Thank GAWD I found this site!!

[BayouRunner]

I am having MAJOR issues with my 1996 Mercury 115 hp!
I need to remove the prop, so it can be straightened and balanced and have the bushing replaced. No big deal, right? Wrong! I removed the locking ring with the tabs thingy, and the nut...easy enough. There was a lil aluminum looking spacer thing, which I also removed....piece of cake. Prop should just slide right off. HA! Tapped on it with a 2x4, no movement. Tapped a lil harder with a rubber mallet....STILL no movement. A fishing buddy noticed a retaining ring of some sort, behind the prop and connected to the lower unit by 2 nuts. Ok, I can remove 2 nuts and have the prop slip right off. Ummmm. no, I can't! Removed the 2 nuts, tapped and pried the lil retaining ring thing a lil and VOILA!, the whole drive shaft came out of the lower unit! WITH the prop STILL stuck firm. How in Poseidon's name do you get the dam prop off!?!?!?!

 

[Tig]

Re: Thank GAWD I found this site!!

Maybe take the shaft and prop as one assembly to the prop shop.
Or. you could use a bearing puller. You may find is slides right off. I've found hammers are bad for this type of thing. If the prop is really stuck it will probably come off in two pieces. First it will rip the prop off the hub. Next time around it will pull the hub off the shaft. Not ideal but guaranteed to not damage the shaft like a hammer certainly will. Even if the hub is not ripped apart keep an eye on it since it is not intended to take this type of force. Hubs are not a big deal to have replaced. Either way, hang in there for a bit so Merc owners have a chance to weigh in on this, just in case there is something you are missing.

 

[hwsiii]

Re: Thank GAWD I found this site!!

Runner, I will tell you the way we used to do it that normally worked excellent. We would back the nut off that holds the prop on as far as we could and reinstall the pin, so the nut won't spin off. And then we put the boat in the water and put it in reverse and would keep accelerating up and down with the throttle until the prop finally came loose. If this didn't work in the first ten minutes then we would just keep the throttle pushed very high in reverse and turn in figure eights until it came loose. By doing figure eights it loads different sides of the prop at different times, so it kind of helps it work itself loose.

Many people use torches to heat the prop up, but if you do this too much then you have to cut the rubber hub off because it can easily slide off when it melts enough from the heat.



H

 

[steelespike]

Re: Thank GAWD I found this site!!

Sometimes PB blaster will free up the prop.When installing the prop grease the shaft
and as years go by remove and relube as required.Some sort of light water resistant grease.Any grease is better than none.

 

[BayouRunner]

Re: Thank GAWD I found this site!!

Thnx for the input!!
Only tapped on the blades, if I'd have taken out my frustration on the prop, I'd be replacing a propeller, a maul and the wall/window I destroyed when it slipped from my hand!
As for running it with the prop nut only on slightly, naaaaaaaaaaaa. With my luck, the prop would fly off and sink, and then I'd REALLY be miffed!
I don't know what PB is. I'm guessing it isn't peanut butter. I've sprayed the heck out of it with WD-40, and will throw a lil 3 in 1 oil on there next to see what's what.