I have a Mariner with a badly damaged cavitation plate that I am considering getting welded. Having done a bit of research it seems to be wise to strip it to avoid damage to the seals. Is it a major task for the home workshop or best left to a marine workshop?
Most if not all of the mar/merc gearhousings require special tools,also the service manuals on all merc/mar range say that seals should always be changed when rebuilding a gearhousing, and and when re-built the gearhousing should be preasure tested which is best before refitting.
Hmmm. You're risking more than the seals. If they are damaged, you get water ingress, then destroy the gears and bearings. I suppose a pressure test after the welding would go a long ways in enduring integrity, but I'd personally go the dismantling route.
I would never weld a gearhousing without stripping the inards out first, and I would never refit it without replacing all seals and preasure testing as well,I just wrote above what would be required to do the job.
