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Whaler
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Lower unit trouble, water leak and bent shaft on 1999 Mercury 50
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ContinuousWave Whaler Moderated Discussion Areas
ContinuousWave: Whaler Repairs/Mods
Lower unit trouble, water leak and bent shaft on 1999 Mercury 50
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| Author | Topic: Lower unit trouble, water leak and bent shaft on 1999 Mercury 50 |
| acmitchell2 |
posted 01-17-2009 06:51 PM ET (US)  
BAD NEWS. I drained the lower unit oil and found water contaimination [in my 1999 Mercury 50-HP ELPTO two-cycle outboard motor]. Removed lower unit to inspect water pump and found bad drive shaft seal. Spring around seal broken. I took it to a local repair shop. They noted the drive shaft was twisted and that is big trouble. Here's a link for photos. I'm not sure if this motor is worth fixing. Does anybody have suggestions? Thanks. |
| Chuck Tribolet |
posted 01-17-2009 07:27 PM ET (US)
What motor? What year? How many hours? How's it run?
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| acmitchell2 |
posted 01-17-2009 07:30 PM ET (US)
1999 Mercury 50-HP ELPTO. It ran fine until I took it apart and found problems. See pics! http://s251.photobucket.com/albums/gg287/acmitchell2/Whaler/ Thanks to all |
| TransAm |
posted 01-18-2009 08:34 AM ET (US)
If the damage is limited to a twisted drive shaft and ruptured seals, it would seem to me that replacing both would be far less expensive than a new motor. However, if the water intrusion has created additional damage, then an estimate of repair costs would make your decision easier. It would also be helpful to know how much faith you have in your mechanic and the relative value of your motor based on its usage. |
| weekendwarrior |
posted 01-18-2009 02:39 PM ET (US)
Wow look at the corrosion on that thing! Does it get flushed after every use in salt? I've personally never heard a good story from a lower-unit rebuild. They seem to fail prematurely, probably due to lack of true skilled mechanics in this area anyway... I guess my point is, personally I would buy a new lower unit instead of having an existing lower unit rebuilt, assuming this is a boat that you don't want to get stranded in. A year or so ago my 99' 50-HP Honda lower unit started making a faint whirring sound, so after much thought I just bought a whole new lower unit. 30-minute job to change it and you have no worries about the mechanic not getting all the clearances perfect during the rebuild. The price difference wasn't vast, from memory I believe a rebuild started around ~$600 and a brand new lower unit was about $1100. |
| Tohsgib |
posted 01-19-2009 12:11 PM ET (US)
I would fix the seal and put a new pump in it and run her for another 10 years. Nothing gonna happen with that shaft, it only goes in to the crank where it twisted anyway so no biggie. |
| Tom W Clark |
posted 01-19-2009 12:14 PM ET (US)
Looking at the photos, my advice for salvaging the motor would be to not repair the lower unit or buy a new one. Just buy a good used one which should cost only $300-$400. Be patient, one will turn up. |
| Tom W Clark |
posted 01-19-2009 01:04 PM ET (US)
I'm not sure this is precisely the correct figment (I think it is) but you get the idea: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem& item=180321843007#ht_500wt_1217 |
| seabob4 |
posted 01-19-2009 08:21 PM ET (US)
AC, Now we can look at your pics. http://s251.photobucket.com/albums/gg287/acmitchell2/Whaler/ |
| seabob4 |
posted 01-19-2009 08:23 PM ET (US)
Whoa, I haven't seen a propshaft like that in a LONG time... Take Tom's advice. |
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