water in lower unit - uh-oh

[cvflats]

im working on a 1955 7.5 evinrude model 7518 and i went to drain the differential oil and there was none and a few drips of water came out. should this cause as much panic as i feel. my seloc manual says i will need to change the seal behind the propeller. are these available still? any advice on lower unit service would be great as the manual is clear as mud about it. thanks

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: water in lower unit - uh-oh

you need the real manual, http://www.laingsoutboards.com/ has the parts. make sure the prop will turn, before ordering. have you been using this motor lately, or is it a restoration project.

 

[cvflats]

Re: water in lower unit - uh-oh

its an old motor but its new to me. i have never run it (fella i bought it from said it ran with starting fluid but died quickly) i have cleaned the carb and am replacing the exhaust plate. I will probably work on the ingition after i check the compression ( i have to wait for my new gaskets to get here before i can do that). i wish i had checked the compression before i started but oh well live and learn. it sounded like it had good compression but we will see. the propeller turned in and out of gear with no problem. i think i may have done something bad working on the lower unit (after misreading my manual) and may have separated the pinion gear -not the end of the world but more work for me. i suppose i should open it up and look anyway since there was water in it. not much corosion eleswhere except the exhaust plate. got any advice?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: water in lower unit - uh-oh

did you remove the phillips screw in the lower unit. if you did 90% you will have to open it to realign the shifter. also check the clutch dog and gears.

 

[cvflats]

Re: water in lower unit - uh-oh

i did remove the screw. i really sat down and read the manual and did what it said. i was an idiot and pulled up on the drive shaft so i needed to realign it anyway. i was worried because of the water in the lower unit that the gears might be corroded but they were not! so that is good news. my pinion gear fell under my other gears during the removal. im taking pics before i proceede so i will be able to get it back together. you have a lot of experience and i take it the next few steps are crucial and pretty hard, so any advice you have to give i would appreciate. i want to do it right so i dont screw the whole lower unit up. thanks

 

[jbjennings]

Re: water in lower unit - uh-oh

putting the lower unit back together is very easy. Getting the seals in right is a little tougher.
Good luck,
JBJ