A different "Can't attach shift shaft" question

[db4570]

I have a 1968 9.8 Merc 110 that I replaced the water pump impeller on, and am trying to get back together. Everything is going fine except this:

I am making sure the splined shaft coming up from the lower unit is in the same position (neutral) as the splined female couple coming down from the power head. My issue is that the shaft with female coupler coming down wobbles around, and is impossible to line up with the lower shaft when I raise it up, because I can't see or feel it at that point. I can't find any way to center this upper shaft in the cavity.

Am I missing something? I have searched for hours about this with no luck. I am about to drill a big finger-size hole in the side so I can reach in and position it. Stop me before I do!

Thanks!

David

Seriously, any suggestions appreciated.

 

[racerone]

Take a good look.---I think you or assistant can reach( from front ) to position the shift rod.

 

[db4570]

Thanks for the reply. Unless I am missing something, I can't find where there would be any access from the front. In the pictures, the arrow is pointing to the upper coupler up in the mid section. And then two others showing the outside of the mid section. Which is solid except for that little teardrop shaped hole facing down that doesn't seem to provide any access to anything inside.

Any other ideas?



T

 

[racerone]

If you could bring it over ( not going to happen ) it would be an easy fix !

 

[db4570]

Like how? C'mon. Use your words.

What part of the country are you in, just in case...

 

[1960 Starflite]

Just a thought. Could you turn the power head upside down then lower the unit onto it

 

[db4570]

Thanks for the suggestion. Actually, that's the way I am doing it now, because it's a lot easier to see everything. But the shaft from the power head still wobbles around randomly. I can try to align it so it appears centered, but any little movement and it flops over to one side or the other.

I am thinking about trying to fashion some sort of temporary bushing I could put around it to center it. Like some chunks of paraffin wax that would melt off once the engine is running, hoping it would not do any harm mixed with the gear lube.

I still feel like I am missing something obvious. Like an original bushing that would center and hold the shaft. Or some access port. Or a special Mercury tool.

David

 

[racerone]

There is simply no way for that wax to get into the gear lube.-----Lower units in good condition are sealed !----Water or wax will not get in.

 

[db4570]

Oh, yeah. I just realized it is a separate chamber where the gear lube is.

 

[1960 Starflite]

Thanks for the suggestion. Actually, that's the way I am doing it now, because it's a lot easier to see everything. But the shaft from the power head still wobbles around randomly. I can try to align it so it appears centered, but any little movement and it flops over to one side or the other.

I am thinking about trying to fashion some sort of temporary bushing I could put around it to center it. Like some chunks of paraffin wax that would melt off once the engine is running, hoping it would not do any harm mixed with the gear lube.

I still feel like I am missing something obvious. Like an original bushing that would center and hold the shaft. Or some access port. Or a special Mercury tool.

David

I was thinking chunks of a soap bar but didn't want to embarrass myself

 

[db4570]

Soap isn't a bad idea.

But I can't help but believe I am missing something simple and obvious. Certainly a Mercury mechanic, working on these every day, doesn't have to do some bizarre trick to do such a routine maintenance task.

 

[racerone]

Correct-----Look this motor over carefully to see if there is a place where you can hold / center the shift rod !!

 

[db4570]

Well it looks like Racerone had the correct answer, even though it annoyed me at first, because I had looked it over very carefully. But then, I noticed, way up at the top toward the powerhead there is a little slot, and I could see the shift shaft running through it.

I was able to poke a heavy copper wire in there, feed it back through from the other side and then back again to make a loop around the shaft. After a couple of attempts, with my kid holding the wire on the shaft as tight as possible, it finally slipped into the coupling!

I fired it up in a bucket of water, and nothing came out the telltale. Dang! I was dreading having to take it all apart again. But then I figured I'd start with the simplest solution first, and ran a smaller wire up into the telltale hole to clean it out, and sure enough, water starting squirting out. Took the boat for a nice test ride and it ran great.

Thanks for the help, guys.

David

 

[racerone]

As in post #2------There is no way for you to know how many of these motors I have worked on or how many I own for parts / rebuilding.