85 dt 140 shift rod in lower unit

[flatfisher]

Ok, well... i got this boat after sitting in an open field for 15 years, it is a 21ft custom made flat bottom aluminum boat. It had a 85 suzuki dt 140 on it, it was in pretty beat up shape but i got it running, runs pretty good for a motor that sat for that long, it has some damage on the anti ventilation plate on the lower unit that i am repairing... broke a few bolts around the water pump and whatnot... pretty basic standard stuff i guess... i just cant figure out how the heck to put the shift rod/shaft back into the lower unit to line it up with the gearing... i have searched and only found info about pulling the gear housing out to do it... but i just want to know if there is another way to do it without taking more stuff appart... thus ending in more broken bolts, more bad words, and more grunt work. Thanks in advance, if this has been posted here before then either i am using the wrong key words, or something else is up.

 

[robert graham]

Re: 85 dt 140 shift rod in lower unit

It's my understanding that, on Yamahas anyway, that you have to disassemble lower gear case to re-engage the shift rod. They say, "don't pull the shift rod out of lower unit",when servicing water pump impeller. If this turns out to be true, then probably a good time to replace lower unit seals and O-Rings while you're at it. Good Luck!

 

[waffles1]

Re: 85 dt 140 shift rod in lower unit

i believe there is a spring and ball bearing at the end of the rod. More than likely this has come apart and you are probably going to have to take the lower unit apart anyway. So, I agree. replace the prop seals while you are there.

 

[flatfisher]

Re: 85 dt 140 shift rod in lower unit

i have been scratching my head over this for the last couple of days... It looks as if it could turn into quite a job and possibly breaking something pretty serious to get the prop shaft housing and all the shaft and tranny out... is there an easier way to go about this... do you have to pull the shaft housing, Looking more and more like i am going to have to buy a used lower unit for a 85 dt 140... if anyone out there has something like this in good shape let me know i would be very appreciative.

 

[flatfisher]

Re: 85 dt 140 shift rod in lower unit

well, if it helps anyone i did find a semi permanent solution to replacing the shifting rod back into the lower unit... i'm not sure how well it is going to work, but it should be alright. I had to drill a 7/16 size hole in the side of the foot at the level of the pushpin and the ball bearing and spring... it was a big pain in the you know what... now hopefully i can tap that hole out and thread in a bolt with some teflon... or all else fails jb weld it shut. But after hours and hours i figured it out, and if all else pays off i will have saved myself a few bucks. My lower unit was also not the greatest in the world, it had some cosmetic damage and whatnot. I still have a bit of work to do on it before it is ready for testing.

 

[Marion Moore]

Re: 85 dt 140 shift rod in lower unit

Hate that you drilled a hole in the front of your LU. Pulling the prop shaft housing is easy, sort of. The two 12mm bolts are the easy part as long as they are not stuck. The housing can be tough to move but it must be retracted at least 1" because there is a spring loaded pin that has to be taken out of the way so the shift shaft can be slid back in place. You can't really break anything by takin the prop shaft out.

 

[flatfisher]

Re: 85 dt 140 shift rod in lower unit

well, that was my whole thought as well... i toyed with the idea of pulling the shaft and housing out and going in from that way, but i think the motor had been used in a bit of salt water... i have broken nearly every bold i have taken off of the lower unit. It wasn't in the best of shape, had it been new and shiny i would not have drilled a hole. But for a motor that sat in the sun for 15 years and had some pretty good cosmetic damage i wasn't that concerned. I actually wasn't even counting on the motor running when i got it... that is a bonus haha.

 

[JRScarab]

Re: 85 dt 140 shift rod in lower unit

Hey guys. I found a guy making a two-part replacement shift shaft on Ebay. My Yamaha 200 hp shift shaft was corroded. I've seen the blogs on what a hassle it is to get it changed. I used this new part and it only took me about two hours to make the change. I didn't have to remove the powerhead, just the lower unit. It was easy and quick and it works great.