Shift rod stuck in gear case

[snowy23]

Hey guys, I have a 1963 40hp evinrude long shaft. It's been sittin awhile. I dropped the lower unit to service the water pump. The shift lever seemed stuck before I pulled the lower unit. Problem seems to be the shift rod is fozen where it enters the gear case housing, shift lever works fine at power head. Is this a split or single housing gear case? I'm trying to determine how best to free the shift rod. Trying to get a blow up of the gear case from the manual before I open it up but don't know which diagram to use. Also, any tips of freeing stuubborn screws on the gear case would be helpful.
Thanks for any help.
Keith:$

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Shift rod stuck in gear case

A "split" gearcase will be just that - it'll have a seam along the plane of the propshaft with the skeg portion of the gearcase bullet forming the bottom half, held on with 9 screws.

If the shift rod is really frozen, then I would disassemble the whole unit to inspect the internals, as shift rods don't usually freeze without help from other parts inside...

- Scott

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: Shift rod stuck in gear case

Scott's got it. The shift rod rides in a rubber o-ring in the housing and connected to a shifting fork on the lower end. If it's really frozen, there's probably something wrong at the shift fork connection.

To remove the screws, get an impact screwdriver from wherever you buy tools. They're cheap and indispensible when working on outboards. Harbor Freight has them for $6.99.