Lower unit and shift shaft problems after changing water pump

[Panaru]

I detached the lower unit and changed the water pump yesterday and all went very well until I tried to reattach the lower unit back on the motor. The LU seems to stop about an 1 to 1-1/2 inches short. I tried turning the prop which didn't help. I also tried turning the flywheel which didn't help. It still will bntop go together. The water tube fits properly and the lu stops moving before the shift shaft spline touched the inner spline,so it was not that. After doing this many times with the engine tilted at every possible angle, I turned the prop and it spun freely. I tdidn't seem like it was in gear anymore. I tried turning the shift shaft (on the LU) to reengage the prop, but I have not been able to get it in gear. I wiped aff all the grease on the splines, but that did not help either. It definately sounds like a metal to metal foul. I double checked the water pump installation to be sure that was correct, and everything seems ok.


It is a 1988 Mariner 150 V6 Serial # 0A906046
Any help / advice is appreciated

Thanks

Carl

 

[Don S]

Re: Lower unit and shift shaft problems after changing water pump

Get a flashlight and look up into the bottom of the powerhead and see if anything is blocking the shaft.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Lower unit and shift shaft problems after changing water pump

1 1/2 inches is about the length of your driveshaft spline engagement. You may not be turning the driveshaft or it may be turning when you turn the flywheel.

Manually rotate the shift shaft to R while slowly turning the prop to get it engaged in R gear.

Insure the water tube is headed in the right direction for the hole in the bottom of the power head.

Reattempt to join the sections by rotating the prop and insuring that the drivesshaft rotates also. Make sure you are lined up for the powerhead spline. Insure that the midsection and lower unit are parallel in x and y axis so that the cogs can engage once you get them twisted into alignment.

Then try again.

If you are successful in that, insure that your shiftlever is in R or better yet, with a visegrip plier, find N on your shift shaft and put your shift lever in N and then complete the joining.

If all that doesn't work then surely there is something in the way or possibly you have crudded gears or a ding on the spline of the drive shaft or something of the sort like Don said.

Good Luck,

Mark

 

[Panaru]

Re: Lower unit and shift shaft problems after changing water pump

Last night I turned the shift shaft in the LU and was able to get the prop in FWD gear. I now understand where fwd, N, nad rev are relative to the shift shaft position. Since the control is in fwd, i will - for now leave the shift shaft in fwd. I did not have time or an extra set of hands last night to try to put it back together. I will post my hopefully (successful) after i am done.

Thanks for the help

Carl

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Lower unit and shift shaft problems after changing water pump

I suggested R because it locks in both directions F has an overrun clutch and allows "free wheeling" (clicks when it does it) in one direction........but it doesn't really matter.....whatever works.

Mark

 

[juszac33]

Re: Lower unit and shift shaft problems after changing water pump

I have a similiar problem. I just changed the ipeller on my 89 evinrude 50hp. I cannot get the shift linkage aligned with the lower unit pin. ANy suggestions