'87 115 lower unit shift shaft seal?

[croSSed]

Hi. I got into my lower unit with the intent of servicing my water pump, to discover that it appears the seal around my shift shaft was leaking oil. I got the whole new shift shaft bushing with seal and o-ring. When I went to take the old bushing out (using the correct factory tool), the bushing lifted the shift shaft out. Now, when I put the shift rod back in, it just spins. It seems that the shift cam inside the housing came unhooked somehow. Is that true? And if so, doesn't the whole lower unit need to be disassembled to get it back together correctly?

TG

 

[Laddies]

Re: '87 115 lower unit shift shaft seal?

You will need to remove the carrier and use a magnet or something to move the cam back to the right position to slide the shaft back into the cam if it comes out of the slot it's in remember the rams goto the drain plug side

 

[emckelvy]

Re: '87 115 lower unit shift shaft seal?

There is a way to reposition the shift shaft without disassembly of the lower unit.

Drain all the oil out then spray a small amount of WD or solvent down the shift shaft hole to wash away any residual gear oil.

Then, grab hold of the propshaft and turn it so it "ratchets". Note it'll only do this in one direction.

As it's ratcheting, just before the next "click" stop turning the propshaft and leave it in that position.

What this does is "unload" the shift clutch and therefore the spring and plunger which are pushing the shift cam out of position.

Without disturbing the position of the propshaft, you can then peer down the shift shaft hole with a strong lite. You'll see the round hole where the shift shaft passes thru, and beneath it, some portion of the shift cam.

"Jostle" the lower unit around and you'll see the shift cam moves about. If you're persistant, you can eventually bounce the cam around to where the splines in the cam will line up with the shift shaft.

Engage the shift shaft in the cam and you're all set ! Spread a thin coating of anti-corrosion grease on the shift bushing O-ring, and the shift shaft oil seal.

Tighten down and you're done.

I've done this to many a lower unit with pulled out shaft and haven't had to dismantle the L/U yet!

Cheers.....ed

 

[OldMercsRule]

Re: '87 115 lower unit shift shaft seal?

Ed yer MY HERO!

I don't know how many of yer threads I have printed n' stuck in one of me favorite ol' manuals fer future reference, (but: quite a few)!

Thanks, (on behalf of us challanged back yard type mechanics), fer all yer help! You, (n' Laddies n' Chris1956 n' Silvertip n' Rickster n' Clams n' AMDrules n' many others here on iboats [sorry if I didn't mention ya]), have saved me arse or me wallet fer me black anchors, n' you guys may have saved 'em from becomin' black boat anchors: too!

Respectfully, JR

 

[croSSed]

Re: '87 115 lower unit shift shaft seal?

Ed, GREAT advice! Thank you! I just came back from the shop I do business with, told them what I did, and the mechanic said, "well, you've screwed the pooch now. The only way to fix it is to disassemble it. It's about 2 hours of work" i.e., around $200. Yikes. I'll try your method first!

TG

 

[croSSed]

Re: '87 115 lower unit shift shaft seal?

IT'S FIXED!! After spending about a half hour figuring out what I was trying to do, and reading other threads on other forums, it took me about 10 minutes to reposition the cam splines so I could install the shift rod. Ed, thanks again for the advice. Looks like you saved me about $200! What's your favorite drink? Maybe I could send you a bottle.......

TG

 

[Scaaty]

Re: '87 115 lower unit shift shaft seal?

Well, seems before I had the chance to do something else stupid, someone beat me to it, and the dudes on white horses showed up to save the day! Thanks Ed..its in the old Merc files!