Lower unit full of water can I work on the engine

"1986 Evinrude 175HP engine, t

"1986 Evinrude 175HP engine, the lower unit (if left empty) will fill quickly with water if earmuffs and garden hose are applied to the intake. I'm going to have to reseal, or replace with a rebuilt unit, depending how much damage has been done.

The engine is also not running at this time.

My "problem" is that I would like to proceed to work on the engine, to see if there is any hope for the outboard as a whole.

Would it be OK to just fill the lower unit with fresh oil, and proceed to try to get the engine running? Or do I risk making things much worse than they already are for the lower unit (or the engine!).
Is it possible to remove the lower unit and plumb the garden hose "more direct" to the engine for doing this work?

Thanks for any and all opinions!"

"I would think either solution

"I would think either solution you outline would be ok. There is no load on the gearcase while on the muffs, so a little water probably isn't going to cause a problem. I would change the gear lube when done testing though.

You could take the gearcase off and adapt the hose to the tube that would normally go from the water pump to the powerhead. You'll have to be careful with the water flow. The 60 psi or whatever from a full bore garden hose could damage seals and such."