'Freebie' water test. Not good.

[JimCt]

Were you able to get the L/U on yet?

[Unclebob]

Not yet, been real busy. I unpacked it last weekend and was horrified when I tried to turn the input shaft and it wouldn't! So I took the impeller housing off to discover THAT was what was keeping the input shaft from moving. (whew)

I was surprised to find a brand new impeller in the lower unit, but was disappointed to find the impeller cover bolt threads completely gone. I think that the base that the impeller cover mounts to comes off, so I'll see if the bad unit on my boat has one that's in better shape. If not, I guess I'll need to tap some new threads.

Hopefully this weekend I'll get to it. What gear should I be in when dropping the lower unit? Seems like you might get a few more inches of clearance (to undo the shift linkage) if the shift rod is in the UP position...

[JimCt]

Stripped threads can be fixed with helicoils or, if there's room, they can be drilled to the next size up & re-tapped.

A good resource for outboard tech. questions is www.themarinedoctor.com .  I think deckdaddy put me on to him.  The board is EXCELLENT and he's fast getting back with answers to questions.  You can see some of my Q&A's with him in the Mercury and Evinrude sections.  Give him a try...

[JimCt]

Any news?

[Unclebob]

Well, actually, the AquaSport is about to have a new home. It's going to someone that can spend some time getting it right and enjoy it. Trading it for a VW Sand Rail this weekend, something I know a bit more about.

I'll give the new owner the location for this website, you guys have been a great help. I hope to be able to get another boat later when I have the time for one, and my 2 year old and 5 month old boys can go out with me.

Thanks again everyone.

[JimCt]

Sounds like a good trade.  Sorry to see you leave us for a bit but there is a right time for everything.

All the best!