Jon, you were correct. By bringing the lower unit up until where we had resistance and wiggling the flywheel the splines slipped in and everything went together nicely. The new water pump is working fine and the motor runs like it always has.

Thanks again for the help, first time for that job for me.

Jim W.

Jon,

Thanks for the response. First, thankfully(?) I didn’t shift the lower unit while it was off. It was in neutral when taken off and still is, the prop spins freely. Next, when we pulled the lower unit off we had to gently force (pry) the unit off the motor. Now when we get the lower unit up to the point where the bolts align into their holes, and the shift linkage almost touches, we can’t get it any farther. It doesn’t seem to be the shift linkage stopping it because we can still move them apart. The water tube guide sleeve is over the water tube. There is resistance as though something is keeping the lower unit from sliding into place, we have applied a fair amount of effort to force it together. We are left with about a one inch gap. Is there something else we are missing that needs to be aligned or is this a result of the drive shaft splines not aligned?

Jim

Your pictures and procedures were very helpful. Now I have some questions about the reinstall procedures: 1) Is the gear connection next to the speedometer self aligning or do I need to turn it to align the splines? 2) Once everything is in place, how do you get the lower unit to mate with the shaft body (housing between the power head and the lower unit)? I can get the lower unit up to the housing but cannot get the last 3/4 to 1 inch to close. When I took the unit apart I had to gently pry the lower unit off the shaft housing. 3) I didn’t follow the directions and took the lower unit off without the shifter in forward. How (can?) do I recitify this during reassembly?

Thank you for your help,

Jim W.