Re: 6hp johnson steering bracket 1972
There are six bolts that are inserted from the bottom-up, into the powerhead base. Look for them under the flange at the top of the exhaust housing. You will also have to disconnect the throttle arm on the port side of the motor, as well as the fuel line and the choke lever.
If the problem with the shift lever is that it is "frozen," the initial problem is probably that the grease in the passageway from the "zerk fitting" (it isn't really a zerk, but just a part of the lever casting), is hardened. Once you get the shift lever out of the exhaust housing, be sure to get rid of all of the hardened grease - you may have to use some solvent to do this. Failure to do so, will just result in reinstalling a part that you can't properly lubricate and the lever will eventually get stuck again.
If the shaft still feels excessively tight in the bore that it is inserted into, after cleaning out all the old grease, use some emory cloth on it to get rid of exfoliated aluminum. You may have to knock the scale off of the walls of the bore in the exhaust housing too.
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