98 175 prop binding?

[1pabassman]

og667521 1998 175 efi merc,noticed today with the motor not running in the garage,tried to shift into foward and it would not shift foward unless i spun the prop then it shifted smooth,but i found the prop was very hard to turn in foward gear almost like i was turning the motor over ,is this normal or is there an issue since i never owned a 175,on my 91 150 merc i could slide the shifter into gear and the prop would spin with a clicking noise but not this motor,i know theres alot of good merc guys here can i please get some help

[JOE54]

really don't need to be shifting mtr when not running,and by turning prop you may have damaged water pump, bet prop spins free in N , sounds normal to me

[potomacbassin]

Normal operation.

[1pabassman]

thanks guys i was getting worried that something was binding because my 91 150 you could turn the prop in gear,gonna try to get to the lake and run it tonight,on the water hose it shifts fine

[1pabassman]

just so i know then when the motor off you should not be able to spin the prop

[potomacbassin]

just so i know then when the motor off you should not be able to spin the prop

If it's in gear this is true If it's in neutral then it should spin freely. You should not be trying to turn the prop when it's in gear. If you get it to move you could start the motor and lose fingers or your hand or worse. You shouldn't be testing this.

[1pabassman]

no i didnt turn it at all in gear i just stopped when it was tight,and yes in neutral it spins freely

[potomacbassin]

Also you shouldn't be shifting when the motor is off. This is very hard on the lower unit.

[1pabassman]

potomacbassin,well my problems just got worse,i now have a loud knock in either my powerhead or midsection ,im not sure where it is coming from,i tried posting videos on here but cant get them on,would you consider letting me send them to you to get your advise?

[potomacbassin]

I would have to defer to others on here.

[leonreno]

Could also be a loose exhaust tuner in the midsection rattling. Or loose shift cable.

[EuropeanAM]

potomacbassin,well my problems just got worse,i now have a loud knock in either my powerhead or midsection ,im not sure where it is coming from,i tried posting videos on here but cant get them on,would you consider letting me send them to you to get your advise?

Is this "knock" while on the water, or while in the driveway?

Is the sound present when in NEUTRAL?

[1pabassman]

yes when in neutral,and it does it even on the lake at idle or nowake speed but cannot hear it when on plane

[EuropeanAM]

Better check the gear lube, and the engine basics (especially compression).

Watch for metal or metallic sheen in the gear lube.