1974 115 hp

[Mo Tick]

hey all, got this motor, JUST GOT IT, purchased it with a boat used. was told it was all ok. after a week of fishing in Canada with it, we picked it up on the way there. back home i drained the lower unit only to find water(clear) and some oil. on the plug was some shavings(metal). not very much but still.

what options do i have? has the lower unit gears been ruined? i was hoping to trade this dude up for a more fuel effiecent model but now dont really know what to do.

i did find the same motor on ebay for 350.00 i could use for parts or mine for parts for it. any thoughts please would help.

Tom

 

[timmathis]

Re: 1974 115 hp

Pressure test the unit. You may get by with new seals and lube.
How did it shift and sound when you had it on the lake?
8)
You may be lucky and did no harm.... And fix it for a few $$$ 8)d
Good Luck, Tim

 

[Texasmark]

Re: 1974 115 hp

Usually they put a magnet on the drain plug to catch those metallic chips. Some mfgrs and models use them; current Merc no, last Merc yes. Since the OEM knows enough to put a magnet there, they must know that they (metallic chips) are part of the system.....just trying to keep them out of the gears.

Lower unit oil is specially mfgr'd to be sticky and stay on metallic parts to combat water, which is really hard to keep out over the years. So, like tim said, If you haven't killed it by now and clean her up, you are probably ok.

Considering the price of a lower unit vs a quart of oil, I'd refill it with new, crank it up and run it a few minutes and shut her down. Open the drain plug (and vent plug) with the engine tilted up to where the drain plug is at it's lowest point and let her drain over night.

Then refill.

My 2c,

Mark

 

[Mo Tick]

Re: 1974 115 hp

it shifted fine on the Lake, i didnt notice anything wrong at all.

im glad i may have gotton away with something. i did find a Motor excatly like mine with a power head problem but with new wires and all that and a good lower unit for 350.00. thats a lot cheaper than a lower unit on its own.

i'll Fill her up, and drain it again to see what i can see.

thanks so much.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: 1974 115 hp

Good luck and I agree with your wisdom on $350 for the other engine.

Mark

 

[Chris1956]

Re: 1974 115 hp

Tom, It is likely to leak again, if you just fill it up. I think you should fix something, before you test it. First look for fishing line under the prop. The line ruins the prop seal which is tough to replace. Now you can either pressure test the lower unit, or just replace all the other seals and gaskets, and try it. My experience has been that the driveshaft seal and/or water pump seals and gaskets tend to fail more often than the prop shaft seal. When was the last time the waterpump impeller was replaced? if you do not know, it is smart to replace it. When you replace it, replace the driveshaft seal, oring gaskets and plate, as well as the impeller. It might just fix your water problem.

PS the driveshaft seal is usually bought as part of a whole new waterpump base. You can get them from many aftermarket sources. as they are used in quite a few OB and the Alpha 1 Gen I sterndrive.