outdrive issue
 

alright gotta question for you guys. took the heat out today for a quick run on the lake had it cruisin pretty good and all of a sudden rpms went thru the roof like i kicked it in neutral, i cut motor off asap then looked at outdrive linkage to make sure it was goin in gear and it was then started it back up, kicked it in gear and it was goin nowhere, the propeller wasnt turning but i could hear somthin spinning by propeller.my first question was is the outdrive tore out?its an xr drive supposed to only have 100 hrs on it?how do i tell?

you may have spun the flow torq hub on your prop, simply remove your prop and the center hub will slide out, it should be sort of square looking, if its round then its gone, check the basic things first, sometimes it is something stupid

If you put it into gear with the engine off, try spinning the prop. It should not spin. If it does, then it may be the hub. If the prop shaft turns with the hub and the propeller, then you may have other issues, like internal issues.

Chuck,
I'm with blownhammer. Sounds like you spun the plastic hub insert. This does have one good advantage, in that it will blow if you hit debris, or a submerged object, rather than damaging your propeller or drive.
However they do not hold up well in performance applications. Hopefully you didn't damage your motor when it over revved. Add a revlimiter if your motor doesn't have one.
I would check the prop for damage, and replace the likely blown black plastic insert with the metal one.
Just remember to watch out for debris, because there is nothing to "give" in the prop or drive if you hit something.
Regards,
Steve

well prop and shaft spin while boat is in gear took the lower unit off and pretty sure the gears are ate up.now what?not sure why it broke it dont think i hit anything.whats the power limits of an xr?wonderin if it may have been low on oil didnt seem like it had alot in it.this sucks!not sure if this boats for me may be bigger than i needed.

Chuck,
There is a small rectangular plastic reservoir on the engine or transom that has drive oil in it. It should read close to the full mark.
It's going to be hard to tell what the level was now if you have taken the drive off or apart.
Sorry to hear about your headache. Mercury Racing rates the XR drive at 600HP. Several of us are running a lot more through them.
You are probably getting ready to take your drive to a Merc or aftermarket HP shop. We don't know where you are located since you didn't fill that out on your profile. If you tell us where you are located, I am sure someone here can recommend a reliable service shop to check your drive out.
Steve

im just outside of louisville ky

so you have the 2 shafts on the lower unit,what else is in the upper part of the outdrive that can tear up?

Low oil in the reservoir bottle should have gave him an alarm.

You say the gears are probably torn up... do you have metal flakes in the oil? Have you pulled the case apart to look at the gears?

Could be drive/engine coupling stripped. I know that you said prop and shaft spin... but I've seen it before where coupling was tight enough to spin the prop on the trailer but as soon as there was a load like the boat in the water the coupling would just spin on the shaft.

Upper gear set is the weak link. Take off the back cap on the upper and you will be able to see the gears. You should know right away. Probably lots of metal chunks and pieces if its bad.

just found out it does have an alarm so i think ur right chico, dont think the oil was the issue but just didnt seem like that much oil came out when i pulled the lower unit off.havent got the prop shaft out,dont you need a special tool to get it apart?im pretty sure thats the problem cuz i can turn the top shaft and the prop shaft doesnt turn

You looks like you already found the problem; Blown upper. Just for the record though, a spun prop hub will usually still move the boat at idle.

Hi Chuck,
Maybe someone in the Louisville area can recommend a shop in your area to look at your drive.
If not, we have a great guy here in town (Nashville). Eric Betty @ EBM. He is excellent on drives. His # is 615-714-2944.
We are only 175 miles from Louisville. There is some construction on I-65 near Park City, but it's not too bad.
Regards,
Steve

thanks for all the info guys,ended up takin the boat to a guy from somerset ky recommended by a friend,turns out gear in the lower was split so be a fairly easy fix!everybody on here seems to run a 1inch spacer so im gonna go ahead and put one on while its apart.dont really get it just yet,nordics are rare in ky ,from what ive gathered id rate em like a fountain hull wise?am i totally off?everybody here loves bajas and powerquest but nordics seem like a better boat from what ive seen,i think the fountains are great performance boats and if i hadnt have got a nordic no doubt id have bought a fountain but the interior seems a little old school on the fountains

Glad to hear it is an easy fix! Personally I would rate the Nordics up there with the best of em, but I am biased. Design wise, there are very few Vs that look as hot as the Nordics. And the craftsmanship is top notch IMO as well :) Enjoy the ride, glad you will be back on the water soon!