Some warning signs: 1. water in the gearcase lube. Never a good sign 2. metal particles on the lower magnetic gearcase drain screw magnet. Take this and sort of mash the stuff between your fingers. If it is just grey powder, ignore it. If you can feel metal particles, it is cause for concern. 3. Strange clanking noises. Just had a family member that lost a tooth on the pinion and one on the drive gear. Running down the river we heard a steady “clank clank clank…” Not very fast, but dead steady. Pulled the lower unit apart and found the teeth. They dont mesh exactly, there is an even/odd number of teeth on the two gears so that every tooth meshes with every tooth over time to even out wear. And when the two “gaps” would mesh it would slip and jump a tooth. Lower units cant “slip” as there is no true clutch. They use “clutch dogs” that are simple two sets of “ears” that either engage or do not, but can not slip. Slipping is most likely either engine too high, or you have spun the prop hub so that the rubber is not not transferring power to the prop properly edit: Let me add that you need to “feel” the metal particles on the magnet. Magnetic powder will “stand up” on the magnet and look like bit particles, when they really are just magnetized strands of steel powder. And when you feel them between your finger tips, you will discover there is nothing there and you end up with what looks like grey grease on your finger tips and you cant feel a thing. If you can feel particles, thats not so good.Last edited by oldtimer57 on July 11th, 2008, 4:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.2008 Pantera Classic2014 Mercury Pro XS 200
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