Re: Any tips or advice for changing a QD-16 water pump?
Piece of cake. Remove the oval plate off the side of the midsection and then remove the bottom screw from the shift rod connector inside. Then remove the five bolts holding the lower unit on and twist the unit slightly while pulling downward and it should come right off.
The water pump is looking right at you where the driveshaft enters the lower unit. Remove the 3 or 4 screws and take it off. Replace any worn parts and put it all back together. I suggest you look at it before ordering or buying parts, so if the housing is worn you can buy a complete pump kit.
Lube everything when reinstalling. Make sure the o-ring is in the groove at the top of the shaft and apply a bit of grease to the splines. When reinstalling the screw in the shift rod connector, use a flashlight to look in there and make sure the notch in the rod is exactly aligned with the hole before installing the screw. This is important, because if the screw drags on the edge of the notch it will wipe the threads off the screw every time. Then it falls out in the middle of the lake.
All of this gets much more complicated if the motor has ever been used in salt water!!!
