Cant seperate the lower end on BF15A

Hello all. I aquired a pretty seized up Honda BF15A from 2002 (I believe). Trying to seperate the lower end, and it wont budge. According to the manual, its just 4 bolts and the shift linkage. Im pretty sure Im not missing any fasteners and the lower and mid-sections are just frozen together. I even tryed whacking it with a hammer and wooden dowel to no avail. Any tricks from the pros on how to release this lower end??

It shows 4 bolts in the schematic, but I wonder if the trim tab bolt might be holding it on? I can't recall if I had to remove mine to remove the lower end - been too long!

Two of the four bolts have a dowel ( actually a tube ) around them to locate the lower unit.--------In a salt water environment these will jam up tight.--------A bit off heat and a good bump may break it free.

Those same dowels that Racerone mentions were the culprits that froze the lower unit of my BF150 when I was trying to change-out the impeller.

I was able to get just a small crack between the L.U and the mid-section by jostling it back and forth. Once I had that crack, I got some plastic shims (wedges) and gently hammered them in to the crack with a rubber mallet. Took me awhile, shimming back and forth from one side of the L.U. to the other, but she finally came loose. There was a thick layer of corrosion on the sleeves of the dowels. Mystery to me why they weren't covered with grease by the guy who did the last impeller change (the perils of buying pre-owned)---

good luck!

Thanks for the tips. I'll try the heat, and if that works I'll go with the wedges.