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OB Outboard Mechanics

Posted on 6/13/13 at 7:59 am
Posted by rballa19
Lake Charles, LA
Member since Oct 2009
4400 posts
Posted on 6/13/13 at 7:59 am
Maybe you guys can tell me what's wrong with my motor. I admittedly don't know a whole lot about outboards. I have a 1997 90 horse FORCE. It's a Chrysler motor(I think) but it says Mercury Marine on it.

Anyways, the motor had been doing fine. I let my buddy take it out and they had it had been running fine all day. Then he calls me around 7:30 and says something's wrong with the motor. Said he cranked it and when he put it in gear it locked up and died.

I told him to troll to the launch and bring it home. When they got there I cranked it and put it in gear. It went for me, but the prop wasn't spinning. This makes me think it's something in the lower unit; drive shaft, gears, etc. Any help?
Posted by Clyde Tipton
Planet Earth
Member since Dec 2007
40826 posts
Posted on 6/13/13 at 8:06 am to
quote:

I have a 1997 90 horse FORCE.


I'm not hating, but there is a reason you don't see many of these still running.

The myth always was that they substituted more plastic parts where they should be metal. Much like the mariner vs. mercury outboards.

I don't know if that's true but you see a lot more older mercury's than mariner's still running these days too...

So to answer your question, I'm going to say the teeth snapped off some plastic part that engages the gear. Total guess.
This post was edited on 6/13/13 at 8:07 am
Posted by DownshiftAndFloorIt
Here
Member since Jan 2011
72255 posts
Posted on 6/13/13 at 8:26 am to
Take the cowl off and find the gear shift and see if it's actually going into gear. The linkage might have broke. If its going in gear and nothing's happening, you could be fricked.

Hope it's just the linkage. That's not too terrible to fix.
Posted by Langston
Member since Nov 2010
7685 posts
Posted on 6/13/13 at 8:43 am to
Lower unit still shouldnt be too bad to fix. Prob several out there used on blown motors.
Posted by Nascar Fan
Columbia La.
Member since Jul 2011
18588 posts
Posted on 6/13/13 at 8:55 am to
Can you spin the prop by hand? If so does it spin freely?
Posted by Langston
Member since Nov 2010
7685 posts
Posted on 6/13/13 at 9:15 am to
quote:

Can you spin the prop by hand? If so does it spin freely?


Thats the key. Try to spin it with it in neutral and make sure it will spin, then put it in gear and make sure it wont spin freely. If that works correctly, make sure you didnt mess up your hub and its not slipping, but that wouldnt explain the dying when put in gear.
Posted by rballa19
Lake Charles, LA
Member since Oct 2009
4400 posts
Posted on 6/13/13 at 9:53 am to
No, actually, I can't spin it by hand when it's in neutral. I forgot about that.
Posted by REB BEER
Laffy Yet
Member since Dec 2010
18156 posts
Posted on 6/13/13 at 9:56 am to
Better start looking for a used lower unit
Posted by rballa19
Lake Charles, LA
Member since Oct 2009
4400 posts
Posted on 6/13/13 at 10:41 am to
That's what I've been afraid of. Most of them I've found online have been in the 300-500 range
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