After about 35 miles Friday night I started getting a noise when I engaged the clutch. It sounds similar to a dry bearing. I was still 9 miles from the truck when it got to the point where i could bump the clutch on idle and it would stall the motor. The motor sounds perfect, this only when engaged. After going as far as I could go trolling, I had to crank it back up and run the last 4 miles with the PD. when I got it on the trailer, everything on the lower unit was cool to the touch, nothing even warm let alone hot...? I checked the gear oil and theres no sign of water at all but the oil is black after only 10 hours since I changed it. When you turn the prop by hand in neutral, it feels smooth, no grinding, the backlash in the gears feel normal. I ran it today out of water and it seems normal other then the sound, i cant pin point where the sound is from all the other noise...Before I tear into it, I was wondering where to begin to look. Is there a bearing in the upper shaft that could be the problem? Or could this be something completely different?

2010 CDI with the old style bottom that has gear oil to the prop.
196 hours, greased religiously, changed the gear oil for the third time 10 hours ago.

Your clutch bearing is going bad.

I do think it is up there somewheres around the clutch. If it is a clutch bearing, do you have to change the whole assembly or is this a part I can change fairly easy? I aslo noticed it is much easier to turn after it cooled off than it was the other night. I thought something was going to seize up completely.

I'm sure with a little mechanics skill you could just change the bearing. But ,do you really want to take that kinda chance just to save a few bucks. I know you can order the pieces seperate that you may need from PD.

It's gonna be a clutch bearing. Just change the whole clutch. You will hear a slight scraping sound when it's not engaged, the clutch of uses has a tab thingy on it that keeps the air gap right and the plate rides on that. When you take it apart you'll see what I'm talking about.

Well, I'm just gonna dive into it this evening and hopefully figure it out.

Good luck with it. Might as well put a Cam in, if you are taking the motor off the frame. Won't take but an extra 30 minutes.

I don't have a clutch, gears or reverse to work on tonight, so guess I'll take my Go-Devil and go fishing.

Terry i found the problem. The brackets that holds the whole trim on is broke. i will get yall a picture shortly. This was def not a GD problem could of happened to just about any of us the way we drive these fuckers. The whole bracket is ripped and is why it was so easy for us to bend back

Nothing just saying.

your not break this bending it, we aint that strong. plus when you see the way its cracked you will be able to tell if wasnt from bending

Lol if its on a gd frame how is it not a gd problem lol

No shit! lol

I hit shit running all the time lol

wouldnt hit a little mud flat that a gd got through

see you at SETX bud

I'm terrified now. I got a gd and a Pd guy calling me out at SETX lol

got you shakin in your duck blind knitted yarn slippers

Yep!!