best way to get 80's 9.8 leg/lower unit back on?

[thatone123]

I've looked on the net and have even done it before and it is always a pain. I can get the leg back on but the natural/forward/reverse is a real problem. I turn the knurled end of the shift shaft and it seems to go easy into forward and reverse but is very very easy to knock out of natural. What is a good of correct process or is there one? Should the shift leaver be in natural or? Is it best to have the motor at a certain angle? I tip the leg up so it is easy to work on standing up. Is it better to have the leg more down?

 

[Yegboats]

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/engi...od-of-shift-shaft-setup-for-mercury-outboards

 

[thatone123]

Yes. that old post does help explain the phenomena of the 80's lower unit/leg reassembly. But... Mine seems not so easy. I turn the shift shaft at the lower unit and put the lower unit on the motor a number of times. I either get nothing as the gear case stays in natural or it goes into forward but clicks a lot as the prop is turned and will not shift F/N/R. Any ideas? I know a lot of folks have trouble with this over the years...a lot!

 

[racerone]

Done it many times.----With no issues at all.

 

[thatone123]

Well...that's great for you, but not me. Your the expert. Fact is that I and many others I have met hate working on these classic 80's Mercs. I could do a dozen OMC lower units to the time it takes for one of these 80's Merc lower units. Poor over designed suck as far as I can see. Yes, Sometimes it goes easier with them, but I dread when a Merc lower unit from the 80's needs a pump or etc. I've got the thing upside down now manhandling it and it won't even go in at all. If it goes in as in the past it is either stuck in N and will not shift or stuck in gear and won't go to N and stuck in F. Come on, someone has had to figure this out as these old motors are a dime a dozen. One guy on U-tube has an OK video, but does not cover that can be wrong with one of these. He says there are a couple of "detents" when you turn the shaft on the lower unit with a pair of set of vice-grips. Mine only goes from the front left to N, then comes back right to forward, which does not seem right to me. Seems it should be N in the middle and right or left to F or R.? There is a flat spot in the shaft that faces backward. IT seems this would fit in the socket in the leg to make it all good to go?

 

[racerone]

Does your lower unit stay in reverse when shifted ?-----If so then put shift lever in reverse and assemble.----There is nothing to it.----Think about this.--If it was extremely hard to assemble the dealers would have complained.---It would not have stayed the same design for 25 years either !!

 

[racerone]

One thing I know for sure is that these units slide apart and back together very easily.----No nuts and bolts shift connecter.----Take the time to learn how simple it is !---Your opinion will vary untill you know how simple it is.

 

[MH Hawker]

i have a 96 and the shift is a rod that runs all the way to the power head and is a easy hook up, how ever the water pump tube will not stay in place, so i find it easier to turn the motor up side down to keep the water pump tube in place to resemble, that works fine

 

[thatone123]

Ok, Well, I gave up on this and sat the motor away for now as It seems I have tried everything. I will try the reverse, But I have put a number of these together in the past with trouble, but not this much trouble. I think maybe something else in the gear case may be the issue. Yes, MH, the water tube is way off center with this one and has to be manipulated with a pick or screwdriver to align it with your third hand while you try to jockey the lower unit on the leg. I guess I will try this one last time.

 

[MH Hawker]

i use a single strand of 12 ga wire warped around the tube once it drops in the wire will pull out easily