Different gear ratios?
 

Motor- 99 Johnson 150
I had to replace my lower unit last summer due to the repeated :(unsuccessful attempts at removing my froze in propshaft bearing carrier to replace bad bearings & seals. I tried to run a 19 pitch prop with that lower unit, but it made the motor run to tight so I put the 17 pitch prop back on and stowed the 19 for a spare. The only noticeable difference in the replacement unit was a 50-75 rpm increase(chalked up the rpm increase to the new bearings) and the white paint. I have the charcoal color scheme. I spun the hub on my 17 yesturday, so I put the 19 on till I re-hub the 17. The motor seems to handle the prop with no problems now. Are all OMC lower unit the same ratio or did I get a lower geared unit? I don't see any specs on ratios in my Seloc manual. Anyone out there knows the answer to this, feel free to respond. thanks, Richard

Re: Different gear ratios?
 

What does "too tight" mean?

Re: Different gear ratios?
 

Slow to plane, slow to reach wot under load, slow throttle responce.

Re: Different gear ratios?
 

So, with no other changes, the motor with a new lower unit went from not being able to turn a 19, to now being able to turn if just fine? Or was the old lower unit not able to turn the 19, and the new one does it just fine?

Re: Different gear ratios?
 

The 19 seemed like too much prop with the old unit. The new unit turns it alright. 3-4 seconds to plane(15 to 18mph), probably 8-10 seconds to full speed (42mph @5500)

Re: Different gear ratios?
 

I'm pretty sure all were the same

Re: Different gear ratios?
 

You've probably gotten a different gear ratio, all else being the same. The 99 Evinrude V6 Ficht and eTec motors were available with 1.85:1, 1.86:1, and 2.0:1 gear ratios. Most got the 1.85:1 ratio. A very few got the 2.0:1, and the 1.86:1 ratio were all foreign distribution.

A note of warning. The 1993 through 2002 oem gears for Evinrude and Johnson were very poor quality, and their single biggest issues were pinion gear failures. BRP fixed the problem, so if the gears are new, you're okay.

Re: Different gear ratios?
 

Thanks for the info & the warning. Probably got a lower gear, which is alright because the 19 Michigan Apollo deosn't lift the bow like the 17 Viper did :). As for the gears, I think they were just inspected :(. I purchased the unit as "reconditioned".