[OFB Cafe] Checkin' out the Café

[Chris Olson]

I've been pretty busy but checked out the archives of Tim's Café list and see some of the TechTalker's have moved over here.

I already got problems with the new Mercury Pro XS 250 outboard I bought for our Ranger bass boat.  My wife and I took it out fishing last night and the lower unit went out of it - seized up.  The boat has been on the lake since we put the new engine on it and evidently the prop shaft seal started leaking shortly after we got it, and it got water in the gearbox.  The Ranger 198VX sits pretty low in the water so I never tilt the motor up enough to bring the lower unit completely out of the water when it's tied to the dock.  Consequently I never noticed the problem before it was too late.

We loaded the boat on the trailer last night and the lower unit is junk.  It got so hot (running under the water) that it burned the paint off the gearbox.

Good thing it's under warranty - the service manager at Crystal-Pierz Marine told me it'll cost "about $5,000" to fix it.
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Chris