83 evinrude 50hp lower unit issue

[snez]

I am trying to remove the lower unit on my 50hp Evinrude. Have loosened all the bolts and the unit drops about 1/2 inch. Am I missing something??

 

[Lenard]

You missed the shiftrod. You need to release the shift system. You can do this by removing the three bolts from the starter and lay the starter aside, and now you can see the shift meganism. Remove this pinbolt that is used as a hinge, and you can drop the gearcase.

 

[snez]

Thanks. I saw those but was unsure about messing with them. There are two bolts. One that faces towards the front of the motor. The other faces towards the starter. I assume the pinbolt is the one that faces the front of the motor. Do I need to remove the other?

 

[Lenard]

You will need to remove the bolt that is screwed in at the shift lever from the port side.

 

[snez]

That was the ticket. Thanks for the help. I think I realized that the previous owner never had this info. It appears that the lower unit has never been off this thing.

 

[Lenard]

O.K. Good luck!