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1981 4hp Evinrude shift rod question

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spud14901

New member
You guys gave me some info about a water pump last week. I have one more question. When I drop the lower unit, where do I disconnect the shift rod? Is this a one piece or two piece shift rod? The engine has a forward and neutral lever.
 
Okay.... That unit simply has a spring like affair in the gearcase whereas when free spinning/loose, it is in neutral..... when locked, it's in gear. This is accomplished simply via a rod pressing down upon the spring's flange.

The rod simply slides into a access hole in the lower unit, In removing the lower unit, the rod slides out. When installing the lower unit, slide that rod back into it's access hole. Nothing to disconnect or adjust.
 
Hi,
I'm back again. I am putting the lower unit back in but I cannot get the shift rod into the small hole it fits in. Is this a two man job? Trying to get the driveshaft, water tube and the shift rod in all at once is frustrating. I have positioned the engine in everypossible position. There must be a trick to getting the shift rod into it's hole.
 
Spud.... I've never encountered a problem in installing one of those gearcases, BUT just to refresh my memory in case I might have forgotten something, I read over the complete section that pertains to that engine's gearcase from removal to installation.

When it gets to the installation section, it simply states to guide the water tube into the water pump grommet and the shift rod into the shift rod hole..... and nothing more. If the gearcase is full of lube, I'm wondering if you're encountering a hydraulic pressure type thing, and if so, drain the gearcase and leave the top oil level screw out as a release valve.

The only other two possible conflicts I can think of would be that the shift rod isn't at its lowest point, or possibly the water tube is hanging up on the gromment at the water pump.
 
I will try your suggestion but some of the gear lube has leaked out from the hole that the shift rod goes into. If it was a pressure problem the fluid wouldn't leak out. Right? I will try to find something I can try to insert into the hole without doing any damage. It is hard to get the water tube to line up. I am also having trouble getting the driveshaft to drop in to the motor. When I get the shaft to drop in the water tube doesn't line up. It feels like the shift rod is never going into the hole. It is hard to see anything but it weems like everything should just drop in without a problem.
 
I understand your frustration, and yes, lining up that driveshaft is really a pain at times but I never has a problem with the water tube. That shift shaft..... could there possibly be an imperfection at its extreme bottom that might require rounding off the edges slightly with a file?
 
When I first dropped the lower unit there seemed to be a lot of tension on the shift rod. If you look straight down to the water pump housing, you can see that the hole for the shift rod is not visible. The shift rod has a factory bend in it so the rod can line up with the hole. There also were some rub marks on the shift rod where the shift rod was rubbing on the water pump housing. Maybe I should try to bend the rod a little to get it to clear the pump housing. The water tube moves all over the place so I have to make sure the tube lines up with the pump. There is only about 2” to get my finger at anything making it difficult to line the three (shaft, water tube and shift rod) items up. Is there any position the engine should be in to make the installation easier? I can tip the engine onto the gas tank and try to drop the lower unit in or put it on a mount like a transom.
 
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I always have the engine mounted on a stand similar to being on a transom, and normally use long nose pliers to line up a tube or anything that moves around on its own.
 
Well I fianlly got the lower unit back together. Evidently I bent the shift rod when I removed the lower unit. I had to buy a new one. It took me 1/2 an hour to install the new shift rod and lower unit. Works great. I had to wait a couple of weeks for the shift rod as it was out of stock. Thanks for all the advice I got on this site. Marineengine is a great place to do business with. Customer Service is OUTSTANDING !
 
i am now having same problem can t seam get lower nit ofmy 3hp to fit in . I have donebigger motors much easyer.. cameapart easy puting back is a bitch! roddoesn t look bent? ready to toss it!!
 
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