Reinstall lower unit after impeller replacement

"Is there a trick to getting t

"Is there a trick to getting the shift rod back in when reassembling a 2 stroke 8hp M8B. I have tried with shifter in neutral, forward and reverse. The rod doesn't want to go back in."

"Not really,just be gentle. Th

"Not really,just be gentle. The best thing to do is walk away from it for a few minutes and then try it again. Frustration can make it a lot more difficult."

Thanks for the rapid response!

Thanks for the rapid response!!!

I'm gonna try again now.

"Ok, I got it back together by

"Ok, I got it back together by disconnecting the shifting rod at the coupling, then inserted the shift rod into the lower unit before inserting the shaft into the tube."

I am having trouble with the s

I am having trouble with the shift rod also. It seems that the lower unit shift rod is about 2 inches to long. Does the lower unit shift rod move or is it set? I have tried putting it back together but as above stated. The shaft will not go all the way as the shift rod will not move and it seems to be too long. I have also let the lower unit shift rod slide up into the space next to the upper unit and the shaft easily inserts into the upper unit. I need some help desperately and I would like to learn the trick to this thing so I can replace the water pump myself when it is needed.

"I took the 8 hp to the shop a

"I took the 8 hp to the shop and discovered that when I removed the lower unit, I accidently pulled out the shift lever. It was an easy fix, just unscrew the two screws on the lower unit shift bar and reinsert after replacing the o rings. However, now I am having trouble keeping the forward gear in place. It wants to go back into neutral. I was told this is a simple syncronization of the gears. Does anyone know how to syncronize the gears?"