Stubborn Merc I / 110 outdrive removal.

[tcooke]

I have been fighting with my upper gear case for the last threee days and I just can't seem to get it off. I have read the manual and it is pretty slim on the subject. I have removed all of the hydrolic cylinders, the 6 bell housing nuts and it is in forward gear. I noticed a release/lock turn switch on the side of the bell housing so I turned it to release and still nothing.

How much force is usually needed to take one of these off? What am I missing? (Lower unit has already been removed as well.)

 

[Uraijit]

Re: Stubborn Merc I / 110 outdrive removal.

How much force is usually needed to take one of these off?

Sometimes just a little, sometimes a lot. Does your stern sit high enough that the drive's not going to hit the ground at all when it's all the way down? If you've got enough room, try lifting the drive up and then just letting it drop down. Sometimes that's enough to pop it loose.

Is it moving at all? You may be able to get a small pry-bar in there, and gently pry it away from the bell-housing. That's what I have to do, since my trailer keeps the bow too high for me to use the dropping trick. You can also have a helper hold a screw-driver between the gimbal ring and the bell housing when you lift the drive up. This should give you a little leverage to be able to gently work things loose.

You should have the drive as low as possible, since the shaft has to pull out pretty straight. If you've got the drive lifted too high, it will just bind when you pull on it.


Sometimes it's necessary to disconnect input shaft/gear assembly from the drive, remove the drive, and then free the shaft from the engine.

If all else fails, you may end up having to slide your engine forward, and removing it that way.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: Stubborn Merc I / 110 outdrive removal.

The gimbal bearing might be siezed to the shaft.The older units the gimbal was installed with snap rings.This ring holds the bearing in place and makes it hard to remove.If you can't pry it off complete disassembly might be needed It's a heck of a job.Jerry

 

[JustJason]

Re: Stubborn Merc I / 110 outdrive removal.

1 Make sure the drive is shifted into foward gear!!!!!!!!! or else your gonna break sumptin.
hook up your trim cylinders and see if it will push off that way.
if not
get a 1X2 or a 2X4 and stick it up under the drive, right under the exhaust bellows and try trimming in and see if that will crack it free.
Your boat is wicked old and i wouldnt be surprised if the transom is shot/sagging or the rear mounts are toast. if they are your going to need to pick up the motor with something and see if that helps.

 

[tcooke]

Re: Stubborn Merc I / 110 outdrive removal.

Well so far no luck, I have pryed and banged this thing to death and it wont budge. I have yet to try and lift the engine up to remove the drive but it seems to me that drive bolts are siezed to the housing. Either way it is definitely not coming off easily!

 

[tcooke]

Re: Stubborn Merc I / 110 outdrive removal.

Well I managed to get back working on the boat, I also managed to get the old upper gearcase off by removing it without the driveshaft. But now I am left with the shaft still engaged to the motor and can't figure out a way to get it off!

Any help?

 

[APPALOOSA2]

Re: Stubborn Merc I / 110 outdrive removal.

Does the shaft turn ? Sounds like it has not been off in along time and no grease on those splines. You should be able to look in where the shaft goes from behind the boat and see the gimbal bearing. I would take the sparkplugs out of the engine so there is no compression and try turning the shaft, maybe you can loosen it up.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Stubborn Merc I / 110 outdrive removal.

But now I am left with the shaft still engaged to the motor and can't figure out a way to get it off!

Ayuh,.....

Sawzall,..?? Torches,..??

 

[tcooke]

Re: Stubborn Merc I / 110 outdrive removal.

The shaft definitely turns but there is probably no grease left on the splines. I know the shaft turns as I had the engine running and drive negaged before pulling it off. I guess the only connection from the shaft to the engine is the splines, no clips or anything else!

 

[Old Tyme]

Re: Stubborn Merc I / 110 outdrive removal.

When I was doing my Millwright apprenticeship, my Journeyman always told me, "if it's stuck, get some Kroil spray and spray the h3ll out of it, go have a coffee and cigarette, come back and it will fall right off".

I hated to smoke and now drink too much coffee! LOL

All joking aside, if it's stuck within the coupler, may be a pain in the @$$.
If you have a way to fab up something to attach to the shaft, maybe small bottle jacks between the transom and the fabbed part and gracefully apply ever so little pressure at each pump of the jack. You want to be sure that you aren't distorting anything or screwing up the transom. You will also want to ensure that you apply equal amount of force to both jacks to keep the shaft at a straight pull. If you can spray a penetration oil into where the shaft fits into the coupler...that would help. Also spray down the gimbal bearing as well.

If you do resort to the torch be careful that you don't burn something up or blow yerself up!

My .02 cents

Good luck!!

 

[APPALOOSA2]

Re: Stubborn Merc I / 110 outdrive removal.

I would not use a torch if it was me. First that shaft is long and goes through the gimbal bearing first, which has a lot of grease. If it was to start on fire it would probably be on the inside of the boat.
I would lower the trailer as low as it will go at the bow. Then get some really good penetrating oil not the cheap stuff and spray they heck out of it every hour on the hour for a day. Take a 2x4 and put it on the end of the shaft to protect it and try to drive it in with a 2.5lb sledge hammer. The shaft does not go in all the way into the motor their is still some room there. All you need to do is get it to move some in any direction. Once you can move it some you should be able to get it out.

 

[mkast]

Re: Stubborn Merc I / 110 outdrive removal.

I have seen a drive (TRS) that was not removed for years. The gimble bearing was greased every year. Over the course of time, the excess grease hardened on both sides of the bearing, (on both sides of the shaft) making removal impossible.
The hardened grease on the shaft wouldn't slide through the bearing for removal.
Unless you want to remove the engine...
What I did was park the trailer near a decent size tree.
I was able to slip a nylon strap between the sterndrive and the transom, top and bottom, attached the hook from a chain hoist to both straps. Chained the chain hoist to the tree, then put a safety line from the sterndrive to a branch on the tree, then used the hoist to pull the drive off the transom.
Before the drive came out, the 26 foot Steel Clipper (steel hull boat) started to come off the trailer.
Caution: the drive shot out of there like a cannon ball, the safety line kept the drive from flying too far.
Sorry, no digital cameras at the time.

 

[tcooke]

Re: Stubborn Merc I / 110 outdrive removal.

I like the idea of strapping it to a tree, sounds like fun! Seriously though I'll give it a try first with some penetrating oil and a hammer to try and budge it, as long as I can get a strap around the shafts u-joint I guess one way or another it will come loose.

Thanks guys.