[mariahsx20]

I bought my Mariah this summer. I had a mechanic check out the engine and stern drive. No visual or running issues found. The engine is a 2006 Merc 5.0L MPI w/Alpha 1 Sterndrive w/200 hours when purchased. Bought it from a private seller and I am the 3rd owner. It has run great all summer. I was calling around to found a place to winterize it and to find a mechanic I could trust. All of them have different levels of service that will be perform. Of course they push me for the most expensive. Since I have no maintanence records on the the boat. One Mechanic said you should pull the stern drive every three years to check the shaft, bearing, and alginment. Since I have no experience with I/O drive, I am wan ing to know if that is something that you typically do, I concern if they pull it off they will cause issues down the road, or is that something is routine. Also, since the boat new to me I was going to get the Oil change, Fuel Filter and Gear Lube replace. Any other recommendations would be greatly appericated.

Thanks in advance
Steve

[mikeyt]

If u are not sure of the maintenance history of the engine/outdrive then having the mechanic pull the outdrive & check or grease the gimbal bearing is probably a good idea. I plan on doing mine every 4-5 yrs. The other thing that likely should be replaced is the water impeller in the outdrive. They should be replaced every 4-5 yrs also.