Lower Unit

[mike12]

Lower Unit

Hi! I have a 1973 merc 7.5hp It started getting water in the L/U and I noticed that the oil was seeping out at the rear of the prop.I finally got the prop off after soaking in penetrating oil overnight and using a jaw puller,but it left the metal hub on the shaft The hub is 2 1/2" long and has a round collar on the end.It looks like one piece is the collar part of the hub and does it come off to ,also what is best way to get it off.Looks like its frozen on solid.I have a Clymer Shop manual and it looks like there is a seal in the front of the Bearing Carrier could that seal cause the leak in the L/U? Thanks,mike

 

[dajohnson53]

Re: Lower Unit

Re: Lower Unit

I'll address the stuck hub issue.<br /><br />I had to cut one off my '74 9.8 hp (which I'll bet is VERY similar to your '73 7.5 - but that doesn't matter). I have a post somewhere called, I think, stuck hub or stuck prop adventure.<br /><br />I used a dremel tool with a cut-off wheel (the little disks that are pretty much disposable). I just carefully cut it longitudinally,through the metal hub and it was easy to stop before it damaged the prop shaft or spindle or whatever it's called. Frankly, the spindle is a lot harder than the hub material and while the hub cut easily, you'd really have to work on cutting into spindle. In other words, just touching it with the cut off tool wouldn't likely damage it. There's other ways to cut it off that I've read on these forums. Good luck.

 

[mike12]

Re: Lower Unit

Re: Lower Unit

Thanks D. for your help! Did your hub have that round collar at the end of it,I can't tell if its all one piece? I'll try the dremel tomorrow. Thanks , Mike

 

[dajohnson53]

Re: Lower Unit

Re: Lower Unit

Here's my original adventure:<br /> stuck prop adventure<br /><br />My entire hub, rubber outer sleeve plus inner metal sleeve, was stuck to the prop shaft. I cut the rubber part off with a knive and the metal part with the dremel. Hope that makes sense.