Re: Motor pull
Howdy,
The coupler can last a "good long time". My previous boat (1966 Mercruiser 150) went 39 years on the coupler.
When it finally failed it appeared that someone had drilled out the (aluminum) splines.....
When they "wear" out, it's usually the splines. If the alignment is off, it can "break" the rubber seal and spin the rubber part (failure in either case)
The only way to determine if the splines are worn/wearing out is to remove it, wash all the grease off the splines and look closely at them to see if they are worn.
Since you have to pull the engine, if it's worn, you might want to replace it.
If you run your boat in salt and you have a couple of years on the manifolds and risers, you should absolutely break them apart, inspect and replace the riser gaskets. Some people have indicated that they do this every 2 or 3 years.....
regards,
Rick