'82 25hp swivel bracket removal. Please help!

[treckrg]

I have a '82 25hp Johnson that is set up for remote steering. I bought the tiller handle and swivel bracket (plate with the handle on it that the tiller handle attaches to). Last ngiht I took the motor apart to change the bracket, but when I removed the old bracket I was not able to take the greased shaft off of it. I have the repair manual for this motor but it doesn;t include this section of dissassembly. So now I am almost ready to put the new bracket on, but I can NOT get the swivel tube (not sure if this is what it is called) off of the old bracket. I removed the 4 bolts holding it on and have beat it with hammers, chisels, even soaked it in corrosion buster over night. I have even broken the old bracket by hitting it. What is the deal? I knwo it is supposed to seperate.... Any help would be GREAT! Starting to get pretty frustrated....

 

[oldrudedude]

Re: '82 25hp swivel bracket removal. Please help!

It sounds like you are trying to separate the steering bracket from the pilot tube?

 

[bktheking]

Re: '82 25hp swivel bracket removal. Please help!

That's exactly what he is doing, the bracket's are different for both. There are 4 bolts holding the pilot tube to the bracket, it's probably just stuck together. Be patient or you may be replacing the pilot tube too. Put some bp blaster on it and wait. If that doesn't work you may need to heat where the 2 go together a little but it should separate.

 

[treckrg]

Re: '82 25hp swivel bracket removal. Please help!

Yup, pilot tube is the word I was loking for! I let it sit in PB blaster over night and still worked on it a ton this morning. Hasn't budged. I have tried everything. I am almost to the point of just buying another pilot tube. Any idea what that will run me? I would much rather get the existing one off, but I am losing faith.

It also appears that my swivel bracket has about a 2 inch long nipple that goes into the pilot tube. Will that thing make a difference in the seperation?

 

[bktheking]

Re: '82 25hp swivel bracket removal. Please help!

Try laying it on it's side, put a chisel where the 2 meet and try breaking it loose that way if you haven't tried already.

And there is no price on the shop2 site, you'd have to call an omc sealer, I imagine they aren't cheap.

 

[bktheking]

Re: '82 25hp swivel bracket removal. Please help!

Look at the new bracket, the 2 inch long nipple receiving end isn't threaded is it?

 

[treckrg]

Re: '82 25hp swivel bracket removal. Please help!

I have tried the chisel thing. All that happens is the chisel will start to bury itself in the metal. No loosening. The new bracjet does not have the nipple. Everything else is the same with the new part, just no nipple so I'm not sure if it is threaded itself. I have tried turning it though to loosen it. Also, I was able to find a new part. OMC no nolger has them, but the cheapest aftermarket is $375. ouch. Any other ideas? Thanks for all the help BTW!

 

[bktheking]

Re: '82 25hp swivel bracket removal. Please help!

Well if we are dealing with steel and aluminum you could try heating the steel red hot and then dunking the whole piece in water, the 2 metals will cool at different points possibly allowing them to separate. You may have to do this several times until it breaks loose.

 

[treckrg]

Re: '82 25hp swivel bracket removal. Please help!

I put a pipe wrench on the tube and braced the bracket. Put a 2x4 chunk on the wrench handle and beat the crap out of the wrench with a 3 pound hammer. It turned! About 1/8 of an inch. Then stopped.... So I am thinking that maybe that nipple IS threaded. Anyone know if it is or not? I don't have a parts diagram for it. If it is threaded I will keep twisting the thing.... I just don't want to break the tube. Thanks again for all the help!

 

[bktheking]

Re: '82 25hp swivel bracket removal. Please help!

Don't know if it is, a look at shop2.evinrude.com doesn't indicate that it is. Heat this thing up or something is going to break, even if it's a propane torch, heat will make the job much easier.

 

[jasper60103]

Re: '82 25hp swivel bracket removal. Please help!

I put a pipe wrench on the tube and braced the bracket. Put a 2x4 chunk on the wrench handle and beat the crap out of the wrench with a 3 pound hammer. It turned! About 1/8 of an inch. Then stopped.... So I am thinking that maybe that nipple IS threaded. Anyone know if it is or not? I don't have a parts diagram for it. If it is threaded I will keep twisting the thing.... I just don't want to break the tube. Thanks again for all the help!

For what its worth, I have the '81 25hp manual in front of me. It just says...

"if necessary steering bracket can be removed from pivot shaft by removing 4 screws. See Figure 6-86."

And the figure 6-86 just points to the 4 screws on the steering bracket.

 

[treckrg]

Re: '82 25hp swivel bracket removal. Please help!

Going to get a can of propane. Gonna heat this puppy up.... While I am gone, gonna leave it in some PB blaster again.