cnewton700
Member
2004 50hp ELPTEFI 4 STROKE. Just completed a water pump replacement and now having trouble reinstalling the lower unit.
I can turn the shift shaft 180 degrees easily and it remains in forward so I turned it as far as I could CCW by hand then put vice grips on it and managed with force to get it to turn enough to get it to neutral. I think the drive shaft was stopping me from inserting it and I couldn't turn the prop to help. So I dropped it again and turned the shift shaft CW with vice grips to forward. Put the remote in forward and using the prop I got the drive shaft almost all the way in so I secured it with a couple bolts and went back to the remote to see if it would go into neutral and it would not. I'll have an endoscope tomorrow to find out what is preventing it from stopping about 1/8" from mounting flush but I don't recall ever having as much difficulty moving the shift shaft. Any idea what the problem is or what I should do?
I can turn the shift shaft 180 degrees easily and it remains in forward so I turned it as far as I could CCW by hand then put vice grips on it and managed with force to get it to turn enough to get it to neutral. I think the drive shaft was stopping me from inserting it and I couldn't turn the prop to help. So I dropped it again and turned the shift shaft CW with vice grips to forward. Put the remote in forward and using the prop I got the drive shaft almost all the way in so I secured it with a couple bolts and went back to the remote to see if it would go into neutral and it would not. I'll have an endoscope tomorrow to find out what is preventing it from stopping about 1/8" from mounting flush but I don't recall ever having as much difficulty moving the shift shaft. Any idea what the problem is or what I should do?