How to pull a lower unit bearing housing? (pictures included)

[bben76]

Hi all. I'm replacing the seals/water pump in my 1971 60hp Hydro Electric **** Johnson. But currently I'm stuck, I can't seem to pull the bearing housing. Instrucitons in the manual say to pull it with a flywheel puller. I've made my own puller but can't seem to get the housing to budge....

Here's a pic of the lower unit and bearing housing...

I've removed the 4 screws holding it in....

Here's a pic of my bearing housing puller....

Another pic....

I've put a lot (a whole lot!) of torqe on the bolts but nothing seems to break loose the bearing housing.

Any ideas?

Huge thanks for any help you can give!

 

[F_R]

Re: How to pull a lower unit bearing housing? (pictures included)

From the pictures, it doesn't look to be all salt-corroded is it? Your rig should bring it out. Try tapping around the outside of the gearcase in the area of the outer ring. Pull harder.

Another method is a slide hammer hooked arount the webs of the outer ring.

 

[bben76]

Re: How to pull a lower unit bearing housing? (pictures included)

No, it is not a salt water engine, so shouldn't be corroded.

I will try to pull harder, but I am pulling really, really hard already. I'm just curious why it takes so much, is this typical to have to use so much force?

 

[OBJ]

Re: How to pull a lower unit bearing housing? (pictures included)

Try standing it upright and sparying a good coat of PB Blaster in there. Let it soak. What you don't want to do is pull the threads out of the holes the all thread is in. Remember the carrier is cast aluminum.

A slide hammer on the webs like FR posted would help.

 

[casi77]

Re: How to pull a lower unit bearing housing? (pictures included)

i recommend you soak it with PB Blaster (penetrating oil) for couple days ..leave the puller you made as it is!

also you can try heating it with a plumbers torch outside the casing around the front part of carrier bearing and you can also try the back area (where you took of the bolts). make sure to always move the torch, do not concentrate on one area and hold it there.. move it. aluminum expands with heat!!

 

[Tracer]

Re: How to pull a lower unit bearing housing? (pictures included)

Hi all. I'm replacing the seals/water pump in my 1971 60hp Hydro Electric **** Johnson. But currently I'm stuck, I can't seem to pull the bearing housing. Instrucitons in the manual say to pull it with a flywheel puller. I've made my own puller but can't seem to get the housing to budge....

Here's a pic of the lower unit and bearing housing...

I've removed the 4 screws holding it in....

Here's a pic of my bearing housing puller....

Another pic....

I've put a lot (a whole lot!) of torqe on the bolts but nothing seems to break loose the bearing housing.

Any ideas?

Huge thanks for any help you can give!

 

[Tracer]

Re: How to pull a lower unit bearing housing? (pictures included)

As far as I know you need to remove the input shaft from the motor side first. There are two gears on either side of the gear where the input shaft comes into the foot. You are now pulling against that gear and shaft. It will never come out. It should normally come out without any heavy pulling if the drive shaft has been removed.

 

[F_R]

Re: How to pull a lower unit bearing housing? (pictures included)

With all respect to Tracer, that information is incorrect. The bearing housing is the first thing to come out. There is a nut on the bottom end of the drive shaft and it cannot be accessed without removing the bearing carrier, then the big snap rings behind it, then the reverse gear and prop shaft.

After the four screws are out of the bearing carrier, there is nothing holding it in there except some minor corrosion and the O-ring around the inner end, with a healthy application of some gasket sealer on the O-ring.

I have had to break the carrier to get it out of some badly corroded salt water motors, but there is no reason this one should not come out.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: How to pull a lower unit bearing housing? (pictures included)

Correct. It should come out like it is. You may want to heat the case around the forward area of the carrier where the O ring is.

Or, if all you're doing is repalcing the seals, there is a tool that pulls the seals out without disassembling the case. Two seals and 4 small O rings and you're back in business.

 

[bben76]

Re: How to pull a lower unit bearing housing? (pictures included)

Thanks for all the great info!!

I will try heat today and if that doesn't work I'll let it soak in penetrating oil.

I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[bben76]

Re: How to pull a lower unit bearing housing? (pictures included)

Dhadley -

Yes, all I itend on doing is replacing the seals. Are you saying there is a tool that will allow me to replace the seals on bearing housing without pulling it?

 

[bben76]

Re: How to pull a lower unit bearing housing? (pictures included)

Success!

I sprayed a little bit of penitrating oil and let it sit for a few mins and then carefully heated the case up with a torch. I torqed the puller down first so it was pulling as I heated. Came right out!

I started to pull the oil seals so I can replace them...

...but then I realized I don't know the correct way to reinstall the new ones? The book just says to insert new seals using OMC gasket sealing compound, back to back with a suitable installer. What the heck is a suitabel installer?

Thanks again everyone for your help! As always iboats.com has been a life saver!

 

[wilde1j]

Re: How to pull a lower unit bearing housing? (pictures included)

You may need a more robust puller. I tried something like you have on an '85 140 and could get the bearing carrier to budge. Then I made a new puller using an old hitch drawbar, two pieces of 1/2" allthread, and a 5/8" fine thread bolt used in a tapped hole in the center to screw down on the prop shaft. Also, I used two heavy tapped lugs on the allthread to swing behind the carrier webs, rather than into tapped holes. Took a bunch of heat and a lot of force (motor was a saltwater one, but no corrosion was found) and the carrier finally started out. The whole deal took a lot of patience to avoid damage, but I eventually got it out and replaced the prop shaft seals (if the shaft is grooved, try to seat the new seals in a slightly different place.

 

[F_R]

Re: How to pull a lower unit bearing housing? (pictures included)

A suitable installer for the layman is whatever you find laying around in your toolbox. A hammer and socket wrench usually comes to mind. Main thing is make sure you are driving on the outer shell of the seal and don't bend it up.

 

[iwombat]

Re: How to pull a lower unit bearing housing? (pictures included)

If you have a timken bearing race installer, those can be used backwards to make a nice oil seal installer. Otherwise, a socket (I prefer back-end first since it has more surface area) will work nicely as suggested. (An extension bar will fit into a socket backwards no problem).

 

[OBJ]

Re: How to pull a lower unit bearing housing? (pictures included)

Ben you will also want to clean up the area the carrier came out of including the prop shaft. Don't need a bunch of dirt getting inside the gear case.

Check the prop shaft where the seals lay and make sure there are no deep grooves there.

Looks like your making good progress.....keep it up...d

 

[bben76]

Re: How to pull a lower unit bearing housing? (pictures included)

Do I need to use some type of sealant on the seals and o-rings? Or can I just put a little oil on them to help the shaft slide in?

 

[OBJ]

Re: How to pull a lower unit bearing housing? (pictures included)

I coat the outside of the seals with gasket sealing compound and apply it to the big oring also. Don't know what kind you have but if you got the stuff with the little brush applicator in the lid, that should be good.

Also put a little grease around the inside of the seals before installing the carrier.

 

[chrish]

Re: How to pull a lower unit bearing housing? (pictures included)

oh boy i remember last winter when we took apart are 85 hp jhonson hydro electric, we went all the way in a replaced the thrust berrings and the needle berrings.

we used large sockets to put the seals back in and just a omc greese to lube the o rings and the shafts.