1985 Force 85 HP Propeller Issue

[kenvollers]

I bought a 1985 Bayliner with a Force 85 HP outbboard recently from a friend, and he gave me a spare propeller with it. The one that was on there was kind of beat up, so I got it up out of the water yesterday and am trying to put the new one on. The issue I'm having is when I put the new one on, I noticed that while the blades' length and pitch seem to be identical, the base seems to be an inch or so shorter and the drive shaft sticks out past the end of it by about that inch, so I obviously can't get the washer and nut to tighten down on it. Does this mean he gave me a prop that won't fit? Or is there some sort of spacer I could put behind the prop base to even it out? Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[john from md]

Re: 1985 Force 85 HP Propeller Issue

It sounds like the thrust washer is missing. Sometimes they stick to the prop and other times they don't. You can buy one from a Mercury dealer or just pop the one off the back of your propeller. It is shaped like a hat and the center section goes into the two inch hole in the center of the prop. If you look at your old prop, you will see what looks like a 1/4 inch washer at the back of it. It may be painted the same color as the prop and also may be stuck in the hole. You can tap it out from the front with a long screwdriver or punch.

John