Re: RD19 drain plug 1957 35 hp johnson
DOH!!!! Well you've just made one of the least fun, but most common mistakes when it comes to changing LU oil. As a rule of thumb, you should NEVER remove the lone Phillips head screw from the LU, unless you plan on opening the entire lower end. There should instaed be two large flat-head screws on the the left side of the LU which say DRAIN/VENT which are used in the draining and refilling of the gear oil. However, hope is not lost. You were right to conclude that the phillips head screw is related to the shift rod. It's actually the shift rod's pivot in the gear case. If you're lucky, you might be able to take a flashlight and look very closely into the hole for the phillips head screw while moving the shift rod very slightly and realign the shift rod's pivot hole and the pillips head screw. If everything lines up, you can put the screw back in and count your lucky stars. However, if you can't get them to line up again after a bit of wiggling, you're probably gonna have to take the gear case apart and get everything lined back up properly.
In the future, you should remove the flat head screw labeled DRAIN to let the fluid out. You'll also want to remove the VENT screw as well to help let the oil out more quickly. Once drained, partially reinstall the VENT screw along with a new white, nylon washer. Don't screw it in all the way yet, only half way or so. Next screw in the the plastic adapter which should come with you bottle of new LU gear oil and pump. Once the adapter is threaded in tightly, pump the oil into the LU until you see it begin to seep out from around the partially seated VENT screw above. Once the freshly added, new, clear oil is visible around the screw, you can tighten the VENT screw the rest of the way and remove the plastic adapter and pump from the lower DRAIN hole. Quickly replace the DRAIN screw along with a new nylon washer and wipe off any excess oil from the LU. You may need to top off the oil by pumping a bit more in to the upper, VENT hole, but this is usually not needed unless you loose quite a it while trying to quickly reinstall the DRAIN screw. Hope that helps some. Good luck.
's pivot
Personally, I like the oldies better.
