The Carolinas - Yamaha Outboard repair

Hi all,
I was out on the water yesterday and think i blew the powerhead on my 1999 Yamaha Saltwater Series II outboard. I havent run her in a little while and was running around 4500 RPMs then lost RPMs for a bit. I thought I had bad gas so I kept running and it eventually went back to normal RPMs and seemed to run well for another 5 minutes, then a little while later RPMs went down again, when I backed down on her i heard a nasty squeal then she just stopped. I tried restarting, but the engine wouldnt turn over (the starter was trying, but the flywheel wouldnt budge). Does this sound like the powerhead? If the lower unit went bad the engine would still run in Neutral, right? Anyone know a good mechanic in the Charleston area? Thanks for the help.

I highly reccomend Chris V at Charleston Marine. http://www.charlestonmarine.net/ very honest and will give you great service

I had a similar problem with a 1998 150HP SW Series II Yamaha (except for the nasty squeal you had). Took it to 3 authorized mechanics before the good folks at Jones Brothers in Morehead City correctly determined it was a tear in the gasket on the internal fuel filter. I believe it was a $8 part. Don't give up on your SW Series II. I know several people with over 6000 (yes, that's thousand) hours on them. Good luck.

Thanks for the info. Actually I saw some oil residue in the water from recently changed gear oil. I am thinking that it could possible be a blown lower unit.