Sea King 9.6 gear box (1973 model)

Posted by bodean (198.26.119.86) on December 24, 2003 at 06:21:21:

I need some advice on whether or not this CAN be fixed, and whether or not I should sink money into this old engine.

My Sea King 9.6 HP(Chrysler made, circa 1973) runs GREAT, until I put in in gear; then it bogs down, unable to attain full RPMs.

WHAT HAPPENED: As I was running down the river after a day of fishing all was well, when all of a sudden the motor bogged down, losing RPM. As I was in deep water, I had hit no obstruction. When I disengaged the gear box, the motor regained its vigor. Fortunately, I was only a hundred yards from the marina (Pungo Ferry, Va Bch). So I put it in gear and limped back to the ramp.

WHAT I DID: Back at home, the first thing I did was check the lower unit lube oil. For the past two years I've had this old motor, it's had a mild leak in the lower unit. My ongoing remedy has been to change the lube monthly. Each time the oil has been slightly milky, but still thick and viscuous. (Here's where I admit that recently I was somewhat delinquent in my maintenance regime...) When I drained the unit, more water than I've ever had seen -- white, lumpy, frothy -- drained first. I then dropped the lower unit, let it drain for two days (froth), checked the impeller, resealed the impellor housing and put in fresh lube.

All seemed to run well ashore -- until I went out on the water the next day. My last-ditch check (done on the water) was to pull the propellor, hoping that I had picked up fishing line which impeded rotation... nope.

MY INEXPERT DIAGNOSIS: I assume that I've caused bearing damage by letting so much water accumulate. (A friend says that it's unlikely that the gears themselves are damaged; rather, the bearings are the most likely victims...

MY QUESTIONS: Does my diagnosis seem likely? Given that this motor runs great, would ya'll recommend a bearings and seals overhaul on the lower unit?

Thanks in advance,

Bodean