What breaks in a sterndrive?

Mitchman1

Recruit
Joined
May 31, 2013
Messages
2
My niece hit bottom in the river, and she made it another mile almost to the dock when the boat quit pulling. (She jumped in and towed it in). It is an OMC sterndrive, looks like a big Chevy 4 cylinder to me. The transmission feels like it's going into gear, but the prop don't turn. I pulled the cotter pin, put a 1 1/8 wrench on the brass nut, and with one finger, spun the prop backwards to unscrew the nut. I pulled the prop expecting to find a shear pin of some sorts, but there isn't any. The prop has two of the 3 blades slightly bent at the ends, and the lower unit skeg is slightly bent. Is a shear pin built into the prop, or is there something inside the lower unit that I need to look at? Thanks.
 

steelespike

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Apr 26, 2002
Messages
19,069
Re: What breaks in a sterndrive?

The prop may have a spun hub.On an omc I think when in gear you can't turn the prop in either direction.
Some out drive the prop will ratchet in one direction depending on what gear it is in.
Hubs don't usually fail completely. With the prop installed You shouldn't be able to spin the prop If the hub has failed the prop will spin in either direction but the shaft won't move
Check the gear case for cracks. If the shaft spins both ways you have a failure in the gear case.
 
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