175 ProXS - Lower Unit Replacement

[psygnal11]

2015 2.5L OptiMax ProXS 175
2B119813
Tempest Plus 21P

Insurance company calls it "Striking a Submerged Object." Need I say more?

It broke off a small piece of the skeg, and although 80%+ of the skeg is still intact, whatever it was also bent the back edge of the skeg (closest to prop) about a cm to starboard. Minor damage to prop as well. I was able to return to shore, and I didn't notice any change in stability, but definitely had lost a few MPH off the top end.

Insurance company sent an adjuster out and without me taking it into the shop yet, the insurance company is writing me a check on the presumption that I need a new lower unit and a new prop. Local Merc dealer is telling me it's around 2 weeks just to get someone to inspect the engine and draw up an estimate, and that doesn't include wait time on getting the work done. Not sure that I want to call the season early, and definitely don't want to miss the fall muskies.

My questions:

1) If I were to order a new L/U and replace it myself, is the process essentially unbolt the old, disconnect the internals (wires, hoses, etc), reconnect the internals & bolt on the new lower unit? Or is it much more complicated that remove and replace? I've never worked on an outboard engine, but I'm no stranger to tearing down and rebuilding car engines, i.e. I'm not worried about my mechanical skills or ability to follow directions; primarily I'd be concerned about lacking any specialty tools/equipment needed to do the job... in other words, if I can pick up a shop manual, is the job pretty straight forward for someone with basic shop tools/equipment so mechanically inclined?

2) Given that the observable damage is pretty limited, are the odds reasonably decent that any damage is isolated to the lower unit?

[JOE54]

1. you are on one of the most informative sites for MERC engines there is , there enough info on here to build that engine from ground up , youll have no problem, factory manual would be great but not needed for this,you wont need any spec tools. 2.yes ,likely all damage was to gearcase, but check mid and tilt and trim, and transom. SO get that case and lets go fishn lifes to short to be sittn around waiting

[EuropeanAM]

Matthew- since your engine is still under Factory Warranty, it would be beneficial to make sure you use an OEM (Mercury) Gearcase, and certainly wise to have an authorized dealer install it.

After all, if something goes wrong INSIDE the new gearcase, you would likely be looking to your Mercury Dealer for assistance with the gearcase... no sense in circumventing protocols that might result in denied claims down the road.

[psygnal11]

Matthew- since your engine is still under Factory Warranty, it would be beneficial to make sure you use an OEM (Mercury) Gearcase, and certainly wise to have an authorized dealer install it.

After all, if something goes wrong INSIDE the new gearcase, you would likely be looking to your Mercury Dealer for assistance with the gearcase... no sense in circumventing protocols that might result in denied claims down the road.

Thanks, Don. Even though I could have saved a few bucks ordering from Rhonda, once I learned that I was only 15 months into a 3-year warranty (I must have been looking in the commercial use column and had thought it was only 1-year) - not to mention insurance was covering the whole thing - I decided that, even with the possibility of ending my season early, it was a no-brainer and took it to the local dealer on Tuesday evening. Much to my surprise (I don't know if I was talking to the wrong person on the phone or I greatly overestimated the damage* in my explanation on my initial phone call), I had an estimate for repairs on Wed morning, the new L/U was delivered on Friday, and I was towing my boat back home on Saturday morning.

*Incidentally, when I dropped the boat off, the tech took one look at my motor, spun the prop a few times and chuckled as if to say "that's barely damaged at all, I was expecting much worse;" he then asked me if I was sure I wanted a new L/U, and I told them that's exactly what the adjuster wrote up and the insurance company approved. To his credit, he gave me a chance to go with a simple "cut-and-weld" job on the skeg - of course, presuming that everything else in the gear case passed inspection - but said that he'd write it up any way I wanted, but once he too realized I had almost two years left on the warranty, he too agreed that a new L/U was the correct move.

One additional question: Assuming there's no internal damage, is there any value in asking for the old lower unit back and saving it for parts, or is it just going to take up space in the garage? In other words, what are the odds of the internals failing from something that doesn't damage the gear case (that's also feasible for a shadetree mechanic to take on)?

[leonreno]

I would keep it and have it checked out. If it isn’t damage internally you may need it after your warranty expires and hit another submerged object. If you keep it store it with gear oil filled in the case, don’t store dry.

[JOE54]

^^^^^^^ agree

[06 SB]

In other words, what are the odds of the internals failing from something that doesn't damage the gear case (that's also feasible for a shadetree mechanic to take on)?

I just had a LU rebuilt (with all OEM parts) to include a new case. The LU was not damaged much at all. There was a little paint missing and the prop only had very minor damaged. The shaft was bent and several internal parts were broken. I sent the prop out for a B&B and it is better than new.

You made the right decision to go with a new Mercury LU.