Around a quart came out, only let it drain a few minutes, before I pulled the outdrive off.
There were metal flakes on fill screw and upper gears are full of metal flakes, a lot. So do I need to just replace the upper? How much of that metal got into the lower?
SEI complete for $1300.

i don't want to replace the upper just to have the lower fail due to metal everywhere .
Also, there is nirvana serial number on the outdrive, but there is one on the gimbal housing. Are they the same? I'm not sure what gear ratio I have.
1991 3.0 alpha 1 gen 1
 
Yeah, I finally figured that out. What about if I just replace the upper, what about the shavings? Does
the lower need to be rebuilt/replaced/
 
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