Help Removing Lower Unit

[HookedOnMarsh]

Yes CTerrebonne, I do have a very small gap all the way around. I can see through the gap anough to make out the waterpump housing and I can make out the shiftshaft rod. I still would like to think that it's not the driveshaft, that it's that front stud that isn't moving at all.
I almost thought about taking a sawzall blade in the gap and cutting off the stud, but I know that's going to be asking for trouble, because the rear bolt from under the anode tab was missing when I took off the anode. Just a straight hole all the way. And I'm positive that there is not a bolt still in it because I can seperate them enough to see the anode bolt and there is nothting else in the way.

[HookedOnMarsh]

Well I put it back in the water today and it ran OK, but the temp gauge has went from running at 1/4 gauge to 1/2 gauge on plane. It did have a full tank of gas and drinks and 4 people onboard with some decent swells out there. Not wanting to melt the powerhead, I brough it back in. Telltale is sputtering a little so I know it's time to replace that pump.
Going to give it another go today with prybars. What would happen if I tied the lower unit to a post and pulled lightly with the truck?
Will a shop touch a job like this and if they do, how much would it cost to have it done?

[macojoe]

Don't go pulling the thing with your truck!!! That thing needs to drop down kind of even or you are going to bend or worse break things!!!!

You need to find out what it is hanging on, I am sure the shaft is rusted into the bottom of the power head and it might mean taking the motor off and hanging it upside down or on a angle to get some oil in there to try to loosen it up.
Try a wedge front and rear and hit each a little at a time. I had one I had to do that way once and it worked, but it is scary thinking you might break something.

Any way when you get it off put some never seize on the end of the shaft to stop this from happening again.

[macojoe]

Just talked to BS he said that it is getting stuck on that front stud and that he has delt with this a few times. What he says to do is use a plastic wedge and hammer in between the motor and lower unit, use heat also if need be and hammer it out, he said it will come out that way!
He also said the shaft will not rust in the motor like OMC so thats not the problem.

Good Luck

[HookedOnMarsh]

Ok, a little brute force and she's out.
I had to use a pickle fork and work it very slowly until I had a little over 1 inch clearance all the way around. Then there was no more leverage possible. Got pissed off at the front stud that had caused all this grief and cut it off with the sawzall! Thank goodness for powertools! Now I'm left with 1 inch of usable stud coming from the lower unit that I intend to weld a piece of threaded rod or something to it and boring out the hole a little in the tailshaft housing to accomadate the weld and putting it back together.
Question is can it live without the front stud? Someone also forgot to put the bolt back in under the anode that was in it last. Got to check to see if they stripped it out or just left it out.
Whole problem was the clown last in it used a non stainless washer and it corroded. All the corrosion went down the front stud and froze it in the tailshaft. Going to be one fun job to beat the rest of the stud back out if I have to have that front stud on there.
Whadda ya think. Front stud or no front stud?

[macojoe]

replace the stud and put anti seize and you will fine! CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!

[HookedOnMarsh]

Everything is cleaned up and back together and after letting the silicone dry gave it a test fire. Everything is much better except the missing front stud and rear bolt. Also looks like an alligator gnawed on the side of the lower unit I was using the pickle fork on. Guess I'm going to the Merc dealer and see if I can get a new front stud and rear bolt. Got much colder temp on the hose than before. Thermostats still open and close real strange on the hose. Sometimes there's a pause between the blasts of water coming out the telltale. Heads feel warm, but not hot, both are equal. No water coming out anywhere else it shouldn't. A quick rev up to 3000 gets a little water out the exhaust, but not much. After shutdown and 1 minute wait, the telltale comes back almost right away. Before there was a long wait for water.
Does this sound like cooling system operation? Seems to even run a little smoother now. I even hooked the idle stabalizer back up for fun and even seems a little smoother when it gets real slow almost ready to die after starting it. Maybe this will stop me having to rev it up first to warm it up before it will idle.
Here's to everyone who helped me out with advice. Thank you.

[phatdaddy]

congrats on a successfull operation. my merc runs real wierd on the hose. i have a temp guage and a pressure guage, just keep an eye on the temp.