bent prop shaft - botched reassembly. RODBOLT, R.JOHNSON, DHADLEY

[Marc J.]

I hit a rock the size of a VW Beetle last week. I was barely going along and it snuck up on me. I thought I had averted disaster because the SS prop showed little or no damage. But the propshaft now has a slight wobble to it. This is on a 89' 90 hp Johnson. I have read over the gearcase servicing section in my OMC manual. I am a little overwhelmed by the many procedures and OMC# tools mentioned. What are some suitable substitutions that the Auto Zone loan-a-tool might include? Maybe a steering wheel puller to remove the bearing housing? Also, will I need to shim the shaft differently after I get it straightened? Any advice appreciated.

 

[G. Patton]

Re: bent prop shaft - botched reassembly. RODBOLT, R.JOHNSON, DHADLEY

You may be able to remove the carrier assembly with a hefty slide hammer whose rod has a hook on the end of it, using the hook to grab the carrier.<br /><br />No, there will be no need to do any shimming. Having the prop shaft straightened does not require having anything shimed.

 

[R.Johnson]

Re: bent prop shaft - botched reassembly. RODBOLT, R.JOHNSON, DHADLEY

You have to disassemble that entire gearcase to get that prop shaft out. That will take a manual, Do not run with a bent shaft.

 

[Marc J.]

Re: bent prop shaft - botched reassembly. RODBOLT, R.JOHNSON, DHADLEY

I've had the LU out for 2-3 weeks now. I've got the week off, my tools together and my water pump kit and LU seals will be here tomorrow. <br /><br />When I dropped the LU, I noticed that the driveshaft o-ring had been running below the groove. What kind of problem could this cause?<br /><br />Also, the retaining ring behind the propshaft bearing housing, is this a internal or external ring? I'm sure it will be obvious when I get there, but the pliers I have are for internal rings. I imagine the large tips are the ones I need.<br /><br />I plan on skipping steps 27 thru 60, meaning I'm only doing what's necessary to free the propshaft and later, re-attach it to the assembly. Taking apart the detent mechanism and bearing housings look like asking for trouble. Is there anything wrong with this approach?

 

[rodbolt]

Re: bent prop shaft - botched reassembly. RODBOLT, R.JOHNSON, DHADLEY

yep you will have to dissasemble the gear shift mechanism.<br /> nope the low oring wont hurt anything, especially since it gets greased yearly,right?<br />be careful with the slide hammer and hook method, I see a lot of carriers busted each summer that way. if ya dont have the OMC J-hooks use a harmonic balancer puller and 5/16ths 18 all thread, if they strip retap the carrier holes to 3/8ths 16. <br /> you will need a large set of internal tru-arc snap ring pliers. you will need a drive shaft holding tool , one can be made from a junk crank or purchased for about 30 dollars.no need for any shimming tools just for prop shaft replacement. you will need a new pinion nut and inspect or just replace the shift clutch cause your there. I prefer BRP seals as some aftermarket ones tend to have garter springs that rust away quicly in the salt pond. may as well install a pump kit while your in it. and cheack the seals on the exhaust tube while its off. pay attention to the shift clutch orientation, most are marked some are not.

 

[Marc J.]

Re: bent prop shaft - botched reassembly. RODBOLT, R.JOHNSON, DHADLEY

Thanks so much Rodbolt. Maybe I'll get a promotion if I pull this off. I'm headed to town for the all thread and to price the BRP seals, pinion nut, and shift clutch. Would the Sierra seals be OK on a freshwater trailer boat?

 

[Marc J.]

Re: bent prop shaft - botched reassembly. RODBOLT, R.JOHNSON, DHADLEY

I got it apart this afternoon. It was a learning experience. The snap ring pliers pictured in the manual must be 12-15" long! Mine were 8" and barely did the job. The gears, bearings and clutch dog would pass for new. I'm not sure how the thrust washer and retainer plate were oriented. They just kinda rolled out when I was trying to shake them loose. Getting the pinion gear out was kinda like rolling dice. After a few minutes of rattling the thing around, it finally cleared the housing enough to reach it.<br /><br />Can the propshaft bearing housing seals be changed with common hand tools? I've got a big bag of seals that I'd hate to see go to waste, but I'm hesitant to take anything else apart at this point. Which seals are a must change and which ones can be reused if they look OK?

 

[Marc J.]

Re: bent prop shaft - botched reassembly. RODBOLT, R.JOHNSON, DHADLEY

http://www.iboats.com/mall/image/vendor/16/big/25616_opt_110520.jpg <br /><br />Anybody know where all these go? I recognize a few as water pump seals. I didn't know that those would be included.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: bent prop shaft - botched reassembly. RODBOLT, R.JOHNSON, DHADLEY

there are two propshaft seals, two drive shaft seals and a shift shaft seal(oring), and the carrier oring. there are variouis years that took slightly different seals. thats why careful notes at dissasembly are mandatory for the shade tree and professional alike.

 

[Marc J.]

Re: bent prop shaft - botched reassembly. RODBOLT, R.JOHNSON, DHADLEY

I got the gearcase back together this evening. It went together easier than it came apart. I made a pressure tester from the hose off my LU fill pump and a valve stem. I found a leak at the propshaft bearing housing o-ring and realized I had forgotten to apply sealing compound to it. I got that fixed and the gearcase held 18 psi for over an hour until I vented it. <br /><br />Maybe I'll get the water pump together and the the gearcase bolted on in time to go for a ride tomorrow. Thanks for the help guys!

 

[Marc J.]

Re: bent prop shaft - botched reassembly. RODBOLT, R.JOHNSON, DHADLEY

Would you guys believe the impellor I removed had 4/91 molded between two blades. It wasn't coming apart, but it had taken a wicked set.

 

[Marc J.]

Re: bent prop shaft - botched reassembly. RODBOLT, R.JOHNSON, DHADLEY

Well, I believe I cut too many corners. I tightened the new pinion nut w/o the proper holding tool or torque wrench. Approx 3 hrs (2 outings) into break-in, I now have a distinct vibration coming from the L.U. Call me stupid if you like. The first outing was with old prop, the second was with new prop. There was a very slight vibration during first outing, but I dismissed it as invisible prop damage. I changed the gear oil after first outing. No noticeable shavings, just a hint of the vaseline I lubed the bearings and seals with during re-assembly. The propshaft is not as straight as it should be, but darn close. Did I wreck the gears or the bearings? Mine is a 89' V4, will internals from a 79' V4 work?

 

[red boat]

Re: bent prop shaft - botched reassembly. RODBOLT, R.JOHNSON, DHADLEY

73Baja how did you straighten the propshaft? You can take it to most any machine shop and they can straighten it perfectly or is that what you did??

 

[Marc J.]

Re: bent prop shaft - botched reassembly. RODBOLT, R.JOHNSON, DHADLEY

The machine shop got it within .020, I think spec is .005. It was out by 1/8" to begin with. The guy I spoke with said he had to bend it way past the center line to make any progress, it would flex back. He felt that further bending would only weaken it. I dropped it off on Wed and it ended up being a Fri at 4:00 rush job.<br /><br /><br />Did I wreck the gears or the bearings? Mine is a 89' V4, will internals from a 79' V4 work?

 

[rodbolt]

Re: bent prop shaft - botched reassembly. RODBOLT, R.JOHNSON, DHADLEY

pull the propshaft from the 79 and make some careful measurements, without hunting down the part number I belive they will interchange. propshafts that is

 

[Marc J.]

Re: bent prop shaft - botched reassembly. RODBOLT, R.JOHNSON, DHADLEY

I'm looking at a N.R. box of internals from a 1979. Will the gears, driveshaft, propshaft, and bearing housings work in my L.U.? I won't need them all, just wanting to know if they are the same.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: bent prop shaft - botched reassembly. RODBOLT, R.JOHNSON, DHADLEY

nit sure of the rest but the propshaft numbers are the same. they did not make a lot of changes in those years. but I dont reccomend mixing and matching of used gears, especially when all ya need is a propshaft.