Kmills1389
New member
Hey all, I'm rebuilding a '73 johnson 65 hp long shaft, had the lower unit off and completely apart to replace the driveshaft and reverse gear last fall, got it all put together and working just fine. Noticed oil seeping from prop shaft seals over the winter so I decided to replace them today. Got the BC out today, replaced seals no problem. Trying to reinstall the BC into the GC and it won't fully seat. Yes I lined up the holes on the retainer plate and even got a longer screw to thread in, but the BC is about 1/8th to 1/4 inch away from seating fully. I tried in forward, neutral and reverse, also tried heating GC and putting BC in freezer. The only change in assembly Is that I did not remove the lower unit this time, does it have to be removed (that seems like a bad design if so)? I feel like the needle bearing is not fitting over the aft portion of the reverse gear. What gives? Thanks for any and all advice!