Re: Re-installing the lower unit
drop the lower far enough to get hold of the shift shaft in the lower. if ya gotta drop the lower to do this, do it. then turn the shift shaft cw i beleive while turning the prop shaft ccw. when the prop shaft wont turn ccw, the lower is in fwd. put a bungee on the prop and load it up ccw. don't let it turn cw the least little bit. if it does it will likely shift out of fwd. only turn the prop shaft ccw..
while the lowers separated from the upper. shift the helm into fwd. you can confirm fwd. by looking up under the fore side of the drive and looking at the shift shaft coupler between the upper and the bell housing. they will be facing fwd.
this drive is in neutral. if it were in fwd. the coupler would face fwd. if in reverse, it would face further than it is to port.
then try to reinstall. imho it painfull at best but keep trying and you will succeed. you'll probably need two people to put it back. as you know, it's heavy and awkward to hold onto.
all that said.
take the upper off and put the lower and upper back together on the bench. it can be done by yourself pretty darn easy. still have to have everything in fwd. though. plus side of doing it on the bench is you will be able to perform other pm that is necessary. ie. grease coupler, lub ujoints, inspect for water intrusion into the bellows area, check alignment, test gimble bearing for smoothness.
i put the drive back on using a drive stand. i do this by myself also.
there are obvious benefits to pulling the whole drive..
ps, don't forget the washer on top of the shift shaft in the lower. it must be in place.. it's easy to forget.. don't forget the quad ring (seal) between the oil passage between the upper and lower. that's easy to forget too..
