Not catching the rear bearing going south in time may have been the root cause of the power loss. Small bearing particles and nickle plated sleeves don't play well.

I've lost track of the gallons and run time on one of mine, but I know it's on it's third rear bearing(same front). When you feel a rear bearing getting gritty and/or noisy when you turn the prop back and forth don't wait too long to replace it. It's no big deal to do and most of the time I don't need to replace the front bearing.