1988 Johnson 225 Lower unit removal

[RPruitt]

I have a 1988 Johnson 225 Loop Charge long shaft. I am attempting to remove the lower unit to replace the water pump impeller and the lower unit will not come off. I replaced the impeller 6 years ago with no problem. All lower unit bolts have been removed and the shift rod bolt as well. The unit appears to be hung up internally on the mid-section to lower unit exhaust housing. Any suggestions ??

 

[clanton]

Re: 1988 Johnson 225 Lower unit removal

Did you remove the bolt under the trim tab?

 

[RPruitt]

Re: 1988 Johnson 225 Lower unit removal

Yes, but I can't get more than a 1/16" gap between the lower unit and the mid-section. I can wiggle the lower unit 1/2" side to side and verify that all of the bolts are out, but I can't get unit to drop down.

 

[reddog23]

Re: 1988 Johnson 225 Lower unit removal

A lot of people try to remove the lower unit with the engine tilted way up so it can clear the ground. On an older engine, many times the mid section engine mounts are worn and tilting the engine way up causes the motor to "shift" forward slightly. This forward "shift" sometimes is just enough to prevent the shift rod from dropping through its hole. <br />I have experienced this on my own 1987 255.My solution is to lower the engine all the way and tap a tapered "one by" piece of wood between the midsection and the engine bracket. This keeps the engine from "shifting over" when i tilt the engine forward to drop the lower unit.<br />This post assumes that you have dropped the lower unit on this motor before and you know all the bolts to remove.<br /><br />reddog