Could not mate the Lower Unit with Upper Unit

[milkyway]

I have the alpha gen II outdrive. I have separated the lower unit and replaced the impeller. Is there a trick on getting the lower shaft to insert to the upper unit? The tolerance seems to be very tight and I just could not get it in.

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Could not mate the Lower Unit with Upper Unit

Make sure the lower is in fwd and when you have the 2 almost together try turning the prop fwd and they should fall together.Dont overgrease the drive splines or it will creat a pocket in the upper and not allow the two to mate easily.I have found it much easier to put the upper upside down on my bench and put the lower on top of it.It allows you to see the tube and shaft better going together.Charlie

 

[milkyway]

Re: Could not mate the Lower Unit with Upper Unit

charlie,<br /><br />the gear is in forward and should match the shift "L pin. This i am sure. having the upper upside down should make the task easier but i am not prepared yet to remove the upper. i will try again sometime this week.<br /><br />ernie

 

[tommays]

Re: Could not mate the Lower Unit with Upper Unit

milkyway just wondering if you live in commack i keep seeing someing working in there driveway doing the things your talking about<br /><br />tommays

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Could not mate the Lower Unit with Upper Unit

I didnt realize you still have the upper mounted.The way you are doing it is not easy to get things aligned.When did you have the upper off the boat last????Charlie

 

[milkyway]

Re: Could not mate the Lower Unit with Upper Unit

tommays, i'm from new hyde park. we might have the same problem.<br /><br />charlie, i bought this 1999 boat this year so i don't know when the upper was removed. i had no chance to witness it anyway.

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Could not mate the Lower Unit with Upper Unit

The only reason I ask is because it is a very good practice to remove the entire drive each fall so the ujoints can be inspected and greased,the gimble bearing can be inspected,The bellows and shift cable bellows can all be inspected etc.You can learn a lot about the boat by doing this and prevent a lot of headaches and expense.Personally each used boat I have ever purchased I had the waterpump and all bellows and shift cable replaced before it ever touched the water.Charlie

 

[milkyway]

Re: Could not mate the Lower Unit with Upper Unit

charlie,<br /><br />i totally agree with your suggestions. i would remove the upper if i could. but i am not prepared to do this now. i don't have the experience and confidence and no one else to help me. i am just taking it slow. small steps at a time. i have removed/replaced manifold and elbow, spark plugs, impeller, oil filter, oil change, fixed leaking fuel line, my trailer to maintain, 2 propellers,adjusted idle timing, belt, thermostat, 2 holes in my hull, fuel sender, all these and i have only 60 hours of boating experience. if i could get this lower to mate so i can flush the engine with anti-rust and prepare to winterize. thanks.

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Could not mate the Lower Unit with Upper Unit

Sounds like you have done quite a bit so far.The upper is very easy to take off providing it has been removed this century.Remove the trim pistons from the outer part of the upper.Make sure the shifter is in fwd,take off six nuts and pull it back.Thats it!!!! Charlie

 

[deputydawg]

Re: Could not mate the Lower Unit with Upper Unit

I will say from my limited experience with drives, removing the upper is easier than splitting the lower. As far as you have gone so far you will have no trouble removing the upper. The hardest part is pulling it back that first few inches. This takes some muscle and a block of wood. I found the trick is just keep at it, work it as loose as it will go, then shove it back in and repeat.<br />The hard part is over, you will have no problem taking the upper from the boat.

 

[waterone1@aol.com]

Re: Could not mate the Lower Unit with Upper Unit

I understand not wanting to do more work than is required. It would however be very helpful to have a freind give you a hand getting this back together. Besides getting the shaft to line up"vertically" you also need to have the shaft splines rotated to match. Besides this, the water tube must line up at the same time the gear shift shaft must "mesh" all the while trying to apply upwards pressure while bent over....not too easy to do by yourself. If there is no way to get a helper, you might try using something like a floor jack and a block of wood under the "skeg" to help with the weight while you line things up. I am not talking about "forcing" things back together, just something to steady the lower drive and get the weight off of your arms while you slowly raise it into place.

 

[milkyway]

Re: Could not mate the Lower Unit with Upper Unit

Well I have removed the upper as well. Very interesting. With the upper on the floor upside down, the lower part snapped in place in less than 3 minutes. Combined, the outdrive is now really heavy. With some help, I'll put this back on in May. <br /><br />Now that outdrive is on the floor, what other maintenance would you recommend? I have changed the pump impeller, and have new gaskets when the outdrive go back in.

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Could not mate the Lower Unit with Upper Unit

Looks to me like you got exactly the advice you were looking for.It is always a good practice to post back your results.Keep posting.Charlie

 

[Don S]

Re: Could not mate the Lower Unit with Upper Unit

Do a pressure check of the drive before you put the gear lube in.<br />You are sure the small quad ring was in place between the upper and lower weren't you? Item #6 in the picture below. Without it, water will get into the drive.<br />Note: B is an adhesive so the ring won't fall out.<br /><br />

 

[milkyway]

Re: Could not mate the Lower Unit with Upper Unit

Oh yeah, the ring was in there. In fact, I separated the two again today and the seal was in place. I removed again the impeller cause I forgot to use gasket sealant on the 2 water pump housing gaskets. Now it looks it has a better hold and seal.<br /><br />Question: Before you put back the outdrive, do you pour gear oil on the upper to be sure gear oil is both on the upper and lower gears, or do you just rely on the gear oil reservoir to fill it up? I am asking this cause I have filled the reservoir for the winter layup. I pushed the dribble and gear oil came out but it was in small trickles. I can't imagine how this dribblets will fill the outdrive. So, do you pour gear oil on the upper?

 

[achris]

Re: Could not mate the Lower Unit with Upper Unit

Milkyway,<br /><br />Leg, outdrive, whatever you want to call it, MUST be filled from the bottom, up. You can do it before you install the leg back on the boat or after, it doesn't much matter. Remove the fill plug from the bottom of the lower part (gear housing) and the vent plug from the top part (driveshaft housing) then push oil into the fill hole until it flows out the vent hole. Then quickly put the fill plug back in, then the vent plug. You'll find that the level in the resevoir (in the boat) will drop a bit. This is as the very top of the driveshaft housing is filled (area above the vent plug).<br /><br />Chris.............

 

[SteveRay]

Re: Could not mate the Lower Unit with Upper Unit

Don S <br />Where is that pic from? Is that a Mercruiser manual?<br />Looks much more detailed than my Seloc manual

 

[Don S]

Re: Could not mate the Lower Unit with Upper Unit

Yes it's from a Mercruiser service manual.<br /> Service Manual #14

 

[Bondo]

Re: Could not mate the Lower Unit with Upper Unit

Great Link Don........<br /><br />Thank you........