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1974 Reinell with 307 , OMC 800 - Intermediate housing ball gear- Removal

S

seandon

New member
Hey guys,

I have a 1974 OMC 800 stern drive that both ball gears are in need of great replacement. I have removed the stern drive; the Intermediate ball gear is attached to the drive train. Do I need to remove the complete drive train (slide it out)? Or can I take the small cover off and take the small nut off? Thanks guys for all your help & ideas!

Sean
 
These later Ball Gears are easier to replace than the earlier ones which are pressed on, and can be removed without dismantling more than removing the Leg.

Remove the welsh plug that covers the nut, remove the nut, and with a puller, pull off the Ball Gear, and simply replace the new Ball Gear, and tighten up the nut to the correct torque, and replace the new welsh plug.

NEVER hit the Ball Gear to remove or replace it, as the puller is designed to make the process easire. You will notice that there is a taper on the Spline, and that needs to be "Cracked" to easily remove it.

Bruce.
 
and when installing the new ball gear, use thread lock compound on the splines and the nut threads
 
thank you so much gentlemen, I'll give that a try. On the upper ball gear thats on the sterndrive, I've taken the four bolts out and have slid the gear out. Is this gear pressed? It has rubber material on the front of the gear, I've cut out some off the rubber to see if there is a nut. Do i take this gear off from the backside? Thanks again guys!
 
IMG_0708.jpgIMG_0701.jpg I found the nut on the upper ball gear under the rubber. The other pic is the intermediate ball gear, I took the welsh plug off but no nut, it looks pressed on. Please help???? This boat is a 1974 according to my registration, I purchased it a yr ago, and have had some great trips to the islands. Looking to get her back in the water:)

Sean
 
Man, that is the worst damage I have ever seen done to any Ball Gear.

I would say that the previous owner wasn't operating it correctly. These units have to be run with the leg down at all times. Even idling the engine, the gears are turning, as the forward and reverse gears are in the lower part of the leg.

There isn't supposed to be any rubber (Silicone) used to cover the nut, so I would hazard a guess that someone really didn't know what they were doing.

My '73 unit has "Press-on" ball Gears on both sides, and I was wondering if the pieces could be mis-matched, and still work correctly.

You can remove the one on the Intermediate Housing with a puller, but you really need to press the replacement on with the shaft out of the unit.

Bruce.
 
One of the biggest problems with using Silicone in these spots is that it actually promotes rust, and hopefully, you can get the nut off without doing too much damage.

As a last resort, you might even have to go to the grinder and physically cut the ball gear off, but take the piece out of the leg first, and don't lose the shims, as these give the pre-load on the gearset.

Bruce.
 
There are two types of Silicone, the Ascetic Cure and Natural Cure.

I have found that one of them, and I can never remember which one it is, actually promotes rust and corrosion.

Bruce.
 
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