Alpha 1 stern drive wonbt line up on installation

I can't for the life of me

I can't for the life of me get the splines to line up when i put the lower unit up i have a 2 inch gap and it doesn't go any further up is there a way to line up the splines so it slides up easier

"Put the prop on.

Make sure

"Put the prop on.

Make sure the drive is in forward gear (the shift rod "L" on the lower unit will be pointing forward).

When you get to the 2 inch gap, turn the prop COUNTER CLOCKWISE. It will only move a very little bit, but enough to move the splines.

Good luck."

"Yeah, it can be a bit of a be

"Yeah, it can be a bit of a bear. Make sure the drive is in forward gear, the shift control is in forward, and then turn the prop counter-clockwise (that will keep it in gear) slowly until the splines line up and the drive slides in. I've done it by myself, but two people definitely makes it easier."

how can i tell where the shift

how can i tell where the shift control is suppose to be

"if you mean the control box e

"if you mean the control box end, just put it in full fwd position"

sorry the one on the lower uni

sorry the one on the lower unit i know it turns a little is there any markings to line it up

thanks

No markings. It should be poin

No markings. It should be pointed straight forward. If you look at the bottom of your bell housing you will see the shifter slide and the mechanism the the lower-unit shifter rod slips into.

i see the lower shifter in the

i see the lower shifter in the bottom but to line it up do i turn it all the way clockwise until it stops or to the clockwise until it stops
thanks

"[url=""]http://www-alt.mercur

"http://www-alt.mercurymarine.com/mnetdata/SERVICE/CRUISER/Servmanl/14/14cover.pd f

Check out pages 2a-6 thru 2a-7"

ok i checked it out my shift s

ok i checked it out my shift shaft is a spline in the diagrapm it shows an L this is where i'am having the problem lining up that spline to the shift shaft in the upper unit

"[IMG][url=""]http://i57.photo

"
This shows the shoes almost in fwd. if they were straight ,that would be fwd.your lower shoe is not connected yet.before you raise up your lower ,turn the splined shaft fully clockwise while turning the prop counterclockwise untill it`s locked.This is Fwd.Raise the drive up to engauge the driveshaft,turning the prop a little bit counterclockwise till the lower slips up.Now make sure the lower shoe is in a straight line ,and slip it on the splined shaft while raising the drive up a bit more,start the foward most nut first(2 threads) to hold everything up
once the shoes are lined up, start the 2 side nuts and snug them up MAKING SURE THE LOWER SHOE IS NOT BINDING ON THE SPLINED SHAFT,there will be a slight movement up and down where it enters the upper shoe. tighten the side nuts, install the rest of the nutsd and refill with oil."

Make sure the engine is in ali

Make sure the engine is in alignment. Do not take this for granted even if you did not touch any adjustments.

Thanks I'll try lining the

Thanks I'll try lining the shoes up

"I feel you do not understand

"I feel you do not understand about the alignment of the engine.
The engine alignment has nothing to do with the drive shifter (shoes) position / alignment on the out drive. The engine alignment is the position of the engine to the drive housing on the transom. If this alignment is off it will make it very hard to install the drive because the drive coupler on the rear of the engine is not in line with the gimble bearing. Hence the reason input shaft of the drive will not slide through the gimble bearing into the coupler on the rear of the engine.
Even a minor miss alignment will cause a problem. Plus, if the alignment is off it will cause the coupler to fail and it could cause damage to the input shaft as well. If the coupler does fail it will result in the major loss of money in the owners wallet and at the same time, a major increase in money in the repair shops cash box.
Reason you ask? The engine will need to be removed to install a new coupler. The coupler isn't cheap either.
A special alignment bar is used to check for proper alignment. Anytime the drive is removed for service the alignment needs to be check."

"Even if the drive came out OK

"Even if the drive came out OK or Easy doesn't mean the engine is properly aligned.

"i see the lower shifter in the bottom but to line it up do i turn it all the way clockwise until it stops or to the clockwise until it stops
thanks"

All the way clockwise till it stops, then you need to have the prop on and hold it "couter-Clockwise" and turn it that way while putting the drive in, helps the splines to find each other. If you dont it wont stay in forward and wont go on the last 1"ish. either Yes its a pain, if your strong you can do it by your self."