I’m Stupid, and messed up my motor!!!!

Decided to replace my impeller in the lower unit. (1983 40HP Mariner. Japanese model.) In the middle of the process, I also decided that it would be a good time to drain and replace the lower unit oil. Anyway, I just wasn’t paying attention and instead of loosing the drain screw, I loosened the shift linkage retaining screw. (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!!! )

Long story/short, there was enough downward pull from the loosened lower unit that the shift rod came out. Now I can’t get it back in. The bottom end of the shift linkage has a flattened/beveled side, that a pin in the lower unit follows to put the engine in forward/neutral/reverse as the shift linkage is moved up and down. That pin is now sticking all the way across the opening for the linkage and blocking it from going far enough in to line up with the retaining screw. I just can’t seem to get it to move back enough to replace the linkage. (I only need about 1/8 inch. )

Any ideas on what to try, short of spending a lot of time and money at a repair shop, or removing the gears/etc. to get the pin and linkage back in???

The first picture shows how the shift linkage sits in the lower unit. The second shows the location of the retaining screw and the groove on the linkage that it should fit in.

Thanks in advance for any ideas!!!!

Did you try rotating the impellor shaft? That may get the pin to move out of the way – I’m guessing that the motor could be in gear and that’s why the pin is sticking out??? Do you have a service manual, or have you looked online at the exploded view diagram of the LU?

Good luck, and if you do get this back together, make sure that everything seems to behave normally before water testing it. That the prop shaft rotates freely by hand in neutral and that it doesn’t when it’s in gear. If in doubt, it’s better to pay a service charge than to chew up the LU.

Dan

(Edited- sorry i did not see the second pic, i have not done that so i am no help here, sorry and best luck)—

I think you are wrong my friend… I think you did a fine job and that was infact the drain.

In my experiences with Merc (same as mariner)im gyessing that the splines on either the drive shaft (big one) or the shift shaft (little one) are not aligining.

My first run in with this lead me to find out i had the gear wrong so here is how you fix the aliginment issue.

1. figure out where neutral in the gear case is by using vise grips on the shift shaft.

2. Figure out which way the motor spins the shaft by pulling or turning over.

3. spin the drive shaft in that direction and see which way the prop spins. ( it may spin some in neutral but only due to oil friction in the gear case, you will feel no torgue on the prop if you hold it still)

4. the shift shaft spins one way wfor forwart and the other for reverse with neutral in the middle.

5. once the gear case is in N place the gear selector in N as well.

slide the LU back into the housing making sure all shafts align.

6. if it does not slide right togther ( hhich it rarely does) try spinning the flyfheel a bit by hand and also jiggle the gear selector (like the toilet handle)

7. I am putting $ on the fact that the splines are just not meshing exactly. good luck-Mark

Also there is a 4″ plastic pipe missing in the pic that delivers water to a pipe in side the housing that gets the water to the heads and such. im sure you have it but incase not…

I agree with TC 100%.

And good luck lining everything up correctly. Like Chucker implies, getting the shift shaft right is not a particularly easy task. Even when you’re pretty dang sure you got it, you might end up stuck in reverse. If that happens, the only thing you can do is drop the LU and try again… and again… and again… until you get it right.

Don’t use a hammer…trust me on this.

I really wish you guys were right but this unit is a lot differant. I don’t know if it’s because it’s a Japanese model or what.

I’ve tried turning the impeller shaft…no good. Hell, I’ve even tilted the whole unit back, hoping that gravity might do the trick.

There are no splines to line up on the shift linkage. The top of the shift rod is nothing but a treaded rod that couples to another treaded rod coming down from the motor.

The actual drain screw is about 3 inches to the left and 3 inches down from the one in the second picture on the bottom of the gear housing.

I followed Jon Jordan’s post about replacing the impeller but this unit is just differant from most I guess. No splines to line up for the shift linkage. The drive shaft linkage is no problem.

Anyway, if you look at the end of the shift linkage in the second picture, you might be able to see that the beveled side has three flat/verticale spots. The bottom one is forward, the center is neutral and the top one is reverse. Which go’s along with what my shifter at the console is doing to the shaft. The whole thing only moves about 2 inches up and down. The pin that is blocking everything just follows along and shifts as it hits those flat spots. Nothing else.

I don’t know but I’m guessing that I need to get a manual or take it in. Thanks for the ideas though, guys.

As far as the hammer is concerned, it may not fix it but I’d feel a lot better. That is at least until I got the repair bill.

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Don’t use a hammer…trust me on this.

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what BK said! if you do you might end up with that thing sticking out of your mid housing…

Here is a link to a supplier I use for replacement parts. You will need the model and serial numbers to find your motor but once you find it you should be able to get blown up drawings to your motor that may help. Heck they may even have your manual.

I have saved a lot of money buying parts from them plus shipping over the price that local dealers charge. One time Cabelas wanted $22 for a part I got the same part here for something like $7. Give it a shot

Thanks twister!!! I’ve got a blown up drawing but, it’s not very good.