Please Help!! lower unit won't come off!

[424fr]

I have been reading everything I can find for 2 days with no luck. Lots of good info, just not on '95 yamaha 25hp. The shift rod is keeping the LU from dropping. Broke 2 bolts off to start with and don't want to do any more damage. You have incredible amounts of info on this site, is ther someone who can help me?

 

[mpsyamaha]

Re: Please Help!! lower unit won't come off!

well im not 100% sure the 25 is the same way, but i used to have a 97 30hp. You detach the shift shaft where it is exposed between the lower unit and lower cowling. its a threaded collar and locknut easy to get to with the engine tilted. maybe this will help if yours is similar...

 

[424fr]

Re: Please Help!! lower unit won't come off!

Thanks! There is a locknut on the bottom of the threaded collar which backs off easily. When I try turn the threaded collar the upper rod turns too. Seems like there should be somewhere else to put another wrench to keep the rod from turning, but where? Don't want to break anything else.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Please Help!! lower unit won't come off!

if the upper rod is turning you have already broken it,
sounds like your motor is suffering from excessive maint.
loosen the jam nut and back off the barrel nut. they are all standard left hand thread.
nice thing about regular maint as per the service guide, we never see broken bolts.

 

[mpsyamaha]

Re: Please Help!! lower unit won't come off!

well on the bright side, a new shift shaft isnt too expensive and pretty easy to replace

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Please Help!! lower unit won't come off!

wanna bet on the ease of replacement

 

[424fr]

Re: Please Help!! lower unit won't come off!

Fortunately, I haven't broken the rod. I only put a slight amount of pressure on it and watched what was happening. Since I could see the rod moving I quit turning, sprayed some more pb-blaster on it and waited for some more info. If there is no location to 'hold the roll' it is a crappy design. I guess I could put a vise-grip on the rod at the bottom of the lower cowl to hold it? Wasn't sure if it would cause a problem if it got scored?
Don't know about prior maint since the boat is new to me. It is used in salt water and prev. owner assured me it was properly maintained. The motor looks spottless, guess looks can be deceiving. Any suggestions on the best way to remove those broken bolts?
Another ? Shouldn't the unit be in neutral when the bottom is removed? Thanks again for your input.

 

[mpsyamaha]

Re: Please Help!! lower unit won't come off!

yes you can hold the rod to get the threaded collar to spin up. it wont hurt anything if you score it a little. just dont bend it! on your motor is doesnt matter what gear it is in when you remove the l/u. putting it in reverse will expose more of the collar and make it easier to get at. also, once the l/u is off you can shift still shift it, with neutral obviously being the middle position. when you reinstall the l/u you will have to get the shift shaft height adjusted back correctly. its pretty straightforward, put it back as close to where it is now as you can and adjust from there if you need to. if you get the boat in the water that first time and its needs more adjustment you can do it in the water no big deal. you just need 2 10mm wrenches with you.

 

[424fr]

Re: Please Help!! lower unit won't come off!

UPDATE! THANKS FOR THE HELP!! Neutral wouldn't work, couldn't get a wrench on the collar. Put it in reverse, used the vise-grip under the lower cowl and got it disconnected!! Now to get the broken bolts out. Been using pb-blaster for two days. used a propane torch and vise grips and got one bolt out. the other one broke off again. paln to drill it out and use an easy-out. What do you think? hopefully the easy-out won't break off, but how could that be any worse than the bolt being stuck in there?

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Please Help!! lower unit won't come off!

NNNOOIOOOOOOOO
use the easy out and I will hunt ya down and give ya 40 whacks .
we dont want to see anymore post about how to get the broken easy out removed.
best way is to simply drill it with the correct tap drill for the thread size.
I use bullit point TIn bits with no slip shanks by dewalt.
some drill small and go up but I dont. I use the tap size and go.

 

[424fr]

Re: Please Help!! lower unit won't come off!

Wish I had seen your post earlier. I drilled the bolt and tried a screw extractor. I turned it slowly and when it was apparent that it wasn't going to work I quit, before it had a chance to break. I had read the horror stories about broken bits and easy-outs. Then I did exactly what you have suggested. Drilled it out and tap new threads and I'm ready to go as soon as the new bolts arrive. They don't call me Lady MacGyver for nothing!