1988 Evinrude 8hp Shift Problem

[woodword]

I pulled apart my lower unit today to try to get to the bottom of the shifter sticking in forward. See attachment for the parts diagram. It started as an intermittent problem and would eventually go into neutral and reverse but now it is stuck in forward. After draining the lower unit fluid, I found that it was dark and smelled strong but there was no water present. The last time I changed the fluid was about 4 years ago when I replaced the water pump impellor. The motor only gets about 5 hours of use per year. There was some metal on the magnet (part 30) but not too much. After pulling the prop off and the reverse gear (8), I found a couple of ball bearings (33) just larger than a bb rolling around and they are probably from the small shaft (12) that's inside the prop shaft (9) and most likely were knocked loose while I was trying to get the prop shaft out. The bigger problem is that the forward gear (15) is stuck to the prop shaft (9) and I can't seem to get it off. The pinion gear (17) from the power head sticks about 1/2" into the prop housing so I can't get the prop shaft out with the forward gear stuck to it.

Anybody ever seen anything like this before? My dads mechanic told me to soak the problem area in vinegar for 15 minutes, then heat it with a butane torch a little and try knocking it off again.

Thanks for any advice!

Wood

 

[woodword]

Re: 1988 Evinrude 8hp Shift Problem

1st try heating and tapping didn't work so I poured the heat to it and the forward gear popped right off! Now I'm going to replace the seals and o-rings and emory cloth the shaft and hopefully the forward gear won't stick to the prop shaft again. I found no corrosion on the shaft or the gear so I can't even tell why it stuck in the 1st place.

Wood

 

[woodword]

Re: 1988 Evinrude 8hp Shift Problem

Is there such a thing as a lower unit seal kit? Where would one order this?

Thanks,

Wood

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: 1988 Evinrude 8hp Shift Problem

shop.evinrude.com

 

[Rick.]

Re: 1988 Evinrude 8hp Shift Problem

Woodward. Sorry you didn't get any help with this one but congratulations on getting it apart. I would suggest changing the oil every fall as if there is water in there it will freeze and could cause a world of hurt to your gear housing. Rick.

 

[woodword]

Re: 1988 Evinrude 8hp Shift Problem

Follow-up: After replacing several seals, using emory cloth on the prop shaft to smooth it up, and putting the motor back together - she shifted perfectly on the stand. As soon as I put it in the water, she stuck in forward again. Yesterday, I pulled the lower unit apart again and found that the inside of the foward gear/bearing assembly was boogered up where the two balls engage the bearing. Also, when increasing engine RPM in forward, the engine would abruptly drop out of forward and into neutral (the forward gear would disengage). So it looks like I need to replace the forward gear/bearing assembly.

The part number is 432144 and is the same for 4HP Deluxe, 6HP, and 8HP motors from 1988-1996. A new one is $166.37. Does anybody know if there's a place to find used parts for outboards? I've already sunk over $100 into a 20 year old motor and really don't want to spend a bunch more money!

Please email me at cgpilot at yahoo dot com.

Thanks,

Eric