Help Please. Lower Unit Troubles

[adriandavidpayne]

I was having my motor painted this week. The painter calls me and says there's something leaking around the prop when he trimmed it down.

I took it out yesterday to test it out. I put it in reverse to get it off the trailer, it went in reverse but not enough torque to move it much.
It seem like the clutch on a car was pressed half way in. It reved up pretty good but was moving me backwards very slowly.
I did recently bang the prop on some rocks. It wasn't awful, but I may have broken the seal. So, I get home today and drain the
Gear Oil. There were a few metal shavings on the screws, but I didn't see any milky gear oil.

What do I do now?

 

[nwcove]

Re: Help Please. Lower Unit Troubles

looks like unburnt fuel oil, very normal. the other problem, slipping clutch symptoms could be a spun prop hub, as you have hit something......are you sure it just wasnt cavitating when you were backing off the trailer? gear oil looks good. metal shavings on the screws is an unknown, but if your gear oil is clean, you should be ok as far as that goes. (drop a magnet in the bucket)

 

[adriandavidpayne]

Re: Help Please. Lower Unit Troubles

Well the reverse problem remained all day, not just on the trailer. How would I know if I had a spun prop hub? Also, I don't notice any Torque problems going forward. It planes out and runs 60mph.

 

[todd ashley peters]

Re: Help Please. Lower Unit Troubles

what gear were you in when you tagged the rock?

 

[adriandavidpayne]

Re: Help Please. Lower Unit Troubles

Going 2mph trolling

 

[todd ashley peters]

Re: Help Please. Lower Unit Troubles

what year \ make and hp you got tere and i'll have a look inside and see if i can come up with something. but sounds like you'll have to take it apart to be sure, diffinatly to fix it

 

[adriandavidpayne]

Re: Help Please. Lower Unit Troubles

1989 Johnson 150 GT V6
J150STLCEM

 

[wilde1j]

Re: Help Please. Lower Unit Troubles

Have you tried shifting with the shift cable disconnected from the shift mechanism on the motor?

The lower unit is pretty simple and it's hard to imagine any mechanical condition that would prevent only one gear from operating that didn't include rev gear destruction. The other mechanical elements (clutch dog, pinion) would have taken out fwd and rev. Since you didn't see metal chunks in the drained oil, i suspect the cause is external to the lower unit.

 

[adriandavidpayne]

Re: Help Please. Lower Unit Troubles

I wouldn't even know how to go about shifting without the cable.
Do you mean take the reverse cable off and grab the lever with my hand
inside the cowling and try to go into reverse?

 

[adriandavidpayne]

Re: Help Please. Lower Unit Troubles

Don't leave me hangin'

 

[wilde1j]

Re: Help Please. Lower Unit Troubles

I wouldn't even know how to go about shifting without the cable.
Do you mean take the reverse cable off and grab the lever with my hand
inside the cowling and try to go into reverse?

Yes, with the engine running of course.

 

[Sprky]

Re: Help Please. Lower Unit Troubles

That looks like Merc "high perf" gear oil with water in it..... If it looks like split pea soup you need to have your lower pressure tested.

This has nothing to do with backing up but it will if you don't fix it.

 

[adriandavidpayne]

Re: Help Please. Lower Unit Troubles

I started a new thread to cut out the clutter and clear it up a little.
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=517679&p=3493581#post3493581