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lower unit re-install

sea stallion

New member
I'm sure this has been asked before but I searched and found nothing.

Anyway, I removed by lower unit and replaced water pump parts. I removed the lower unit while in reverse and apparently this is not the correct way. I can't get the shifter shaft to go in. Any suggestions?
 
Nothing special going on with that model, and it is not bad to disengage it when in reverse. The NSF8/9.8 long requires a bit of finesse -- and patience -- to get all 3 parts (cam rod, driveshaft, and water tube) lined up, pretty much in that order. It's OK to disengage the brass shift rod coupling in reverse, just realize that the cam rod will then not engage the coupler if the shift lever has been moved up to N or F instead of R when you slide it back up. If so, you're still OK; You can operate the shifter by clicking it into R as you guide the cam rod and coupler back together. For that matter, you can just pull the cam rod out of reverse by hand, lengthening the rod's projection from the LU. As you are raising the LU, the cam rod will start to emerge from the front of the exhaust housing long before the driveshaft or water tube engage. You should be able to watch it at the front of the leg as you slide the LU up into position. The whole key here is the "feel" to get all three long rods/tubes going in the right places as the LU mates with the exhaust housing. That finesse, or feel, is why OB mechanics are compensated at the rates they charge.
 
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