got2haveit
Member
I have a 1971 Eska/Sears model 217-58820 that I am trying to restore. It was a trade in I got while working on a friends motor. It seems that the wrong sized lower unit driveshaft was installed. I removed the lower unit after there was no movement when the shift lever was engaged and the flywheel/motor was turned. After removal I found the lower unit was working properly when turning the shaft or the prop. I inserted another lower unit with a 22" shaft and found that the flywheel and lower unit engaged but the shaft was too long. The driveshaft on the lower unit I took off is approximately 19 5/8 in. It looks like a lower unit from a different model was put on the motor. I then pulled the engine block off and inserted the original lower unit into the clutch assembly and pushed it all the way in and the driveshaft engaged and turned like it should. Looks like a shaft that was 20" would be what I need. Was there a difference in shaft length for different years or models??? Any suggestions on how to resolve this problem would be appreciated. I can modify if I have to.