After a two day trial, I just finally pounded a 7" long stud used to hold a shaft extension to the lower unit of my brothers 4hp Mercury Gnat (c. 1980), so I could service it's water pump. I had given up last year and crossed my fingers instead.<br />Anyway, to my question: what can I do to prevent this stud from sticking in the future? The stud guide is the full 5" long of the cast aluminum extension, the stud itself is stainless. The $%^#$% hard white powdery stuff we all know and hate had it's death grip on it.<br />So what do you think? Anti-corrosion grease? Never-Sneeze? Wax?<br />Thanks! I'm off to go try to repair those threads now...
<br />The previous owner(s) didn't 'do' maintanance, judging from the teaspoon of thick black goo that came out of the lower unit last year when I drained it. The immediate previous owner offered to cart it off to the dump for my brother, when he sold him his boat.<br />I should make it clear; it wasn't the threaded portion of the stud that was the problem, but the shank of the stud where it passed through the guide in the extension. Corroded and stuck outboard fasteners I've delt with plenty of times. Never like this though!<br /><br />Thanks, Merc805!