'77 Evinrude 140 Lower unit locked up?

[freeisforme]

I've got a super clean, low hours '77 140hp Evinrude, its been sitting now for about a year since the boat was being painted over the winter. Its been stored indoors, was professionally winterized, new lower unit oil, etc.
I pulled the boat out for the first time today, and the starter just clicked, I immediately go to the flywheel and try to spin the motor and release the now stuck bendix, but it won't budge but about an inch either way. I pulled the plugs, thinking that maybe the thing is hydro locked from being winterized somehow, but no such luck. The next thing was to pull the lower unit off, and the motor now turns. With the lower unit on the bench I can see the driveshaft won't move more than about 1/8th turn either way, I pulled the water pump off, no change. I can shift into forward or reverse, the prop spins free in neutral, and ratchets in the reverse direction in either gear, but I can't budge the driveshaft. The oil is spot clean, it's never seen water since the last oil change, and it pressure tests just fine. The motor has limited use on it but has sat a lot over the years. Just prior to painting the boat the motor was gone over with the carbs rebuilt, new plugs, coils, and head gaskets. Its got 137 psi on all 4.

I thought maybe the top bearing had failed but it seems odd it would just lock up partway just sitting, and without being wet to boot. The thing has never been kept outdoors and is stored in a heated garage that don't freeze.

The part that bothers me is that the thing turns a little bit and I feel a distinct clunk as it hits what ever is stopping it from turning. It don't feel like a tight or rust damaged bearing with a bunch of broken rollers. It feels like it's in gear, even though it's clearly not.

The model number is 140743S.
What years do I need to look to for a used lower unit?

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: '77 Evinrude 140 Lower unit locked up?

I'd start by pulling that one apart - if you can find a big honking pair of snap ring pliers. Sounds like a gear tooth has let go and is now hanging up in the gears...

 

[freeisforme]

Re: '77 Evinrude 140 Lower unit locked up?

So far it's not cooperating, the prop shaft and reverse gear came right out, but the driveshaft won't budge. The gears look fine from what I can see though. The drive shaft itself is what's stuck. The upper bearing retainer won't budge, I tried some heat with no luck, there's no puller holes or means to get hold of it.
The bearing carrier, and prop shaft came out with little problem. The driveshaft will now turn about 3/4 turn each way and stop with a clunk, even though the gears are no longer in contact. I can't imagine what happened to this thing just sitting. There's no signs of water or rust and it's not a high hours motor.
Is there any special tricks to get a stuck driveshaft out of one of these?

 

[freeisforme]

Re: '77 Evinrude 140 Lower unit locked up?

I made some headway today, after a lot of tapping, a quart or more of penetrating oil, and a pair of vise grips on the driveshaft, it broke free. I was at this point able to pull off the upper bearing retainer, and the thrust bearing. The upper bearing is blue, like it's been super hot. It was stuck to the shaft and rotating in the retainer cap. The thrust bearing is also blue, and badly pitted. With the two upper bearings out, I can rotate the shaft, but it feels rough. I swiped a good used upper bearing and thrust bearing from another unit for now, and put it all back together well oiled, then topped off the oil. The prop is stuck on the shaft now as well, what gets me is that I myself pulled that off right before it went into the garage for paint and slathered it up with grease, now it's stuck and won't budge. The lower unit feels rough, but I can't see how sitting for a few years turned it from being like new to a rusted up piece of scrap. The motor itself had sat for 20+ years in a guys basement, it was tuned up and gotten running and the lower unit fluid changed just before the paint job last year. It's been sitting in a heated garage ever since, never out of my sight.
Just the cost of the upper bearings and shaft will exceed the cost of a good used unit, so that's pretty much a no brainer. There's no way I'd put the cost of a new or remanunfactured lower into this boat. I've already got well over $500 in it now. I'm far better off finding either a used lower unit or another motor that runs. From what I see, this lower unit maybe a bit of an oddity, it seems that the 1977 models were all by themselves? It's also a 25" shaft model, and I don't have a good drive shaft to swap over to convert a 20" lower to work, nor would it be worth the effort if I did.
For what ever reason, it appears that either the oil drained down from the upper bearing area and it rusted solid from sitting, or there's something stopping oil from getting there. It was bone dry, and even after filling the case full, no oil reaches that area. My guess is that the thing is either so gummed up that oil can't get through or carried up that far. I take it that the spiral pattern on the driveshaft is to pump oil upwards?