Thank you, I got it off and found many surprises, one good and several bad
The missing Powerhead stud was just a missing stud and not broken off, so I can replace that with a new stud and glue it in there with some good thread locker.
The left or port motor mount was missing it's locknut and all the washers,
The Starboard or right motor mount Cover was loose as a goose, all it's washers and lock nut are in place but lots of play
I think the rubber mounts may have decayed from fuel leaking over the years and is probably shrunk in size
The thru bolts that go from the steering arm and into the driveshaft housing and thru the mounts appear to have rusted and become fused to the steering arm and I have no idea how to break them loose
How do you remove the exhaust adapter plate from the driveshaft housing? I see no screws, the only bolts are the two on each side that hold the upper motor mount covers of the motor mounts that are inside of the driveshaft housing.
I need to raise the motor up to remove the lower unit to get the driveshaft out of the way but I have everything disconnected and cannot find my Giant Screwdriver to relieve the pressure to do it manually.
I am looking at the two battery cables and the two wires from the electric trim and wondering how to make it work . Any ideas on anything so far?
BTW this is a 1998 Merc 40 Hp, 4 cylinder, two stroke, and yes I have the manual but it does not show me how to do anything above