outboard motor mount spring repair

[mike]

the bottom length (the straight part) of the heavy duty coiled spring sheared off and now the spring will not aid in lifting / lowering the outboard (its too short). there are about six coils on the spring and I was wondering if I could "uncoil" one of these wraps and get the spring to function again - has anyone ever attempted this (perhaps by applying heat from a torch)? welding on an additional length does not seem practical since it would probably shear off from the torque/weight - any help or ideas would be appreciated mike

 

[John Visser]

?

Why don't you just get a new spring?

 

[Ray Bowles]

Mike, Never heat a spring and trying to rebend

can also cause an explosive failure. Many large hardware stores have good selections of springs up to 8 inches long. Both compression and draw types. If not, then they should be able to send you to a supplier that does. This is a fairly common item in industry yet most people are not knowledgeable about source. Good luck.Ray

 

[Mike]

Is it worth the effort?

A couple of years ago, one of the springs on my outboard mount failed, and I too considered fixing it. However, it became pretty clear that it was not worth the effort. A whole new mount cost less than new parts and new tools to fix the old one. That plus the fact that the new mounts last longer and work better than the old models led me to buy a new one.