Prop shaft seal replacement

[SHickey]

Hello all and Merry Christmas,

My 1974 Mercruiser 140 MC-I needs a new prop shaft before I put it back together next year. The seal was destroyed after about 3-4 yards of mono line was discovered behind the prop.

My question is whether or not it would be worth it to buy the special tools and try to replace the seal myself or take it to a shop and have them work on it. I have 2 of these MC-I outdrives on two different boats so if I needed to replace the seal in the other one outdrive I would be able to replace it.

My mechanical aptitude is about average and I have manuals that explain the process. Has anyone attempted this fix and was it worth it in the end??

Thanks

 

[Bt Doctur]

usually replaced when the carrier is removed but I did have a tool many years ago to remove just the seals. A coarse threaded tube to fit over the prop shaft to "un-screw" the 2 seals.

 

[fishrdan]

Buy the tools and do it yourself, specialty drive tools off Ebay are reasonable and the seal kit(s) are very reasonable too,,, especially compared to having a shop complete the job.

There's other work that could need attention while you're in there; water pump (or impeller), bellows, lower shift cable, engine alignment check/adjust, gimble bearing check/replace. Since you have 2 of these drives, and don't mind doing the work, you'll save a wad of cash.

When you say you have manuals, what manuals are these? Seloc and Clymer are junk, I wouldn't attempt this work without a Mercruiser manual (downloadable). I have worked on my drive referencing a Selco, and it leaves out a bunch of important info the Mercruiser manual has.......

 

[SHickey]

Thank you both for the information. I have a 2 volume Mercruiser repair manual set that came with another boat I refurbished that covers a number of different O/D models including the MC-I.

It is nice to see that these specialty tools can still be bought even though the O/D is 40+ years old

Have a great holiday everyone and be safe on the water if you go out tomorrow!!

 

[SHickey]

Hello,

I was wondering if getting the tools to replace the prop shaft seals would be worth it in the long run considering I have two similar MC-1 outdrives ( 140 & 165 )?? Would anyone know the specialty tool numbers I would need to purchase off of E-bay and what sites would have those kind of tools for sale?

We are getting close to spring and I have been thinking about the repair all winter and I should at least attempt to get the seals replaced.

Thanks again!!