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Well that is a beautiful engine indeed. You will want to repair that grounding bond strap for sure… The electric shift feature on these engines is nice but requires frequent and important maintenance. Have you drained/inspected/refilled the gearcase yet? The electric shift gearcases require a very special gear lube called “OMC/BRP premium blend”. Using substitutes could result in slippage/damage. It is so important that the gear lube is fresh and clean. “Milky” lube, or raw water in the gearcase can spell big trouble, all leaks need to be repaired quickly. You will probably want to do a water pump job on the engine as well. Pulling this gearcase down can be a little tricky, because you don’t want to damage the electric cable that comes down and out with the gearcase.
The other important system that must be maintained is the electrical system/generator. The gearcase requires a strong 12 volt input to keep the unit “in gear”. A marginal battery or weak charging system could cause slippage at high speed that will result in gearcase damage. Understanding, and maintaining that generator/charging system is a must. There is no voltage needed to keep the gearcase in neutral though, so running it without a battery in a test tank/barrel isn’t going to hurt the gearcase.
There is an external “junction box” on these engines that is where many electrical connections are made between the engine and boat wiring harness, the voltage regulator is housed inside the junction box as well. The dash has a key switch, probably a “hot light”, and an ammeter. The ammeter is extremely important and must be wired/working properly. The control box has the electric shift switch inside. You must make sure that switch is in good shape, they can be hard to find these days. A marginal switch could cause the engine to jump in and out of gear at high speeds, which could result in injury or gearcase damage.
The powerhead is very rugged on these engines, hoping this one was only used in fresh water. You will probably want to service the ignition system and the carb/fuel system as well, in order for this engine to be a reliable daily runner…
The grounding wire is next on my list, any idea what it being broken would affect?
I haven’t drained it yet as I need to go get the right gearcase oil for it. Would any Type C oil work? I see it works for electric shift motors.
Ordered a waterpump and carb kit first thing. Previous owner knowledge leads me to believe it’s only been freshwater lake use. The belt on the generator looks like a replacement, I haven’t gotten it running but can see the ammeter moves when I turn it over. The external junction box looks to be in good shape, haven’t gone over anything with a meter yet though. Has an overheat light as well.