O ring on top of drive shaft. QD18

[Greg O.]

I just re sealed my QD18 and installed lower unit, then while looking for proper shift linkage adjustment I discovered there is to be an O ring on top of the drive shaft. When I removed the lower unit, there was no O ring. My question is, what good does the O ring do, I see no way to hold it in place on the shaft. I did find a chewed up O ring on the floor, and I am betting that is the ring in question. The only thing I can see it might do is to keep water out of the upper splines, but without something to hold it fast on the shaft, it does not seem very effective.

 

[nwcove]

Re: O ring on top of drive shaft. QD18

you sure theres not a shallow groove in the ds, at the bottom of the splines?

 

[HighTrim]

Re: O ring on top of drive shaft. QD18

Yup definitely a groove to hold the o ring in. Very important. Water will "climb" the drive shaft as it is revolving, and get into your powerhead. Drop it back down and get it in there, with a thin coat of grease on the splines as well. Not the top of the driveshaft though.

 

[Greg O.]

Re: O ring on top of drive shaft. QD18

Yea, I just answered my own question by removing the lower unit. There is a groove in the shaft. Glad I happened to stumble onto the the paragraph in the Johnson manual advisng to be sure to install the o ring on the drive shaft. Thanks Chris and mwcove.

 

[nwcove]

Re: O ring on top of drive shaft. QD18

do a search here on stuck drive shafts.....many horror stories , mostly all related to that little crucial o-ring !

 

[Greg O.]

Re: O ring on top of drive shaft. QD18

I have seen some of those threads RE: stuck drive shafts. I pulled the L U and will get an O ring. I missed it on the parst break down when ordering parts, and it had desintigrated and fell on the floor when I dis-assembled the motor.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: O ring on top of drive shaft. QD18

Was it not in your seal kit?

 

[kfa4303]

Re: O ring on top of drive shaft. QD18

+1, there should've been a new one in a re-seal it :/ It's just a small, black o-ring nothing fancy.