1969 9.5 water tube to power head pulled out

Hey everyone. I just found this forum as i am having a problem with a 1969 9.5hp engine that i recently picked up. It has been a headache from the start.The lower unit was partly lowered. Had to remove shift rod screw and use wedges to get lower unit off. Of course the drive shaft came out of the lower unit instead of the power head but the water tube came out of the power head instead of the water pump.It was heck getting the drive shaft out of power head. A lot of blaster oil and a little improvising. I used a couple flange brackets that has a 1 inch hole in the middle and 4 holes on perimeter for 6" bolts. I used a 2" long pipe nipple attached to the bottom flange as a spacer that went around the drive shaft. I set the lower flange on a steel plate that rested across the exhaust housing while motor rested on its head. 4 holes were drilled in the plate to match the flange holes. Bolts were ran up through plate, then bottom flange, then 2 nuts on each bolt tightened against themselves to secure blots to flange. Then i put a 1" long nut on the end of the bolts and set the upper flange on the 4 bolts. I then used 2 large cable clamps that would fit tight around the shaft just on top of the upper flange. I tightened the clamps as tight as i could to the shaft. I put a threaded bolt in the gap between the shaft and clamp as the first try the clamp split. The u bolt part was ok. Then i just started turning the long nuts against the upper flange which in turn pushed up against the u bolts. You have to rotate on all nuts fairly evenly. It was like a spreader. Periodically i would rap on the end of the shaft with a brass hammer while under tension. Patience with a couple beers and it finally popped out.
Sorry, i got off on a tangent there but maybe this will help someone. I did a lot of searching but did not find this solution. So with my current problem i did a lot of searching and could find nothing so that is why i am here.
Does anyone know how to get the water tube back into the power head? I can't even find the hole or grommet. I really don't want to pull the power head off and if i must am i correct to assume that the outer covers must be removed to access to power head to exhaust mounting bolts? Is there a picture some where or a diagram that actually shows the location in the power head where the water tube goes? I even pulled out the plate in the lower exhaust housing where the water tube and shift rod o-ring and boot are to give me more visibility up the housing but i can,t make out the hole location. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I should mention i replaced all the seals, bushings, and o-rings, that i could get in the gear box along with a new impeller kit including the housing, and shift rod bushing and seal. The motor also will run.

There is an o-ring and a " push nut " at the top of the tube.----Powerhead must be removed via the way you suggest to do a proper job.

Thanks for the reply Racerone. That is not what i wanted to hear but figured to be that. Ok. So is there any info on proper sequence of removal of the outer casing. I could not find any info in my Evinrude books or online anywhere.

I have about 10 of these motors.-----Parts and pieces.---Not that hard to do.

Thanks again. I guess i will take a couple pics and go for it. Already wasted a day and a half trying to get around pulling the head.

Yes, you have to split the case and remove the powerhead. A push nut holds the water tube in the exhaust housing, not the powerhead. I've had lots of those things apart. Pretty easy for me, but a challenge for a first-timer. A factory service manual will save you a lot of fussing and guessing.

Btw, replace that shift rod boot while you have it apart---another major troublemaker. And inspect the upper front rubber mount, which is yet another troublemaker.

EDIT: The bellows boot around the shift rod and water tube.

Thanks for the reply fdrgator. The pics might help for sure. I am working on pulling the outer casing now.One of the lower rear casing large phillips head screws stripped out and i have to drill it out. All other bolts are out including pull starter and tiller but seems to be stuck on there. Like where the acorn nuts are on the sides of case at mid section. Haven't dicconnected all of shift lever yet as i am trying to figure out what to disconnect and what to leave. I am going on with no drawings.

Some things come to mind without the motor in front of me.

Pull off the slow speed knob, then the E-ring on the inside, then slide slow speed needle forward and remove the circlip. Disconnect the kill switch wires. Remove the instrument panel

Remove the pivot bolt from the throttle linkage, remove the little e-rings from the link, and lift link off. Remove the hex bolt with the shift interlock pin. Slide the shifter straight out of the bellcrank. Don't operate the shifter or you will break the bellcrank.

Remove the co-pilot (steering friction) bolt through the hole in lower cowlings. Remove the semi-circular steering friction arc piece.

Remove the bolts holding the vibration dampers to powerhead.

Remove the bolts holding upper and lower rubber mounts to lower cowls, and the left and right acorn nuts

Remove ALL the screws holding the clamshells together. Look again, there are a couple of hidden ones.

Undo/remove all the stuff I forgot

Split the clamshells and shuck the motor out

I guess I really WAS a "shade-tree mechanic" when I used to strip those things down under the oak tree at the fish camp. I did so many of them that I used to say I could do it blindfolded. That was 40 years ago. I might have to open my eyes now.

Just in case you're having 2nd thoughts...... replacing that water tube without removing the powerhead requires a strong beamed flashlight that can be adjusted to a spotlight pinpoint beam, a good pair of needle nose pliers, and a lot of patience as the viewing area is damn small. I've done that installation quite a few times... BUT... was never looking forward to it.

Thanks again for your reply fdrgator. I Did finally get the outer hjousing apart and the power head and exhaust housing out. I just hope i remember where all the bolts go. They are all about the same size. I guess that i will be ordering a few more parts like the shift rod boot and o ring, a gasket for head to exhaust housing, the bolt that stripped out (if i can get it), and then im not sure why the water tube wont fit in the hole in power head. There was corrosion in there. I tried to clean it out. There is like a crimp ring around the water tube where it goes in to the power head about a quarter inch down, but it wont fit into the hole. So, is there more corrosion in there that i need to get out or is there some kind of retaining ring in there or something? I dont see anything. Thanks

Thanks joereeves. I looked down that housing for hours with a mag lite and thought i maybe saw where the tube went but only saw like what i thought might be half a hole so i wasn't sure. That's why i was looking for confirmation on where the hole really was. I never got it so now i have went ahead and split the outer c asing and pulled the power head. That sucked with no directions. I am only going to hope i can remember where the screws go. It was just as well because even with the power head off the crimped like end of the copper tube wont go back into the hole. Not sure if it is corrosion (which i tried to remove) or some kind of a retainer. Thanks.

Refer to the picture I posted. The push nut goes on the end of the water tube, then it sits in the pocket at top of exhaust housing, with the o-ring above it. The o-ring completes the seal with the powerhead. The push nut is supposed to prevent the tube from pulling out, but obviously it failed.

The tube location is on the port side about a inch or so from the front.... see the first graphic that "FDGator" included for you above via post reply #6 .

The parts breakdown doesn't even show that part. ( the push nut). Not in my evinrude book. Is it the teeth washer that i found when removing exhaust housing from head?If so then during reassembly i need to put one end of copper tube in or against the power head and then put that push nut or spider washer down over the other end of the copper tube and then when putting the exhaust housing back down onto the power head i guide the tube into the hole in the plate where the boot is for the shift rod and in doing so the plate in exhaust housing will force the push nut down the tube until at the point where the exhaust housing and power head meet. At this position the pinching of that nut or washer will hold the copper tube in or against the power head at least until the lower tube end fits in the impellar housing helping to hold it up there? Also should the power head end of tube fit into the hole at all or just butt up against the opening? Thanks

So i found another drawing that shows the water tube with a push nut, washer, and an o ring. The washer looks like what i found (the spider washer). The nut (best i can tell) looks like a ferrel nut. So, looks like the push nut and o ring got lost and can be gotten. The water tube? Mine is sorta bent and kinked a bit. I think it is salvageable. I am heading to the marina to order more parts. In the mean time i guess i can clean up the outer casings and other parts while waiting on parts. I have 3 more motors to mess with (a 1972 4hp ev, a 1975 6hp ev, a 1985 6hp ev, and a mid 70's 6hp i think johnson. They all will start but haven,t really looked at them much. At this point i'm wondering if i picked the wrong one to start with first. But i wanted the hp. Now i'm too far in.