I think I am going to check the adjustments on the gearing. I have a very small 'window' where the prop is not turning to some extent. I also seem to need two hands to get it out of forward gear..It has to be a controlled jerk to get it out without jamming into the reversing gear.
Some other thoughts as well..these involve our favorite elixir, MMO.
I took the boat for an extended spin (since extended is subjective, about 1 hour or so) in the creek after the prop cleaning this weekend. When running at slightly below what I'd call cruising speed, say 3.5-4 knots, there was some bluish smoke coming out of the exhaust, that I didn't notice at speeds closer to idle..would a high enough concentration of MMO in the fuel cause this? I am running a little bit rich on the MMO mixture right now, I would guess about 3 oz. per gallon of fuel, in the hopes of lubing up things real good towards the end of the season..maybe I put in a bit too much.
Also, how often does everyone do an "MMO treatment" and squirt some juice in the cylinders? It would seem if I have the time, it might be good to do this every chance you get. I will probably haul the boat in a couple of weeks, so I am thinking I'll try to get 2 or 3 more MMO treatments in to loosen/lube everything up as much as possible, then if I have the opportunity, I'll winterize the motor in the travel-lift slip..otherwise, I'll try to figure out some way to tap in a garden hose and winterize on shore, although I dunno how much engine running I'd like to be doing on the hard.
Oh, and thanks to everyone for posting pics and details in their own threads..I am learning something new every day!
