[abl1111]

Thank you. It turns out it was my gimbal bearing. It was only (3) yrs old with 250 hours on the whole package. It was properly lubed etc in the Spring. The mercruiser guy I bought the package from initially thought I might have put the drive on without the 'main drive seal' seated correctly thus water intrusion, but it was sealed up nice and he keeps saying that I must have used the boat with the trim up too much ( which I know is wrong too because I never ever do that ). So, is it a common thing ?

Also, where can I buy a real Mercruiser shop manual without getting my butt reamed ? I just want the engine one, the drive I won't bother with.

In your experience, what are the most important preventative maintenance things to perform ? Also, is the add'l mercruiser warranty worth it ( I have the option to buy one before March ) ?

Thx...