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Lower Unit Woes

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fitzy

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I have a 1987 3.0L Mercruiser (Ebko); got it out of winter storage 2 weeks ago. Have driven it less than 1 hour. Tonight, backed it out from dock, then forward for about 30 seconds, when it felt like something slipped, which was followed by high pitched noise, and no propeller movement. Hoping for a miracle, I tried a few more times to get movement - nope. And the water temp shot up. So....I'm guessing some problem with gear/drive shaft (which is also messing up water pump).

I'm also guessing this is real bad (?). Any ideas on what specifically it may be?

As it turns out, I had a 1989 3.0L Mercruiser (Stingray) that died last year (cracked block). I took out the lower unit and have stored it since then in case I need it. I think the 87 and 89 units are both Alpha 1 (?). They look exactly the same. I assume the 89 will fit the 87? Is this my best course of action?

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.
 
Did you check all the fluids including the drive oil? You either melted the upper gears , busted a driveshaft, or spun the coupler
 
fitzy said:
I have a 1987 3.0L Mercruiser (Ebko); got it out of winter storage 2 weeks ago. Have driven it less than 1 hour. Tonight, backed it out from dock, then forward for about 30 seconds, when it felt like something slipped, which was followed by high pitched noise, and no propeller movement. Hoping for a miracle, I tried a few more times to get movement - nope. And the water temp shot up. So....I'm guessing some problem with gear/drive shaft (which is also messing up water pump).

I'm also guessing this is real bad (?). Any ideas on what specifically it may be?

As it turns out, I had a 1989 3.0L Mercruiser (Stingray) that died last year (cracked block). I took out the lower unit and have stored it since then in case I need it. I think the 87 and 89 units are both Alpha 1 (?). They look exactly the same. I assume the 89 will fit the 87? Is this my best course of action?

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Ayuh,... If the problem is in fact in the drive, Ya, both drives are the Same,.....
 
Bt Doctur said:
Did you check all the fluids including the drive oil? You either melted the upper gears , busted a driveshaft, or spun the coupler
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response. I put synthetic gear oil in it a few weeks ago, and it's still full of the stuff, so it is not that. Are there other fluids that I should check relative to this problem?
 
fitzy said:
Thanks for the response. I put synthetic gear oil in it a few weeks ago, and it's still full of the stuff, so it is not that. Are there other fluids that I should check relative to this problem?
Click to expand...

Ayuh,.... Pull the outdrive Off, 'n manually check it over,....

While it's off, take a look at the coupler splines in through the gimbal bearin',...
If the coupler is stripped, pull the motor to change it,...
 
Thanks Bondo. I pulled off the outdrive; couldn't see much through the gimbal bearing, but there were some metal shavings on the spline of the outdrive. I put in my spare outdrive anyway, and, once again, the prop doesn't turn.

So....I guess it is the coupler, my worst-case scenario. Well, so much for the summer!
 
Now ,my question is when was the last time the drive was removed for service? Couplers go bad from mis-alignment.
collapsed rear mounts or a loose front mount can cause the motor to "torque over" causing mis-alignment
 
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