"Warren;
There are a few prec
"Warren;
There are a few precautions that will make this a lot smoother. The following may help. This is for installation, but removal is pretty much just the reverse.
Check the gimbal bearing first by turning it by hand to make sure it is not rough. Any roughness or stickiness at all is cause to replace it, and this is the time to do it. Give the U joints a few shots of marine grease (if greaseable). Then grease both the splines and the O rings on the input shaft.
Put the remote control in forward gear and also the drive shift shaft, by turning the upper lever arm straight forward, while turning the prop CCW to lock it in forward.
Use a new gasket set. Make sure the large square O ring is in place in the nose compartment of the shaft opening in the gimbal. Use yellow weatherstrip cement to hold it. Make sure the water passage O ring is in place; again use yellow weatherstrip cement to hold it. Use a thin film of lubriplate or 2-4-C on the gasket faces.
Make sure the shift crank roller engages the shift slider. Liberally grease the shift slider mechanism and check it carefully as you fit the drive into place.
It works best to block the drive at about the right height to slide it in, so you don't have to lift it. If you did not disturb the engine mounts the alignment is likely OK.
As you slide the shaft in, do not force it; it should go easily by hand. If the splines don’t mate exactly (the drive will jam about 3” out), turn the prop shaft slowly CCW until the splines engage. There will be some resistance as the O rings slide into the gimbal bearing (the last inch or so). A few light taps with a rubber hammer will help.
Once seated, progressively tighten the six stop nuts to 45 ft lbs in increments.
Check forward and reverse gears for proper operation. Reconnect the trim cylinders.
Fill the drive with Merc high performance gear lube from the bottom until if flows out the top vent. Then insert the vent plug and give it another few shots. Then put in the bottom plug. Top up the reservoir as required. Re-connect the speedo hose.
Test run on a hose. Check for any leaks. Check proper gear and shift interrupt operation.
Be sure to check the lube oil reservoir level after the first hour or two. It will drop as the air bubbles come out, and you don't want to run the upper gears dry.
Hope this helps,
Rod"
