Outdrive will not go back into transom

[Bt Doctur]

the lower shift shaft looks correct, the upper shoe needs a slight adjustment to be perfectly straight

 

[crazy charlie]

I have my shifter all the way in forward and when i go to install the drive i hold pressure on the propeller (counter clockwise) making sure it doesn’t pop out of forward while doing that i give it a good push.

But is the shifter straight??? Or off center as Bt.Doc has noticed.If it is
not straight ,it may get hung up on the slotted guide under the bell housing exhaust port.Charlie

 

[aidanmurphy]

Double check guide for shifter as others mentioned, that in combination with a proper alignment it should slide on easy. If everything is good with the shifter then you need to align gimbal bearing

 

[DuKn]

got in back on, engine was still aligned, what i ended up having to do was letting my trailer tounge lay on the ground on a jack and then jacking up the back of the boat, thanks for all the suggestions!

 

[MRS]

got in back on, engine was still aligned, what i ended up having to do was letting my trailer tounge lay on the ground on a jack and then jacking up the back of the boat, thanks for all the suggestions!

I had a omc that when I pulled the outdrive every year would come right off but when I went to put back on had to jack the rear of the trailer up a couple inches and would slide right on. First year was a hell of a time till I figured out I had to jack up the rear of the trailer now you got it figured out.

 

[tank1949]

2000 Bayliner Capri 1850 4.3l mercruiser alpha one gen 2

Pulled my drive to inspect the bellows and u joints, now when putting it back on it gets stuck about an inch away from closing up, shift linkage is in forward and lined up correctly as well, tapped it with a rubber mallet too and still nothing.

Turn the prop just a little. Perhaps splines are not meshing correctly.

 

[cyclops222]

Post # 25 is EXCELLENT advice on any splined shaft rework.
I STAMP LIGHT chisel marks onto BOTH parts of any coupling setup.
BEFORE pulling them apart. Makes for a easier reassembly and a quieter spinning part again.

 

[Lou C]

If you want to save your back, & make your life easier get an outdrive jack it makes all this 100% easier, all you need to do is get it at the right height and make sure the bellhousing is lined up square with the sealing surface of the outdrive, and try to keep the driveshaft straight as you guide it in. The jack and turning the ujoints if needed is what makes it as easy as it can be. At my age there is no way I'd be struggling with an outdrive by hand. Dumb idea, will frustrate you and make you back hurt for a week or more!

 

[airshot]

If you want to save your back, & make your life easier get an outdrive jack it makes all this 100% easier, all you need to do is get it at the right height and make sure the bellhousing is lined up square with the sealing surface of the outdrive, and try to keep the driveshaft straight as you guide it in. The jack and turning the ujoints if needed is what makes it as easy as it can be. At my age there is no way I'd be struggling with an outdrive by hand. Dumb idea, will frustrate you and make you back hurt for a week or more!

Yessir.....bought a cheap ATV jack at a garage sale, added a few 2x4's and ended up with an out drive jack. Made the job so much easier and a pair of castor wheels made it easy to move around...

 

[Lou C]

It is similar to doing an R&R on old school VWs such as we had in the '70s. We had a reinforced creeper with 2 scissors jacks on it, and used that to lift the engine till the transmission input shaft was aligned the clutch plate, and besides getting it at the right height, you used a spark plug socket and ratchet on the crank pulley to turn the engine slightly to get the splines to align. Of course to make this work we had to remove the fan housing, etc to make the engine low enough to be rolled under the back of the VW....then once the engine was bolted up, re-install the fan housing, generator stand, intake manifold etc...

 

[Stinnett21]

Looks like you forgot to reposition the trim cylinders before install. I've made that mistake before.

 

[1960 Starflite]

If you want to save your back, & make your life easier get an outdrive jack it makes all this 100% easier, all you need to do is get it at the right height and make sure the bellhousing is lined up square with the sealing surface of the outdrive, and try to keep the driveshaft straight as you guide it in. The jack and turning the ujoints if needed is what makes it as easy as it can be. At my age there is no way I'd be struggling with an outdrive by hand. Dumb idea, will frustrate you and make you back hurt for a week or more!

Sure be nice if my driveway wasn't #57 gravel

 

[Lou C]

Sure be nice if my driveway wasn't #57 gravel

throw down a couple of lengths of 2'x4' plywood, make a ramp for the outdrive jack's casters...

 

[Lou C]

Looks like you forgot to reposition the trim cylinders before install. I've made that mistake before.

just hit the trim down and they should both retract equally, then position them straight back, and after bolting up the outdrive, you can lift the outdrive so that the holes all line up by putting a floor jack under it just lift it till all the holes align. Also I grease the trim ram rod with marine grease and same for the threads for the retainer nuts.
these are the tricks you learn doing it for almost 20 years
I find the Cobra to be pretty easy because you R+R it in neutral, so all you have to do is get the driveshaft in straight and use a long thin screwdriver to just turn the u joints enough that the splines line up. Easier I think than the Merc Alpha. No issue with shift shoes etc....

 

[crazy charlie]

Sure be nice if my driveway wasn't #57 gravel

throw down a couple of lengths of 2'x4' plywood, make a ramp for the outdrive jack's casters...

I second the plywood!!! I use a full 4x8 board and roll my stand right up to the bellhousing.Charlie

 

[Lou C]

get the height correct, get the bell housing square with the drive sealing surface, guide the driveshaft in straight, use a long thin screwdriver to turn u joints if needed, usually it is pretty easy. Yep that's a salt water used drive, moored in the brine every summer for 23 years.
Last year I rebuilt the trim cylinders, one finally started leaking at 36 years old! And the ram rods were getting pitted, and the end pieces were also really deteriorating so I replaced them with nice freshwater used parts. Cobra just keeps on going.