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Ball Gear 84 OMC stringer sterndrive

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seasprite84

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How hard is it to replace the

How hard is it to replace the ball gears on a 1984 OMC stringer drive. I have a repair manual but hard to tell if I have to remove the lower unit and the drive shaft to do this but it also looks like its only held on by 1 1/8" nut

Thanks
Joe
 
"You will have to remove the d

"You will have to remove the drive from the boat, but no need to split it.
However if changing the ball gears, You'll have to change the seals at the same time which means You'll have to pull out the intermediate shaft to engine and input shaft on the drive as well. As the gears should be lock-tited to seal in the splines, they may have to be heated up to above 120C and put in a press or a 3-leg puller must be used."
 
"[b]"Cant I just take the

""Cant I just take the nut off and just change the ball gears?"

Ayuh,.....

I guess it depends on just how Long you want the Outdrive to Last....."
 
need to change both ball gears

need to change both ball gears at the same time- follow procedure in manual including th part about using new nuts and which type of loctite to apply. And do the seals as Morten suggests...cheap insurance - keep track of the shims and don't wrinkle or damage them
 
The Ball Gear Kit Part# 18-217

The Ball Gear Kit Part# 18-2178 is that the kit that I need I have an 84 OMC and I just want to be sure

Thanks
Joe
 
"I knew a guy that just change

"I knew a guy that just changed the gears and did it without changing the seals. He also did it without taking the drive off! How he could have done this is beyond me but he says he did it. I guess if the seals aren't leaking you don't need to change them. I changed mine since I went to the trouble of removing the drive. The kits do not come with the inner intermediate housing seals (just the outer). My local dealer had two left at the tune of $25. I had to change mine as I was getting gear lube in the bilge. Also, the nuts on mine were rusted and it was a nightmare getting them off. I broke two vices trying to hold the ball gear and turn the nut. I soaked it in penetrating oil and used a impact wrench and it didn't budge. I had to heat it and then use a two foot breaker bar to loosen it (loosen both). You can use a vice instead of a puller to get the ball gear off. Honestly, that was the easy part. Removing the shift cable, well thats another story."
 
"Quick update I installed both

"Quick update I installed both new ball gears yes I had to remove the outdrive their is no way you change them gears with the outdrive on I also installed all new seals but I didnt have to disconnect the shift cable their was enough slack to pullout just enough to take the ball gears off, Everything is back on and working properly I Hope }"
 
"I got my ball gears off today

"I got my ball gears off today without removing the drive. I wedged a socket in there to hold them, and then took off the nuts and removed the top one first, then the side one. I had to have the outdrive all the way up.

When you removed yours and the gear oil came out, what did you do when reinstalling the new gears?"
 
"<[img]"http://www.marineengin

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"Removing the ball gears shoul

"Removing the ball gears shouldn't cause any lube to come out. Derick, you may want to inspect the ball gear seals for wear. Although removing the ball gears from the drive without removing the drive makes for an easier job, you should replace the seals too. But in order to get to the seals, the drive will have to come off. Most kits come with all the seals except the far inner intermediate drive shaft seal, when it goes, you will know as you will see lube in the bilge. This is what happened to me."
 
"where did this oil come from?

"where did this oil come from? I got a couple of quarts of a realy tick black gear oil, that smells just like gear oil in a atv rear end.

If this came out, where does it go back in, and also what is broke letting this come out? please enlighten me. I will take pictures tonight when i GET HOME."
 
"The lip seal runs against the

"The lip seal runs against the surface of the ball gear to hold the oil in, so it's going to leak when tipped up with the ball gear removed. Get a manual and learn how to check all 4 fluid levels on your drive before going boating. If the lube is black it is way overdue for changing. "
 
"Yeah thats right, its been a

"Yeah thats right, its been a while since I did one of these. I forgot about the seal going around the ball gear itself. I guess gear lube would leak all over lol."
 
okay guys.. thanks for the adv

okay guys.. thanks for the advice.. I did notice a seal that was stuck to the gears that tore off in little pieces when removing.. THe oil is really black.. what color should it be? green? like atv gear oil? Anyways.. thanks.. your the men..lol
 
"green, blue, purple....doesn&

"green, blue, purple....doesn't matter. Manufacturer can dye it any color of the rainbow...except they don't use black....The key thing is: It should look just like it did when it went in. If it starts to change, get it out of there."
 
"Im guessing it has never been

"Im guessing it has never been changed since 1984 then. lol.. cause it sure is black..

Here are some pics of the drive with the gears off and the oil running out.

The bucket shows you how much oil came out, and the color of it.

172016.jpg
"
 
"you have to diagnose a leak b

"you have to diagnose a leak before removing the ball gears. You need to pressure test the drive and with the 3/4" gap all around the seal not possible. You can still pressure test the lower. However, black oil says there was no leak. Water in oil goes milky white."
 
"so your saying just reinstall

"so your saying just reinstall the gears, and then install oil? I bought the gear kit off ebay and it come with a couple seals.. are these the seals for the gears? I would know more but I got ripped off by some dude on ebay on the manual i purchased.. i paid for it, and 18 days later no manual still.

what holds the oil in? just the ball gears or what? is the seal like an o-ring?"
 
"The seals go in back to back,

"The seals go in back to back, one to keep lube in, the other to keep water out. There are two, the outer one keeps the water from getting in. There is also a o-ring that goes around the bearing retaining plate. Did you use paypal or credit card for your eBay purchase? You can dispute it if you never received the merchandise. I also believe you are covered up to $150 through eBay if you get scammed. Been there, done that. That is why you should always use a paypal account."
 
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