Reattaching lower unit

[BassyiusMaximus]

I know it might be tough, but it will help to have one person pushing the L/U up while another person "jiggles" the flywheel to get the driveshaft to sync, that would be my first thought. Did the shifter get moved? I know it is tough to get the water pipe lined up along with the shift shaft all the while holding the heavy piece up to get it into the housing but the only things that could stop it up would be the driveshaft splines or the shift-shaft splines binding up or not mating exactly to slide into each other, those would be the only 2 things I could think of.

I cracked my shift shaft where it mates into the splines, like as if someone sliced a carrot top at an angle. I had pushed the L/U up enough to get nuts on the threads , I kept torquing the nuts wondering why they were so tight, well the shift shaft was not aligned and all the pressure chipped a piece right off. I was able to JB Weld and along with a S/S clamp it broke off so clean that I was able to just glue it together and got it to work for the next 10 years but I learned my lesson after that, if the L/U doesn't easily go right up into that housing, drop it and rotate the flywheel or have someone rotate it until it slides up nice and easy. I had my girlfriend do it for me this past December when it hung up for a moment and thank goodness she was there or I would have had to move the flywheel ever so much every time to get it to mate and it would have been a pain. Good luck.

[NEXT2NUN]

I always put shifter in reverse before taking the lower unit off. Make sure you have water proof grease on the tip of the driveshaft hold the lower unit up and wiggle the prop until everything lines up. I like to trim the motor to about 45 degrees so you can get a knee under the skeg to hold some of the weight. Don't force anything. Look up inside the leg with a flashlight to make sure there isn't anything blocking the splines in the crankshaft.

[keeperreaper]

What next2nun said. The trick is reverse.

[Carl]

Thanks for the advice. Why is Reverse any different than forward. I realize that the shift shaft had turned a bit and the prop was in neutral, but I got that back in forward, but I didn't have time last night to try to put it back on the motor. I did have help on Saturday when I was doing the job. It would be very very difficult to do that job with only 2 hands.

Thanks

[macojoe]

You are going to have to make sure the lower unit is the same as shifter!! F, N, R or its not going to go. Other wise do like all has said!

Amazing how heavy that lower unit gets isn't!!

[Van]

Shop told me to install with the shift rod up all the way (Forward gear). I will be putting my "self repaired" lower unit on this weekend, weather permitting.

[Mr. Sandman]

If you are still having trouble getting it in...tap the ignition key for just a fraction of a second to move the flywheel. Same thing happend to me once, it slid right in after I did that.

I have heard that putting it in gear helps before you remove it too. I will try that next time.