Mercury Prop Shaft Seal

Hello, I have a Freshwater 1976 mercury 7.5HP outboard motor which seems to have a oil leak coming from behind the prop...im guessing its going to be the prop shaft seal...my question is, can I replace the seal without completely taking apart the gear casing? it seems to me all i have to do is remove the prop, remove the cover nut and whatever else is in the way then i should be able somehow to pull the seal off the shaft...does that sound right? I have a manual that shows the diagram...any words of advise would be great...thanks alot...PS...the serial number is 4552729 if that helps...thanks again

Is there water in the LU oil? If so, the LU needs to be removed and resealed in several places. But if it's full of water-free oil, the "leak" you see might simply be combustion oil leaking down from above.

Pull the LU plug and see what you have.

Jeff