Shift shaft removal for o-ring replacement - 1998 Mercury 25

[rstier]

Hi,
I need to replace the o-rings (Items 35/36) in the attached pic and have to remove the shift shaft in my 1998 Mercury 25 HP Long Shaft to get at them. My question is, how does the shift shaft come out of the lower? I've already removed the water pump housing as I needed to rebuild that as well. I read the manual (see other pic attached) and it mentions just pulling the shift shaft up and out, after removing the water pump. Is there nothing holding that shift shaft in? I see the retainer under the boot and wasn't sure how that comes out. I just didn't want to pull on the shift shaft excessively if something other than the o-rings are holding it in place.

Also, once I get it out, are there any issues getting it back in and aligned? I wasn't sure if something in the lower housing (e.g. shift cam) would pop out of place and I wouldn't be able to get it back in and aligned. I want to avoid tearing the whole lower apart and removing the bearing carrier if possible, as I don't have that tool.
Thanks in advance!
Ron

 

[flyingscott]

Pull straight up and make sure you orient the shift cam correctly when you reinstall it.

 

[rstier]

Ok, so it should all come out as one piece and just put it back in the same way. Sounds easy. I guess I wasn't pulling hard enough. Better to be safe than sorry. Thanks, I appreciate your response!

Pull straight up and make sure you orient the shift cam correctly when you reinstall it.

 

[flyingscott]

The o-rings can get stuck in there also make sure no bolts holding it in.

 

[rstier]

Ok. Where would the bolts be?

The o-rings can get stuck in there also make sure no bolts holding it in.

 

[flyingscott]

Any bolts in there you would be able to see

 

[rstier]

Not seeing any bolts, just the retainer (part 34) in my original post attachment. Just want to make sure the propeller shaft doesn't have to come out first for this thing to release. Just pulling it is not working and I don't see any bolts that retain the shift shaft.

Any bolts in there you would be able to see

 

[flyingscott]

Why do you need to replace the o-rings they seldom leak and if it is that tight they probably are not leaking

 

[rstier]

Gear oil was milky. Did a pressure test in bucket of water with an air pump (under 10 PSI) and bubbles were coming out from the shift shaft area.

Why do you need to replace the o-rings they seldom leak and if it is that tight they probably are not leaking