"WHAT THAT NOISE GIGI?"

I always thought the port engine made more noise than the starboard when shifting in and out of gear, but while sailfishing in January the last couple days it seemed even louder. I thought that maybe it just seemed louder because we were going very slow and we were doing a lot of shifting. I called Louis Garcia with Marathon Diesel and he said if it is making noise, something is wrong. So, rather than wait until April when we were planning to service the boat for the Bahamas cruise, we made an appointment to have it checked out while we were in the Keys for CJM's 60th. After about a one minute diagnosis, the mechanic said it was either the damper plate (kind of like a clutch) or the transmission. He checked the fluid and with no signs of metal chips or shavings he thought most likely it was the damper plate. Of course in order to check or change it, you have to pull the transmission. And, in order to pull the transmission, you have to unbolt the motor from it's mounts and raise it up a little to get the tranny loose. Well believe it or not, after only two hours on the boat, they had diagnosed the problem and pulled the tranny and sure enough the damper plate was bad. These guys are good!




Here is what the transmission looks like where it is not supposed to be. 

It naturally took longer to put it back together, but with only 5 hours labor and a $650 damper plate later, we were back in business. It purrs like a kitten now. We did not have time to take it on a test run, but will do that on April 1st when I run the boat up to Coral Bay Marina for a fresh bottom job and a little more service before we head to the Bahamas. Boy it takes a lot of time and money just to have a little fun. By the way, "What that noise Gigi?" is what Lola always said when she would hear a new sound. She would have noticed the problem long before Gigi and Pop did! Jabet, get that kid a passport!!!! CTM