To quote Bones from Star Trek, “I’m a doctor not a mechanic.” I am neither a doctor nor a mechanic but I am getting better with the mechanical part.

Our dinghy motor is aging but still running well. I recently noticed oil leaking out of the bottom of the motor case. Upon further inspection, I found the valve cover seemed to be very rusted and was possibly the culprit. The proper way to fix this is to pull the engine and replace the cover. Unfortunately 2 of the 4 bolts that hold the engine in are rusted beyond recognition and I can’t get the engine out. Eventually I was able to cut some of the plastic case away and remove the cover. A new one is on order. Hopefully I can get this thing working again. The alternative is a new outboard motor which is not in the current “budget plan”.