honda bf20 - drive shaft pulled out of lower unit rather than engine while removing

I pulled down the lower unit on a 2006 Honda BF 20 - the lower unit did come down with some blows to a wooden block but the drive shaft did not - has anyone had this happen ? if so, how did you proceed with removing stuck shaft and reinserting shaft into lower unit?

Wow! Never had one stuck like that! I wonder if someone neglected to put grease on the shaft splines when reassembling.

By beating it until the e-clip holding the pinion gear on failed, I hope nothing got damaged there...other than the clip. At a minimum you're going to need to take out the prop shaft holder and find the clip or pieces of the clip. But you would have to do that anyway to put a new clip on.

If it were me, I would spray some penetrating oil, specifically Aero Kroil, (the best I know of) or PB-Blaster (works) up in the shaft to crankshaft spline area and then WAIT for it to work it's way in there. If you have the ability to drain the oil and set the power head upside down, this would be the best scenario for the penetrant to do it's thing. If not, you might need to spray the splines multiple times since gravity is working against you here.

The penetrant "creeps" (Aero Kroil says right on the can "the oil that creeps") into rusted splines and will, eventually,, break the oxidation bond down. But you have to understand that this can take a long time. I once waited about a month to have the oil work into the splines between a drive wheel and and an axle shaft on a riding lawn tractor. I would never have separated the two without damage if I had used heat or brute force. The oil can truly work wonders if given enough time.

Most people will NOT have that much patience or grass that grows that slowly:>).

But if you can let the oil work for as long as you can stand it, the penetrate WILL help here.

Since you will be applying force against the thrust washer for the crankshaft while trying to pull the shaft, you should use a technique called PERSISTANCE rather than pounding the CR@P out of it, that would be to your advantage going forward.

Buy TWO new e-clips for the pinion. Put the pinion on the end of the shaft and you will then have a place to rest your wooden drift or a purchase area for a SMALL slide hammer claw.
When you get the shaft out and install it into the gearcase, use the SECOND e-clip you purchased to install the pinion gear and throw the clip used for pulling away.

I wish you good luck.

Thank you JGMO for your comprehensive response - and thank you for good luck wishes as I will need them I am afraid.

I have taken your advice: drained the oil and the gas out of the motor in order to turn the outboard upside down and let the penetrating oil actually get to the splines where they enter the motor - I will let it soak for a week and try a slide hammer attached with U-bolts to loosen the drive shaft

Unfortunately I did damage the shaft, the shaft only has one E-clip and broke off what appears to be the place where the second clip would normally be located -
of course brute force is never ideal but I know of no other way to separate the lower unit from the outboard?

I hope I can get the propeller of its shaft to allow me to open the lower unit and replace the broken shaft. Here I will make use of a propeller puller for sure but will also soak that joint with penetrating oil.

I am thinking the water pump has not been changed in the outboard's 14 year life - what a headache to help a friend with a bad water pump

thank you again for your input
Stephan

First off, thank YOU for the ubolt idea! I hadn't thought of that.

As far as resorting to brute force, it's usually a last resort even on heavy construction equipment. And HONDA outboards, while comparatively tough, aren't even close to being good candidates for that sort of "treatment".

Hindsight being 20/20, it is easy to see that "finesse" serves one better with these little darlings. If you had FIRST removed the transmission and the pinion gear before breaking out the cudgel, life would be a bit easier now. Oh well...I would be lying if I said I'd never done something VERY similar once...er...maybe even...well, you know :+\

Just keep that in mind as you start pounding away with the slide and I surely hope that the penetrant works well enough for you to get'er done!

4 years Later I have the same problem, this motor has never been apart.
Oil filter say's 2015 gear oil is Jet black and yes the vertical shaft pulled out the bottom, but I removed the c clip prior to beating, unit has been upside down for 3 days with Aero Kroil applied each day and still no luck at removing the vert shaft.

it damaged the water pump housing dragging the key through the top of the housing, now I need the shaft out so I can rest everything and it will not budge.

Oh jeez! Not another one! Making me nervous about mine!

Sorry you're having troubles ccox.

Is this an outboard that's had heavy salt water use? Or, worse yet, was left lowered in saltwater while parked?

I do wonder how the OP made out with his.

But I have to say...again....patience is a virtue when trying to release the splines and essentially save the outboard.
I love Aero Kroil and it works great but they don't call it "the oil that creeps" for nothing. It literally does creep....s.l.o.w.l.y.

I freed a spline once on a lawn tractor using it that took over three months of waiting, trying and waiting some more. It did pop out though and you could see how the oil had crept in there between the parts and corrosion.

You might speed things up using a heat gun or hair dryer to heat things up but, please, don't use a torch or you might create more problems.

Good luck.

It is in a pair of Honda 20hp outboards that where used for a local college rowing teams trainer, in saltwater.

they pulled the motors let them sit on a stand for 3 years on the dock, now they would like me to see if I can get them both running.

Both the 20hp Hondas are now running like tops, but no cooling, both units came apart with the vertical shaft stuck in the motor.

So I have two upside down outboards soaking for the weekend doing an old trick soaking one in kerosene, back in my heavy equipment days that would free anything, just don't light a match. fingers crossed.

I know about patience, 35 year Diesel mechanic land sea and some air, and that is the best recommendation you can give.

Thanks

Well, we used to use acetone mixed with atf and/or kerosene back when but I think the Kroil works better....but I hear you.

We used to have trouble getting injectors out of Detroit Diesel heads....the Kroil would free them up very quickly. So, maybe the combination of engine oil, fuel and Kroil might have had something to do with that. I don't know. But we never had an injector we couldn't get loose after we were turned on to Kroil by an aircraft mechanic.

If you can believe the internet (and I don't much of the time) there's that stuff called Superzilla that's been advertised as being good. I haven't tried it...it's expensive and, mostly, I really don't work much anymore so I don't need to...
But...I have always been willing to try new things at least once and I will get some eventually to see for myself. Not saying you should or shouldn't try it but just saying.

I'm hoping the Kroil gets it done for you but a weekend or a week might not be enough time.

Just be judicious using force. The crank bearing journals and thrust won't take much .

Gently my friend....gently.

On these motors owned by clubs / fire departments / search & rescue teams.----It appears that everyone assumes that maintenance is done somehow.