'89 50hp force l/u locked up

[kmac]

I have a '89 50 hp force with a locked up lower unit. When we broke it down we found the brass/bronze bushing below the water pump was frozen to the shaft. There is a groove on the outside of the bushing running long ways and a groove on the inside of the L/U housing. Is this for a roll pin or is this a groove for oil to be pumped up in. There is a hole in the groove on the housing which seems to go down into the gears. I thought maybe this was to allow oil to get up to the bushing and therefore the groove is not for a roll pin. Should the shaft spin freely inside the bushing as is. We are not sure why the bushing froze to the shaft and think it is from a lack of lubrication.

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: '89 50hp force l/u locked up

It was. That's an oil passage. The bushing presses into the housing. When it heats up from lack of cooling provided by the circulating gearlube, it swells up and sticks to the shaft. Your shaft will probably be scored. Hopefully all you'll need to do is replace the bushing and smooth down the shaft. When you put the new bushing in, make sure the surfaces are oil free and red loctite it in there.