Merc 80hp lower unit shift shaft question

[EliminatorRider]

I replaced the seal on my lower unit shift shaft last night along with the water pump impeller and seals. After putting the shift shaft back into the lower unit I noticed it will turn freely. I was under the impression from looking at the manual the shaft should fit down into the shift cam which has splines.

Did something come loose or??? Did the shift cam fall out of place??? When I pulled the shaft retainer out the shift shaft came out with it. I have tried looking into the lower unit but I do not see any kind of splines in the hole that the shift shaft fits into.

Can someone enlighten me? I don't want have to pull the lower unit completely apart to put the shift cam back in place but I will if it has somehow fallen into the lower unit. Thanks.

Rick....

 

[BR]

Re: Merc 80hp lower unit shift shaft question

Rick,

Don't panic. I did the same thing with mine. At first it seems impossible to reinstall the shift shaft but there actually is a procedure that works w/o having to disassemble the LU.

Follow this thread link for more details and good luck!


http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=264376

 

[emckelvy]

Re: Merc 80hp lower unit shift shaft question

BR, nice work, you saved me the trouble of regurgitating my old post. Sweet!

 

[EliminatorRider]

Re: Merc 80hp lower unit shift shaft question

Thanks for the info BR, however it did not work. I tried everything in the post to get it to work but my efforts were for not. Probably a good thing it did not work as I found fishing line wrapped around my prop. shaft which had chewed up the seal. So I replaced those seals along with all of the other seals and water pump impeller. Actually pulling the lower unit apart wasn't that bad came apart and went back together pretty easy. What was a real pain was knowing which way to turn the shift shaft to get it into drive then trying to get the two shafts to match splines all the while inserting the lower unit into the power head. Talk about a workout, whew...... Anyway all back together and ready to be tested with the muffs and in the lake.

Hey thanks again for the help. I will keep the link in case someone else has the same problem it might work for them.

See ya on the water.
Rick....