detent balls on 1958 prop shaft?

Milemaker13

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Dec 24, 2006
Messages
120
I need to know if the 1958 sportwin 10 hp (10016) is supposed to have the detent balls on the prop shaft... I acquired a used lower and had to openit up to install a missing drive shaft key. Now its back together and I read about detent balls. I did not see any in there, and the parts drawing does not show them.
Also, how should the shift rod"feel" if the balls are in or not? I did not see them, but i wad not looking for them. I know they did not fall out, but they could be missing just like the drive key.
Thank you.
 

oldcatamount

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Apr 4, 2010
Messages
1,740
Re: detent balls on 1958 prop shaft?

There are no detent balls in your gear case. When you move the shift handle from neutral to forward (or reverse), do it with a quick pull (or push) and not a slow drag as that will wear down the shifter (clutch dog) in the gear case.
 

Milemaker13

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Dec 24, 2006
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Re: detent balls on 1958 prop shaft?

Oh yeah? You're pretty certain about that? Well that is good news! Thank you very much for the quickreply old catamount. You saved me from tearing apart the case, yet again, to find out for myself.
 

F_R

Supreme Mariner
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Jul 7, 2006
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28,226
Re: detent balls on 1958 prop shaft?

The 10hp gearcases never did have detents.
 

james__12345

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Jun 26, 2012
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Re: detent balls on 1958 prop shaft?


The spring and detent balls in my motor, are not in the parts diagram on that site for my motor either. That doesn't necessarily mean the 10 hp was supposed to have them, and if you have both worked on those motors and they didn't have them then I'll take your word for it, but just because they're not in that diagram doesn't mean they're not there.
 

F_R

Supreme Mariner
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Jul 7, 2006
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28,226
Re: detent balls on 1958 prop shaft?

To hopefully clear this up, the detent balls first appeared in 1967 on motors 33hp and up. Sometime in the mid 1970's the 18-20-25 also got them. Of course the 10hp models were long gone, the last one was 1963. The 9.5 that replaced the 10 had a detent SPRING, borrowed from the 5.5 & 6hp.

Summing up, on the 18hp and larger motors, the detents could be retrofitted to the older motors, so you may run across an older motor that has them.
 

kfa4303

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Sep 17, 2010
Messages
6,094
Re: detent balls on 1958 prop shaft?

+1. No detents on the 10hp. They only showed up on the later/larger model motors F_R described. However, they are prone to wearing out clutch dogs so inspect the clutch closely when you open the LU. Here's a great little link to help keep the 10hp running strong.

Johnson
 

james__12345

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Jun 26, 2012
Messages
196
Re: detent balls on 1958 prop shaft?

I apologize for the mix up on my part. Sounds like my lower unit must be from a different year than the rest of the motor.
 

Milemaker13

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Dec 24, 2006
Messages
120
Re: detent balls on 1958 prop shaft?

I just got back from the lake. No shifter problems. So , no balls is a go! Thanks for the replies. Wouldn't have made it to the lake otherwise.
 

nwcove

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May 16, 2011
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6,293
Re: detent balls on 1958 prop shaft?

congrats Mm!! you worked through the lu issues and now get to enjoy.
 
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