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Thread: OUCH!

  1. #1
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    Default OUCH!


    I have a 2003 Fisher 1754 CC with a 2003 Mercury oil injected, 2 cycle, 3 cylinder, 40 HP motor. I was on the river yesterday and turned off into a side creek and just came off plane when there was thump when the boat hit something followed by a big bang as the motor hit whatever it was. The motor did not die. I started back for the ramp and there was some vibration so I knew I tore up something. As I turned into the creek where the ramp is the motor would not shift out of gear and the motor started revving wide open. I turned off the key and got to the ramp with the trolling motor. When I got the boat back on the trailer and was able to check it out there was a gouge and a dime size chunk broken out of the skeg. One blade of the prop was chewed up and about half of it was gone. I tried to shift it and it shifted back to neutral. I spun the prop and it turned OK. It now shifts into both forward and reverse. There are no visible cracks in the lower unit and no leaks. I can repair the skeg and get a new prop but I don't know what else I tore up. I don't know why it wouldn't shift and revved wide open when I slowed down at the ramp and now seems to shift fine. I haven't started it yet but don't want it to immediately run wide open running of earmuffs and blow up. Besides the obvious damage to the skeg and prop what else should I look at that I might have damaged?

  2. #2
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    Pull prop, find you a way to put you a straight edge up ne t to end of prop shaft. Slowly rotate the shaft to see if you bent the shaft. One thing that could have happened is that lick could have put the shaft and gears in a bind that didn’t release until you shut motor off not letting shift dog to slip out. But the raving up has me stumped unless trying to get to neutral you put enough pressure on shifter to make it slip enough to move throttle cable. Pull cowl and work shifter and check to make sure throttle link is moving as it should. In fact think I’d disconnect cable and move it back and forth by hand before starting.
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  3. #3
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    May have knocked the corners off the shift dog. The prop shaft could also be bent and not allowing the dog to slide freely.

    Before getting it repaired I would pull out the carrier and have a look. If there's a problem inside, you're probably better off buying a whole lower unit.

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    Took it to shop and had it checked out and lower unit and prop shaft are all OK and ordered a new prop. The motor doesn't run stuck wide open now but has a fast rough idle that they can't find a cause for. Compression is good on all cylinders and carbs were rebuilt last year and appear to be OK and functioning properly and it has new spark plugs. It idled fine before I had the accident. They are still trying to correct the idle issue and don't think it is a carb problem.

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    Quote Originally Posted by bigjon View Post
    Took it to shop and had it checked out and lower unit and prop shaft are all OK and ordered a new prop. The motor doesn't run stuck wide open now but has a fast rough idle that they can't find a cause for. Compression is good on all cylinders and carbs were rebuilt last year and appear to be OK and functioning properly and it has new spark plugs. It idled fine before I had the accident. They are still trying to correct the idle issue and don't think it is a carb problem.
    If it was a lawn mower, I’d be looking at the flywheel. The shaft key particularly. Don’t know if an outboard can transmit that much shock to the flywheel with the bushing in the prop.
    Likes RMGeorge LIKED above post

  6. #6
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    It took a pretty good lick but did not spin the prop bushing. I thought the bushing would have failed when I hit hard enough to tear a blade off of the prop but it did not.
    Likes sinkermaker LIKED above post

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    Don't forget to change your lower unit oil, and perhaps consider a low pressure test down there for leaks from the trauma it received.
    Just a prop and an idle issue from this event is not too bad in my opinion. After all, just think about what you transom would have to say about it!

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    Looks like I dodged a bullet. It could have been catastrophic. It looks like whatever I hit it was a glancing blow. There is a deep gouge and a small chip on just the port side of the skeg. It looks like I hit the skeg a glancing blow and then caught one blade of the prop. I checked all the welds on the transom and they look OK. It is all aluminum and braced real good. If I had hit whatever I hit straight on it probably would be a lot worse and probably would have thrown me out of the boat. I was wearing my PFD and had kill switch lanyard attached. This "what if" moment reinforced the fact the I will always wear the PFD and kill switch lanyard when underway. I still can't believe that the motor never died and it didn't spin the hub bushing.

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    Quote Originally Posted by bigjon View Post
    Looks like I dodged a bullet. It could have been catastrophic. It looks like whatever I hit it was a glancing blow. There is a deep gouge and a small chip on just the port side of the skeg. It looks like I hit the skeg a glancing blow and then caught one blade of the prop. I checked all the welds on the transom and they look OK. It is all aluminum and braced real good. If I had hit whatever I hit straight on it probably would be a lot worse and probably would have thrown me out of the boat. I was wearing my PFD and had kill switch lanyard attached. This "what if" moment reinforced the fact the I will always wear the PFD and kill switch lanyard when underway. I still can't believe that the motor never died and it didn't spin the hub bushing.
    Pretty good example of why shear hubs are a good idea in theory but not always in practice.

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    Yeah that's a reminder of why should dress for the crash and not for the ride. Glad things turned out kinda okay.

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