Yamaha 175 V-6 Precision Blend -- Rusted shift rod

GrampsGirl

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Jun 22, 2003
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Greetings all,

My father passed away in March, and it seems like everything that he owned decided to die with him. You name it, it went kaput. I am now trying to get things back in shape. Some say to just sell everything 'as is', and be done with it. I have different feelings about that. Especially when it comes to my father's boat.

My son came to visit and took the boat out with some friends. They had to be towed in because they couldn't get it to go in either forward or reverse. Once they got in, they decided to take the lower unit off, and discovered that the shift rod had rusted completely through. The boys decided that this was not their area of expertise, and left it alone. I called a couple of local boat motor repair outfits who did an estimate for me. The cost became quite astronomical, so I have decided that if a man can do this, it is quite possible for me to do it as well. I've helped rebuild car engines, so I have a tiny bit of a background. I am well aware that this will be quite an undertaking, but I'm willing to give it a shot.

What I am looking for, is someone who believes in my drive, and is willing to patiently guide me through this from start to finish. This person should possess a strong background in Yamaha engine repair. I have so many questions. I will need access to a repair manual, (schematic?). Best pricing for parts needed. Will I need to do a complete engine overhaul when changing the shift rod out?

There are other issues going on with the motor. The motor mount/tiller plate has gotten quite rusty. The trim & tilt motor has become very rusty. I would imagine that the seals to the lower unit will need to be replaced since the boys removed it. I did find a small amount of water in the fluid when I drained it. Compression check results are as follows:

o 120 118 o

o 120 120 o

o 115 108 o

The little 'o' is used to indicate the cylinder. I typed this in the order of which they are when looking down on top, from the front of the motor. The boat mechanic who did the compression check with his gauge, said that the cylinder numbers were too far apart, indicating that more work needs to be done. He did a bearing test which came back with negative results. He also did an 'End Play' test, which also came back with negative results.

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. However, keep in mind that I am trying to salvage memories. The only thing that might make me change my mind, is if Santa Clause were to replace the motor! Chances are slim that this will happen!
 

robert graham

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Re: Yamaha 175 V-6 Precision Blend -- Rusted shift rod

The older motors had plain steel shift rods that did rust through, later they changed the design to stainless steel. I'm not sure all that's required to replace that rod on your motor, guess there's no way to weld up your old one to just avoid the entire project? Your compression numbers are fine. Need to check/repair lower unit seals...may be just those little washers on the drain/fill screws needing replacement. The motor mount/tiller plate may be rusty but still serviceable without replacement. The trim motors tend to get rusty without necessarily causing them to fail, so it's probably O.K., especially since a new one is big$$$...wire brush the motor and spray it with white lithium grease to help:) protect it from the water. Buy a Yamaha Repair manual for your specific motor. Your motor may well be in better shape than you think, and with some repairs and TCL, provide you good service....especially if you ever check the prices of New outboard motors$! Good Luck!
 

GrampsGirl

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Re: Yamaha 175 V-6 Precision Blend -- Rusted shift rod

Thank you for your reply Captain Rob. If I thought that the shift rod was up to the task, I'd consider welding, but as you can see in the photo, it's not looking too good. I like your thinking on the other issues.
 

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flounderman

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Re: Yamaha 175 V-6 Precision Blend -- Rusted shift rod

I replaced my shift shaft without removing the power head, my motor is a V4. My understanding is V6 owners are not that lucky. Go to www.shiftshaft.com. They offer a sweet item, but I do not know any thing about the company.
 

GrampsGirl

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Re: Yamaha 175 V-6 Precision Blend -- Rusted shift rod

Thank you Flounderman. I'll check that out. I just caught a flounder this week! Quite tasty!
 

robert graham

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Re: Yamaha 175 V-6 Precision Blend -- Rusted shift rod

Thank you for your reply Captain Rob. If I thought that the shift rod was up to the task, I'd consider welding, but as you can see in the photo, it's not looking too good. I like your thinking on the other issues.
I see all that @#$%rust!, but what if you slid the rusted ends of that shaft into a short section of steel pipe(a sleeve), the ID of the pipe being the same as the OD of the shifter shaft, tack welded both ends, you'd be good to go for a long time! Just some backyard engineering that could work and save you a bundle of time and $$$....What you think?;)
 

GrampsGirl

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Re: Yamaha 175 V-6 Precision Blend -- Rusted shift rod

You've got my attention Rob! I just have to figure out how to get the other end of the rod out of the motor! Hence a need for some diagrams.
 

GrampsGirl

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Re: Yamaha 175 V-6 Precision Blend -- Rusted shift rod

Here is a photo of the Trim & Tilt motor.
 

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GrampsGirl

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Re: Yamaha 175 V-6 Precision Blend -- Rusted shift rod

And here are some photos of the Tiller plate at the bottom of the motor mount:
 

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flounderman

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Re: Yamaha 175 V-6 Precision Blend -- Rusted shift rod

I am not a "rain on a parade" kinda guy, but. Welding may not be possible unless the upper part of the shaft is out. If you go to the trouble and expense of removing the upper part of the shaft then just replace it. I paid less than $100 for my new stainless shaft. Keep in mind the 2 parts of the shaft must be "in time" with each other.
If you are real lucky you might be able to epoxy the 2 parts back together but you must use extreme caution when mating the 2 pieces. If you dont get it right then you are, well you know. Again you must clean the part that is still in the pivot tube. That might be somewhere between no way and not at all. I have read other posts where people have tried what I have just described but never heard the outcome. That leads me to think that R&R is the best way. As for the rust scrape what you can and brush on some Naval Jelly.
 

GrampsGirl

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Re: Yamaha 175 V-6 Precision Blend -- Rusted shift rod

Flounderman, I'm tending to agree with you on this. I still need to figure out how to get the upper part of the shaft out. I'm sorry, I'm having a brain slump here. What does the R&R stand fore? Rest and Relaxation? Rail Road? Scooby Doo's Ruh-Roe?
 

robert graham

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Re: Yamaha 175 V-6 Precision Blend -- Rusted shift rod

Thank you for your reply Captain Rob. If I thought that the shift rod was up to the task, I'd consider welding, but as you can see in the photo, it's not looking too good. I like your thinking on the other issues.
Looks like the rod is broken near the bottom, so if you sleeve it, maybe a talented welder can stick his rod up there just enough to tack it?....just trying to save time/$$$....of course the Best way is to replace the shift shaft with a new Stainless Steel unit. Man, that's a lot of rust on trim motor and steering arm!...wire brush, whatever, just stop the rust! Like I said, spray with Lithium Grease really slows down corrosion! Good Luck!:)
 

flounderman

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Re: Yamaha 175 V-6 Precision Blend -- Rusted shift rod

R&R means remove and replace. On V6's the only way to remove the shaft is to remove the power head. $$$$$$$$$, heart ache and more $$$$$$$. On V4's you take off all the bolt on stuff including the intake manifold and yank out the shaft. The new shaft slides in with a slight effort, but the V6's are just a bit different. The www.shiftshaft.com outfit just seems to be the best alternative. Their site shows the procedure.
 

flounderman

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Re: Yamaha 175 V-6 Precision Blend -- Rusted shift rod

In your spare time do a search on this site for "Yamaha shift shaft".
 

GrampsGirl

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Re: Yamaha 175 V-6 Precision Blend -- Rusted shift rod

Flounderman and Mr. Graham,

Trust me. I have been doing my searching here on this website. I started this thread in order to be more specific with my motor type. I thank you for your input thus far.
 

robert graham

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Re: Yamaha 175 V-6 Precision Blend -- Rusted shift rod

You know, just looking at all that rust, it could make a person wonder why an outboard manufacturer like Yamaha, or any other for that matter, would put plain steel parts on their motors?...I know stainless steel is expensive, but with the price$$$ of outboard motors, they should be able to do it! I understand that on later models many of the plain steel parts have been upgraded to stainless, especially that tilt/trim motor outer casing, shifter shafts and steering arms. Good luck with your dad's motor!:)
 

99yam40

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Re: Yamaha 175 V-6 Precision Blend -- Rusted shift rod

I hate to say it, but with looking at the rust and corrosion in the pics, you will probably break off many bolts trying to take things apart. That will get very expensive trying to get the broke pieces out or drilled out and re-tapped for heli coils or replacing the whole parts.
Look at what you will have afterwards and how much it will be worth.
Probably would end up being cheaper to just sell as is and buy something in good shape if you want a boat and motor
 

Salty Dog

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Re: Yamaha 175 V-6 Precision Blend -- Rusted shift rod

R&R means remove and replace. On V6's the only way to remove the shaft is to remove the power head. $$$$$$$$$, heart ache and more $$$$$$$. On V4's you take off all the bolt on stuff including the intake manifold and yank out the shaft. The new shaft slides in with a slight effort, but the V6's are just a bit different. The www.shiftshaft.com outfit just seems to be the best alternative. Their site shows the procedure.

For some reason on www.shiftshaft.com they say that it will work on a 225 but not on a 250. Aren't they basically the same?
 
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