Re: OMC Stringer upper pinion shaft
Great Post.
I have rebuilt my upper about a half a dozen times over the last several years - many times just because I was a novice and worried something wast right.
Few thoughts:
1. Turning the gears even without the impeller in you get a suprising amount of resistance - at least to my way of thinking - I imagined it spinning effortlessly and that is wrong. And once the impeller goes on, WOW. It makes you think you did something wrong in a hurry. The resistance is remarkable. I know where you are coming from.
2. I didnt measure the amount of gear lube I put back in th first time. Just waited until it "filled up." Turns out this was only about 2 ounces given all the back pressure from good seals before it bubbled out the top. Turns out that 2 ounces is about 2 quick trips on the lake before you get to buy another set of gears and practice your rebuilding technique.
3. I used the cheap arbor press from Harbor Freight - about a hundred bucks but worth its weight in gold to me. They also have a bearing puller and seal installer kit that is DIRT cheap ~15 bucks and perfect for the OMC 800 seals.
4. I also cross referenced the uber expensive Timken bearings at the local Orielly Auto Parts for a savings of about $150 - with nice bearings that have a lifetime guarntee. National is the brand I got and I was/am impressed with them. The OMC upper bearing sizes are common and have been used for years in other things like a Lambo front wheel and a 73 Chevy rear end.
5. All the upper seal kits I have used have the nuts in them that you use once and throw away. Reusing a nut is dicey.
6. If the balls are evenly worn, losing the mark is not the worse thing in the world. It has happened a lot to me over the last 4 years. (I pull mine alot - like I said, I am a tinkerer.) So far no problems.
7. I am going out on a limb here and this is my own personal opinion, not supported by the masses on here for sure, but shimming tolerances are over blown in the books. Natural gear wear, used gears, oil viscosity changes due to temperature, micro debris can and do make shimming an art not a science. Books talk about oil film on new gears and thousanths of an inch like it's rocket science and you are prepping for a moon lauch. As long as you are smart, dont have two left hands, and double check things, then the rebuild should go OK. Bad luck can make the most diligent things look stupid but it is not that hard to get these uppers back in shape.
8. The worst thing about the OMC stringer to me is the reverse. Because the throttle and gear shift are one controll, and that the tilt mechanism can roll up on you in a power reverse move, reverse just stinks. I am probably going to modify my personal craft and seperate the two, even though the liberals will shout at me for getting rid of the safety mechanisms of a shifting system that was not that well thought out.
9. And for an extra amount of safety, I added an onboard 12v emergency sea water pump that is spliced in to the hose going to the thermostat. A shut off valve in between keeps the pressure right when the impeller is working properly and if it ever blows at sea, then I have an instant backup to get me back to shore.
