Late 70s 20 HP Merc Tiller Lower Unit issues

[holy1above]

Hi all -- I bought a 20 hp mercury pretty cheap. It's a late 70s model. It won't go into gear. I can shift it and it looks like it just pushes the prop out a little bit and never engages. There is movement in and out on the prop. So, I took the prop off and the prop shaft moves in and out about an 1/8 of an inch or so. I'm down to the bearing carrier, but not sure how to get it out. I actually found another lower unit for almost nothing, so I put it on and it works great. But, if I can salvage this lower unit pretty cheap, I would love to be able too.

How do I know if the lower unit is shot?

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[bilge rat jim]

When you drained the gear oil, did any metal come out, or just oil?

 

[holy1above]

When you drained the gear oil, did any metal come out, or just oil?

It was already emptied when I bought it, so I don't know. I did look at the prop shaft movement again. It looks more like 3/16" to a 1/4" of movement.