Whats the easiest way to remove bearing carrier 77' 85hp

[chum1]

Just picked up a 1977 85 hp merc for $200 with a lower unit thats stuck in forward, thought that would be an easy fix but was wrong, after trying to remove the locknut with my special tool, i found out it was froze solid, had to drill some holes carefully then use a chisel to break it out.

I'm sure it wouldnt havent budged even with factory tools, thought all right just need to pull out carrier, find parts then reassemble........Wrong!!, the bearing carrier is in solid, Ive tried heat,wd40, pb blaster, super duper snake oil and the works, even used an aircraft rivet gun under the washers of the prop lock nut, it will not budge! I know there is a special puller for this and have tried using the prop nut with some misc. chunks of metal braced against the housing but no luck.

Any ideas on clearing this hurdle? Here are some pics of the ordeal

 

[achris]

Re: Whats the easiest way to remove bearing carrier 77' 85hp

You need the right puller. Without it all your efforts will amount to naught.

The right puller has 2 legs with big hooks on the ends. They go under the gussets inside the bearing carrier. The other ends of the legs go through an harmonic balance puller, and you wind it up REALLY tight. While the tension's on, heat the gear housing, on both sides, where the bearing carrier is corroded to the housing, near the back of the housing for the part of the carrier you can see easily, and also immediately forward of the exhaust cavity, the inside section of the carrier... You need to heat a lot, quickly, but not too much. (Ali ends up as a puddle on the floor real quick ). As you're heating you also need to be increasing the tension on the puller.

Good luck....

 

[chum1]

Re: Whats the easiest way to remove bearing carrier 77' 85hp

Thanks Achris, I will see if I can find or make a pulling tool I already have a harmonic balancer puller but need to rig up the arms, I will get some pics and share as i already have learned a lot from this forum

 

[achris]

Re: Whats the easiest way to remove bearing carrier 77' 85hp

Make sure they are strong. You'll be putting a few thousand pounds of pressure on them...

Here's one of my puller legs... The pen is there to give you a size reference for the leg rod.

Chris.........

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Whats the easiest way to remove bearing carrier 77' 85hp

I've seen references to using a slide hammer that "bolts" onto the prop shaft. Hold the LU housing in a large vise/clamp and use the slide hammer to pull the carrier out.

I'm about to embark on the same journey and this was going to be my approach. Yeh or neh?

 

[achris]

Re: Whats the easiest way to remove bearing carrier 77' 85hp

I've seen references to using a slide hammer that "bolts" onto the prop shaft. Hold the LU housing in a large vise/clamp and use the slide hammer to pull the carrier out.

I'm about to embark on the same journey and this was going to be my approach. Yeh or neh?

Nah... You need a lot more force than that can provide.... A steady load (puller) is the only way to do it... and lots of heat really quickly....

You also run the risk that if the pull on the hammer isn't absolutely straight, you'll break something.

Good luck,

Chris........

 

[chum1]

Re: Whats the easiest way to remove bearing carrier 77' 85hp

Here is where i'm at on this project, after heating the housing and tightening the puller its starting to creek, I think i'll let it rest after spraying some pb on it.

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Whats the easiest way to remove bearing carrier 77' 85hp

Wow, that just doesn't seem right to have to use so much force to pull the carrier. What method will be necessary to reinstall it? Being surrounded in oil I would have thought they would pull right out.

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Whats the easiest way to remove bearing carrier 77' 85hp

 

[egclassic]

Re: Whats the easiest way to remove bearing carrier 77' 85hp

I've had to pull my prop shaft out 4-5 times in the last month, reverse problems, anyway, I used a slide hammer everytime. Worked like a charm!

 

[achris]

Re: Whats the easiest way to remove bearing carrier 77' 85hp

Wow, that just doesn't seem right to have to use so much force to pull the carrier. What method will be necessary to reinstall it? Being surrounded in oil I would have thought they would pull right out.

Where the problem is lies in the corrosion built up between the carrier and the gear housing. Once the carrier is out you clean all that corrosion off and it slides in and out easily. It just the first time it's been moved for years that you'll have the problem.

It's the gears that are oil bathed, not the carrier.

Chris........

 

[chum1]

Re: Whats the easiest way to remove bearing carrier 77' 85hp

Success!!, thanks you guys especially Chris, it took some patience and heat but it finally came loose, instead of popping loose all at once like I expected with steel it moved in small increments, I would tighten puller, heat, tighten puller, heat and it worked.

Here are some pics of the guts of this thing, I used a piece of the carrier lock ring as a thread chaser after I cleaned it up with a thread file which worked quite nicely.

The dogs on the dog gear look a little worn but usable, I think the previous owner of the engine didn't put the shifter cam it the right place, that and the chocolate milkshake oil from a bad water-pump install might have been contributing factors.

 

[achris]

Re: Whats the easiest way to remove bearing carrier 77' 85hp

... it took some patience and heat but it finally came loose, instead of popping loose all at once like I expected with steel it moved in small increments, I would tighten puller, heat, tighten puller, heat and it worked.....

That's my experience too... Now just clean the surfaces and put Perfect Seal, or something similar, on them before you put it back together.

Chris....

(Nice use of a couple of bit of angle and a couple of gear puller legs... )

 

[chum1]

Re: Whats the easiest way to remove bearing carrier 77' 85hp

Ha Ha who says you have to go out and buy a merc tool when there are a bunch of dusty tools already lying around, I just have to get a seal kit, lock ring and probably a shifter shaft seal to do this right and probably paint it with a two part enamel. Cheers, Phil

 

[achris]

Re: Whats the easiest way to remove bearing carrier 77' 85hp

Ha Ha who says you have to go out and buy a merc tool when there are a bunch of dusty tools already lying around, I just have to get a seal kit, lock ring and probably a shifter shaft seal to do this right and probably paint it with a two part enamel. Cheers, Phil

Most of my tools aren't exactly 'off the shelf' either... Have a look at the photo of the puller leg... I welded that up myself.

Cheers,

Chris....

 

[chum1]

Re: Whats the easiest way to remove bearing carrier 77' 85hp

Yea i saw that earlier, it looks like one of those tools you use while drinking a Foster's beer ,

I'm now waiting on parts and started working on the power head, hooked it up and it starts and runs, wooo hooo!, at least i know the previous owner wasnt full of sh.......t when he said it will run. Hopefully it just needs little things fixed like an old brittle tiewrap holding the main fuel intake hose on. etc.

 

[chum1]

Re: Whats the easiest way to remove bearing carrier 77' 85hp

Here is something you dont read everyday: Lower end completed and works exactly as intended, no busted housing or ripped out threads!.

I had to buy the shifter seal removal socket for $6.00 and used a wheel lug nut air tool (saw that on youtube), worked great.

parts replaced were:

complete water pump assy.
shift shaft seal assy.
prop shaft seals and fat oring
shift cam and cam pin
bearing carrier lock ring
aviation permatex
paint
quicksilver gear oil

about $160.00 in new parts, most all from ebay

Good for 20 years or 20 seconds

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Whats the easiest way to remove bearing carrier 77' 85hp

Well done.

What was the wheel lug nut air tool used for?

I may be contacting you for advise as I'm about to tear my lower unit apart. Hope I have the same good fortune

 

[achris]

Re: Whats the easiest way to remove bearing carrier 77' 85hp

Well done.

What was the wheel lug nut air tool used for?

I may be contacting you for advise as I'm about to tear my lower unit apart. Hope I have the same good fortune

To put on the shift shaft bushing tool (Phil called it a seal removal tool). It acts like an impact driver...

Chris.....

 

[chum1]

Re: Whats the easiest way to remove bearing carrier 77' 85hp

Ha Ha, Hey Moody it was a group effort, I could give you some advise but it might be flawed, here is a link to a free merc manual:

http://www.myoutboardengine.com/file/

Its titled "115 encryped........... " and is 398 MB, I found it from a post from richard kirkland,it covers multiple models, your engine and serial number should be covered, I downloaded it and burned it to a disk. I think its an actual factory manual?

After i read about lower end repair it goes into great detail about backlash, gear wear, shims, etc. For real world seal replacement i think this forum is loaded with much better info. from people like Chris above.

good luck and I will help if i can, Phil