Prop shaft carrier won't fully insert.

[wizeguy8888]

Hello,
I have a 1989 mercury , 70 horse , three cylinder , two stroke with a Bigfoot lower. I removed the prop shaft carrier and shaft and replaced prop seals. upon inserting everything , wiggled its way in fine and I bolted it up , but then realized it's a fat eighth of an inch short from fully seating. It was in neutral when this was done. Apparently it should have been in forward drive. Can I now put it in drive and snug the two bolts up for a win or do I need to remove the prop carrier housing and take a different approach?

 

[racerone]

Best to revisit this work.----Make sure you turn flywheel a bit when assembling / tightening the bolts.

 

[wizeguy8888]

Best to revisit this work.----Make sure you turn flywheel a bit when assembling / tightening the bolts.

So I can wiggle the flywheel while it's in neutral while tightening to get the last eighth inch? I tried tapping it in before and the prop got tight and didn't want to rotate.

 

[racerone]

Find out what is out of place / wrong.---Starting your motor this way could be expensive.