OOPS Lower unit water hose Came with it ?

[oregonboatnewb]

I removed my lower unit tonight, and it was the original 1968 one... The Copper wire that pumps the water up to engine came with it when i pulled it off... is this hard to put back it ? Do i need to connect it back inside engine and then again to the pump or what ?

 

[fishrdan]

Re: OOPS Lower unit water hose Came with it ?

Is it just me, or does that look like a piece of copper tube,,, via Home Depot?

 

[oregonboatnewb]

Re: OOPS Lower unit water hose Came with it ?

Do i just need to match its length and width and replace from just some home depot copper ? Does it not seal on the top via sealant ?

 

[jimg984]

Re: OOPS Lower unit water hose Came with it ?

reuse it.. put in engine end 1st,, when you start connection to pump may have to rotate the tubing a bit,,,, i doubt it would be a standard copper tubing size,,,,, good luck

 

[oregonboatnewb]

Re: OOPS Lower unit water hose Came with it ?

Does anyone know for sure if this copper piece can just be put back in, or if it has to be sealed or anything?

 

[mnydvr]

Re: OOPS Lower unit water hose Came with it ?

Personally if I found THAT I would want to get the CORRECT stock water tube,but as the olld saying goes,"if it ain't broke,don't fix it!",there is a rubber seal up top that probably stayed there,take a light and give a look.For ease of installing I would take it off the lower and insert it into the upper first and like the man said ,you may have to turn it a bit to get it back in,but I would seriously think about getting the right tube.

 

[sschefer]

Re: OOPS Lower unit water hose Came with it ?

Whoa, hold on just a danged minute...LOL.. That's copper ... You're motor has a built in battery now! That's not factory cuz there's no way they'd create an opportunity for electrolysis like that. Change it out for either Stainless or Aluminum tubing or better yet, order a new one from a dealer.

 

[emckelvy]

Re: OOPS Lower unit water hose Came with it ?

Huh???? It's SUPPOSED to be copper!!!!! Providing the copper water tube isn't damaged or corroded beyond repair, there's no reason to replace it.

What happened is the copper tube slid out of the rubber grommet in the upper end. Probably because it's stuck in the pump body. If so, you may need to use some heat to get the tube out. Then remove the grommet in the pump, scrape out any deposits, reinstall with new grommet as required.

The water supply tube does look a little on the mangled side. Usually there's a gradual bend to the mid-section of the tube. You'll probably need to do a bit of "massaging" to make it fit properly.

Once you get the fit correct, here's how to go about reinstalling the tube:

Make sure the end of the tube is perfectly round or as good as you can get it.

Put a light coating of Permatex No. 3 Aviation-Type gasket dressing on the last 1/2" or so of the tube. If you can't get the Permatex, use marine-grade waterproof grease.

Using a strong light, look up into the exhaust tower and you should be able to see where the water tube goes. The rubber grommet should be visible, if it's squeezed-shut you'll have to remove the powerhead to fix.

Otherwise, you should be able to very carefully guide the water tube up into the grommet. A short screwdriver in other the end of the tube makes a good 'pusher'. Or a wooden dowel/block.

When you reinstall the lower unit, be sure the rubber grommet in the water pump is properly in place. The tube should be aiming towards the pump, going straight in. If it's at an angle, straighten the tube until positioned correctly to enter the pump. Lubricate the water tube with some grease so it'll slide in. Put a coating of grease on all bolts/studs, and also the sides (not top) of the driveshaft splines and shift shaft splines.

There may or may not be a water tube guide sleeve which inserts into the water pump body and helps 'catch' the water tube. Other models which do not have a guide tube, will have some kind of either raised section on the pump or beveled edges which help to catch the tube.

Here's an illustration I pulled up for a 50HP Merc, may or may not be just like yours. Find your exact motor by its serial #.

http://www.mercruiserparts.com/Show...37&bnbr=17&bdesc=DRIVE+SHAFT+HOUSING+ASSEMBLY

Piece #42 is the water tube and you can see how it's bent. Piece #41 is the guide sleeve which is just plastic.

You can be sure the tube is installed proper by shining a light in the gap between lower unit and exhaust housing while you're pushing upwards on the lower unit, and verifying entry of the tube into the pump.

Anyway, HTH & if you have more issues, post again with your model # and we should be able to help you out.........ed

 

[sschefer]

Re: OOPS Lower unit water hose Came with it ?

"Huh???? It's SUPPOSED to be copper!!!!!"

Well I suppose you are correct. I just don't see the logic and the half dozen or so that I've taken apart were all either aluminum or stainless. I searched for a replacement part via the internet and didn't come up with anything. Merc, (I'm guessing its a merc because it looks like it is), doesn't list anything before 98 and the other companies don't give spec's on materials used. I suppose that if the waterpump housing is plastic and its isolated with rubber then copper would be fine.

The picture makes it look like a piece 3/8 I.D. soft copper that someone straightened out and made work.

Steve

 

[oregonboatnewb]

Re: OOPS Lower unit water hose Came with it ?

Thanks emckelvy for the great input on putting this baby back together...

there is 10 in of snow outside, so i can't go see if that "Copper pipe washer" if you will that is in the upper side of the motor is in there or not... If not, i saw that on that link, the new pipe and washer would only be 30 bucks, or maybe i can email the guy i'm getting the lower from, i bet hes got plenty sitting around...

I still can't get that copper piece out of the water pump, i tried harassing it a bit, but didn't seem to budge, maybe its to cold out, i had it in my heated garage over night, still didn't wanna come out.

How would i go about checking out to see if maybe this water pump is still good, and also how to break open the case to i can check the gears out... maybe keep them all as spares, as the lower unit bullet now has a 7in crack from the water inside + weather pwning it !!!

 

[oregonboatnewb]

Re: OOPS Lower unit water hose Came with it ?

Well, got the impeller out (wasn't hard) the thing looks brand new, and inside of what i can see of the water pump looks new... Still couldn't get that copper out lol, so i took the whole piece off...

Is this the rubber piece yall speak of ?

BULLET PWNED

 

[emckelvy]

Re: OOPS Lower unit water hose Came with it ?

Dude, that impeller is Toast! When the blades are all curled up like that, it's shot! A new one isn't that much, so when you put the 'new' lower unit back together Please don't use that one in the pic!!!

The O-ring on the end of the driveshaft, seals up the splines where the driveshaft enters the crankshaft. It keeps the splines from rusting away. This is where you need to grease up the shaft. But wipe off any grease that ends up on top of the shaft. You just want it on the sides.

As cracked as that case is, it looks like a few good whacks on the skeg with a mallet would probably split it open like an egg! The case is non-repairable at any rate. The entire propshaft, reverse gear, and shift clutch assy come out the back of the lower unit once the threaded gearcase cover is loosened. You can see how badly the driveshaft is rusted at the water pump, this lets water past the oil seals and can lead to freeze damage as yours got.

If you plan on using the copper water tube again, you'll need to get it out of the water pump body. Best way to do that is to heat the pump up carefully with a propane or mapp torch. Be careful not to melt the aluminum housing if you use a large torch!!

BTW if the rubber grommet for the upper end of the water tube is bad, you'll have to remove the powerhead and exhaust plate to replace it. Not a minor job but as long as the motor hasn't seen a lot of salt, it should come apart OK. Hopefully the grommet is intact and you can just push the water tube back in place.

Judging from the squished area at the top of the tube, the grommet's squeezed-in a bit. So it'd probably be a good idea not to mess with the shape of that end of the tube, just clean it up good with some sandpaper and use Permatex or grease to help it slide in place.

You should be able to find replacement parts for your motor at this site.

Check out these #'s in the following diagram as typical for a 50HP (that's what yours looks like, anyway):

http://www.mercruiserparts.com/Show...desc=GEAR+HOUSING+ASSEMBLY,+COMPLETE+(PAGE+1)

Item #20, Impeller; item #27, water tube to pump rubber grommet; item #28, plastic water tube washer.

Note that the rubber grommet which goes into the upper end is the same part # as the grommet in the pump end. This is show on the link in my previous post.

HTH, we just wanna help you put 'er together so that she'll give you good service..........ed

 

[Bondo]

Re: OOPS Lower unit water hose Came with it ?

Well, got the impeller out (wasn't hard) the thing looks brand new,

Dude, that impeller is Toast!

Ayuh,.. That Whole lower unit is Junk....

If enough water got into it to Split the case like that from Freezing,...
I truely Doubt there's anything to salvage from the inside Either....

 

[sschefer]

Re: OOPS Lower unit water hose Came with it ?

I agree with you Bond-o, the reason he can't get the copper tube out of the aluminum is probably because it's fuzed due to electrolysis. Funny, it doesn't show it in the pictures. With the cracked L/U case and the fact the it may have froze I would just start a hunt for a rebuilt replacement. It would probably be cheaper in the long run.

 

[jimg984]

Re: OOPS Lower unit water hose Came with it ?

if I that lower unit were mine, i would remove all the parts from inside the housing, and clean them up and look close for any pitting due to water intrustion. if all looked good i would take the housing to a welding shop and get them to heliarc weld the crack. they would need to heat up entire housing before welding. then you could put back the insides with new seals, it would make a good spare lower unit.... i had one just like it hadn iit fixed (it did cause a problem tho,, it lasted so long had to refinsh the bottom of my boat lol) I know alot will say bearing carriage will be off...(yes probably just the amount of wear of bearings and gears) at least you gain knowage on workin on it

 

[oregonboatnewb]

Re: OOPS Lower unit water hose Came with it ?

Yeah, i'm well aware the lower unit is trash, i have no intention of keeping anything but this copper tube, and a washer or two... Reason i opened it up is to just see how bad the other parts are... I know the propeller shaft is bent, cause when i spin it, it wobbles LOL .. I think later tomorrow ill bash open this one, see what it looks like inside, and update with picts...

The year is a 1968, and serial is 2305213 for those who keep helping try and find diagrams, this should help. 500 "Thunder bolt" 50hp

the engine checked out 15-20 compression across the board, so thats why i'm putting the money into a new lower end.

 

[oregonboatnewb]

Re: OOPS Lower unit water hose Came with it ?

I did some remodeling of my old lower unit... from what i can tell, minus there being not much more then a few teaspoons of grease, looks savy to me.

 

[sschefer]

Re: OOPS Lower unit water hose Came with it ?

Gotta love that "Single Jack" gear and bearing puller for getting the job done fast.

If you ever want to have some fun, go to the big orange box and ask them if the carry "Single Jack's" you'll get the tour of the store while they try to find it but eventually you'll end up in the hardware department and if you're lucky you'll pass by them hanging next to the 32oz framers.

Merry Xmas.

 

[oregonboatnewb]

Re: OOPS Lower unit water hose Came with it ?

none of what you said made any sense to me, but merry xmas to you also =)

 

[SuzukiChopper]

Re: OOPS Lower unit water hose Came with it ?

I'll take a stab at it...

big orange box = Home Depot (home cheapo here)
Single Jack = Big Fricken Hammer