fishthebay
Petty Officer 2nd Class
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2001
- Messages
- 180
I should have never tried the easy out, but I did and it broke off.<br /><br />I have a 1987 85HP Force. While changing the lower unit oil this past weekend the drain plug was frozen solid, so I drilled through it and inserted the trusted easy out. (The drain plug is a small allen wrench style) Why Oh Why did they make um this way.<br /><br />Low and behold the thing broke off flush.<br /><br />To make a long story short I took the lower unit off and up to a machine shop that was open on Saturday. The machine shop was in the woods like out of the deliverence movie.<br /><br />Anyway the guy said it looked bad, but he gave it a shot. No drill bit would go through the easy out, so he punched it through and re-tapped.<br /><br />Anyway he said I need to get the broken off piece out with a magnet or something or it will screw up my gears.<br /><br />When I got home I flushed the lower unit out about 4 times with gear oil and I didn't find it anywhere in the bucket.<br /><br />I put the lower unit back on and spun the prop by hand in several different motor tilting positions. <br /><br />I didn't hear anything.<br /><br />I fired it up and put it in forward and reverse on the muffs and didn't hear anything abnormal at all.<br /><br />What should I do?<br /><br />I have not enough skill to take the gearcase apart and go fishing.<br /><br />The easy out was just the tip and a very small one at best.<br /><br />Will it just shred up if its in there and if I change the lower unit oil again after a run out to get the pieces out will I be OK?????
<br /><br />It will most likely sink to the bottom and stay there, but Murphy's law says it will jump up and hit your gears when you are trying to return to shore to avoid bad weather.<br />So... I would find it and remove it.