Cattitude

I learned the hard way that the blower has a very vulnerable design in the rear rotor bearings. I believe all but the earlist s/n's have this "feature".



They use a small (for the application) sealed bearing to support the rear of each rotor. Given there is no oil bath, heat is more of an issue. I also confirmed the rotors are not balanced which is also unfriendly to brgs. There are no service schedules or maintenance specified by Merc for these brgs- they are considered "lifetime" brgs. (They do specify that you check/change oil for the front bearings).

Well the lifetime of my bearings was 143 hrs, mostly at cruise. When they get tired, they allow the rotors and housing to rub and or seize (mine appear to have seized almost instantly). The replacement blower is absurdley expensive, parts are said to be hard to get. I'd replace these suckers every year with the best bearing you can buy- a good brg house can set you up and explain the difference in brg ratings/projected service life.

FWIW, I spoke with Merc Racing directly about some goodwill help, They were polite, declined and said it was both normal and ok that they failed at 143 hrs, seizing my blower- (warranty is over 2 yrs ago, but the design and lack of maint procedures is inexcusable IMHO)

Looks like I'll be going aftermarket over the winter (And in future boats)

Canada Jeff

We have two of the first editions, whats the diff?

Quiet Storm

Thanks for the heads up. I was thinking about replacing the bearings and seals in mine over the winter. Now I know I am unless I manage to sell the boat.

JaayTeee

Thanks for the warning.

I've got right at 200 hrs. on mine.

One has a leaking front seal, so that needs
to be dealt with.......might as well do some
other preventative maint. over the long, cold
winter

BillR

I was going to pull both of mine and sent them somewhere to be checked/reuilt.

Who would you send them to??