sheared off gear oil bolt

[pugerz]

I changed the imepeller and noticed leaking from the gear oil bolt. I checked out tightnes and sheared this alumimum bolt off in gear housing. I am so bummed. Is this fixable or should i take to a professional. Please help.

 

[JB]

Re: sheared off gear oil bolt

You need to tell us what engine you have and help us understand what you are calling a gear oil bolt. We must know it by another name.

 

[pugerz]

Re: sheared off gear oil bolt

I have an 1986 85 hp force. The bolt is the lower gear filler up bolt with an allen head. I know i can get a new bolt, just do not know how to get the broken piece out of the lower end.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: sheared off gear oil bolt

That looks like the shift linkage bolt. It should never be taken out.As far as removing(no idea).
The drain is an allen plug on the very bottom of the drive,J

 

[pugerz]

Re: sheared off gear oil bolt

It is definitely the allen head bolt for the gear oil in bottom of lower unit. Its an aluminum bolt that i think i overtightened when i changed the gear oil a month ago and weakened and was slightly leaking i noticed doing my impeller replace. So i went to tighten and it sheared off. Glad i caught it before it fell off in water using boat. Ive been having the hardest time with bolts on this motor. I was going to try to drill it out and pull out somehow. I definitely dont want it to land inside the lower unit, when i do try to get it out. looking for suggestions, if any for the safe removal of this.

 

[JB]

Re: sheared off gear oil bolt

Must be the Drain plug or maybe the Vent plug for the gearcase. Even Force wouldn't have used an alloy "bolt" where it needed strength.

I see no alternative to drilling it and using an Easy Out.

For future reference, there is a gasket (not a washer) that goes under the head of that plug that must be replaced every time you have it out. Sounds like you might have left it out or re-used it, causing the oil leak you spotted.

 

[pugerz]

Re: sheared off gear oil bolt

Yea i reused the old gasket, i did not have a new one at time. no excuse I know. I will get a new bolt and gasket. Do you think drilling and an easyout will do it? I have never done that procedure before. thanks for your help.

 

[cambosoup99]

Re: sheared off gear oil bolt

i thought that bolt was the type of bolt that had treads all the way to the allen head like a set screw. not the type shown in the pic above. maybe someone put the wrong type in there.

 

[pnwboat]

Re: sheared off gear oil bolt

It looks like someone put the wrong type of screw in there. The original plug is usually made from stainless steel allen head and has a very unusual thread pitch. I'm in the process of replacing one on an 85 HP lower end that I'm repairing now. It's a 5/16th 27 pitch plug. I had to special order it.

 

[pugerz]

Re: sheared off gear oil bolt

I ordered the part today from an outboard johnson mechanic, parts house, they said these plugs have no gaskets. Now that i am looking at it maybe it was the shift pin that i tighted and it sheared off. I took some pics of the bolt location its the one near endentured area. Its was leaking from there. The allen bolt at the bottom was not leaking. I know i should not ever remove the shift pin, but what now if its sheared off and leaking? What a mess i am in now.

 

[john from md]

Re: sheared off gear oil bolt

Unless Frank Acampora has a special trick up his sleeve, you had better start reading about disassembly of the gear case as that is the only way I know to fix a broken shift rod pivot bolt.

John

 

[pugerz]

Re: sheared off gear oil bolt

I just came back from the mechanic who works on force motors locally. And he did say it was the shift pin. He showed me one on a motor he was working on and its location. It is supposed to have a phillips head and mine had an allen head. I think what i have now after talking with him is a prior owner jerry rigged an allen head bolt in that opening and regroved a bigger opening so it would fit inside it. I do not know if that bolt was ever attached to the pin. I think it was just tightened in the opening he made and he used pipe tape on it so it would not leak. Wow the things you see in this outboard mechanic world. I just tightened it slightly cuz it was leaking a smidge and it fell out. The pin is still in place inside there and unharmed, its just not attached to any bolt. He quoted me 200 to 250 to tear it apart and put in a new pin attached to a bolt. Either way he does it I am going to end up with this jerry rigged bolt and not the original. I'm wondering now if i dont just put the old bolt in with some pipe dope and then jb marine weld it good so it doesnt leak. The mechanic said if the pin falls out inside it could do damage to the gears. I have not had any issues with the pin till this came out and have used the motor 20 plus times since purchase. Any thoughts on the jb weld fix? What a weird thing.

 

[cambosoup99]

Re: sheared off gear oil bolt

I got a question for you, in your previous post you said you filled the gear oil through that sheared off bolt location did you notice any problems with that.

i dont wanna say it but we did tell you in earlier post but anyway try to get a manual for your motor. So you'll know exactly what your working on.

 

[pnwboat]

Re: sheared off gear oil bolt

Sent you a PM.

 

[pugerz]

Re: sheared off gear oil bolt

I figured out now that the shift pin was never attached to this bolt that came off in my hand when i went to tighten. In further review of the bolt he used. He took a 1/4" stainless steel bolt 1/2" long with an allen head and hacksawed it down to a 1/4" length. Then took plumbing pipe tape wrapped the remaining threads and somehow jerry rigged this bolt into the shift pin hole. The shift pin was never attached to this bolt that i thought i sheared off. Its just inside there unattached working. Unfortunately for me, the jerry rigged bolt was only good for one jerry rig setup because it wont thread back into hole. So I either Jb weld this hole now left by the bolt that fell out or i take lower unit apart and try to do the job right. I bought a new bolt and have it sitting bye the old bolt i took out. At least I feel better in knowing i did not shear off the shift pin bolt. It was all part of a jerry rig job done bye someone else. No offense to any jerrys out there. hehe