Boat shakes and wont go when in gear

[sjayjock]

I have a Mercruiser 5.7 Mag Mpi Inboard with a V-drive. While I was just out I heard a strange noise and stopped the boat to investigate, one of my ballast tanks blew open and TONs of water was in the bilge, so much that the belt was spraying water everywhere. I immediately drained all of the water with water pumps and the bilge pump.

I started the engine just fine let it run for a minute and it ran strong in idle. As soon as I pushed forward to engage the boat started shaking and making horrible noise and would go ever so slightly, but less than a no wake speed. The farther I accelerated the throttle the loader it sounded and the more it shaked. Fortunately I was only a few yards from my dock so i was able to coast home.

My thought is that water got into the V-drive (transmission)? SO i was planning on going out first thing tomorrow morning and draining the fluid and re-filling with new trans. fluid.

Has anyone experienced anything like this, or know what I did? Also what kind of transmission fluid do I use? PLEASE HELP.. I am worried that I need a new V-drive or is this fixable/reversible?

 

[Don S]

Re: Boat shakes and wont go when in gear

Sounds to me like you hit something (maybe a submerged log) bent the prop and strut and may have water coming in where the strut mounts on the boat, and probably around the shaft seal where it comes through the hull into the back of the tranny.

 

[Alpheus]

Re: Boat shakes and wont go when in gear

Download the manual in the adults only section...

 

[sjayjock]

Re: Boat shakes and wont go when in gear

Don, Just checked the prop and rudder and the rudder is definitely missing 1 of the 4 bolts and its loose when I shook it, which would explain the amount of water... the prop is a bit scuffed up but not torn apart or anything like that. It was too dark to really see the shape.

I lowered the boat down on the lift and i could see water coming in at rudder... So I am assuming you may be right about hitting something.

The strange thing is that I never heard or felt the boat hitting anything, it was the sound of the water on the belt that made me stop to see what was going on.

So is this an expensive thing to fix? I assume a Acme Prop Upgrade is about 350-400 for a wakeboard performance blade... but a bent shaft would explain the noise and shaking... how much is that ? how long does it take to fix?