lower unit wont come off

[73mfggypsy]

Hello i have a 1989 20 hp Mercury. I was gonna remove the lower unit to replace the impeller. I removed all the bolts to the lower unit and gave it a tug and it drops about three inches and stops. I cant get it to totally come off. I also have an 85 hp mercury that i changed the impeller in a few times before but never had this problem. Am i missing something on this 20 Hp lower unit or is there something else going on with it. I didnt want to get to crazy with it just in case i was missing something

 

[carholme]

Re: lower unit wont come off

What type of control setup do you have, remote or tiller shift or side shift? Have you disconnected the shift shaft at the upper end?

Gerry

 

[73mfggypsy]

Re: lower unit wont come off

It has remote control's..and no I did not disconnect the shift shaft on the top end

 

[carholme]

Re: lower unit wont come off

Do you have your engine s/n?

If the following is the type of setup you have;

Here is the LU with the long shift shaft, item 26:

http://www.crowleymarine.com/mercury-outboard/parts/367_180.cfm

Here is the THROTTLE AND SHIFT LINKAGE (ELECTRIC)(MANUAL REMOTE CONTROL) and you will see item 31 where the shift shaft connects to and this is what must be undone to allow your LU to separate completely.

http://www.crowleymarine.com/mercury-outboard/parts/367_50.cfm

Gerry

 

[73mfggypsy]

Re: lower unit wont come off

Yes that is the motor....once I disconnect it is there anything else that I need to keep in mind for removal and reinstalling...this motor it totally differant process for removing the lower unit then my 85hp mercury's. On my other motor all I have to do is remove the bolts and the whole L/U comes off. I really appreciate all your help

 

[carholme]

Re: lower unit wont come off

No there shouldn't be anything else, just remember to have the boat and the engine in the same gear when you re-install the LU.

Good luck with it!

Gerry

 

[polobbie]

Re: lower unit wont come off

Gerry,

I have the exact same problem dropping the lower unit on a 2005 Merc 40 HP ELPTEFI sn 1B100879, but I am having trouble opening the service manual link you provided. Can you email the page to leozepolusa@yahoo.com? If not, can you describe exactly where shift shaft is released?

Thanks,

Leo

 

[carholme]

Re: lower unit wont come off

Leo;

Your engine is a model:

1A40412DC MERCURY 2005 40EFI

Parts Listing:

http://www.crowleymarine.com/mercury-outboard/6995.cfm

Service Manual P/N: 90-883064R02

http://1manual.com/Mercury manuals/Service Manual PDFs/FourStroke/883064/cover.pdf

You must have Adobe Acrobat reader installed to use this manual. If you scroll down to the lower part of the opening page, you will see the various engine components in red. Click on the one you want and when the first page opens, click on the "Save As" icon at the top LH corner of the page and you can save it to your computer.

You will see the Lower unit removal under Section 6. 4-Stroke Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6A-13

Gerry

 

[polobbie]

Re: lower unit wont come off

Gerry,

Well now I am regretting trying to save some money replacing this water pump myself. I could not find the exact location of the shift shaft linkage shown in the manual and released the shift linkages at the wrong location. After putting them back together I had to move the shift/throttle lever around a bit. After I was done, the shift/throttle lever went forward but would not budge trying to return to neutral or reverse. I unbolted the lower unit again (not completely because I still have not found show to release the shift shaft), and was able to get it back out of forward. I bolted back up and still have the same problem, the lever moves forward then gets stuck coming back to neutral or reverse. I don't dare turn the motor on out fear I'll tear something up. I've decided to take it in to a mechanic now. Question, do you think my new problem should be a quick adjustment to fix or a costly one?

Anything I should try before getting hosed at the dealer?

 

[carholme]

Re: lower unit wont come off

Have somebody do the shifting for you and looking at the engine, watch to see the action of the shifting mechanism and you will be able to see where the retainer is.

It is not a big problem and you should be able to fix this by yourself. Now is the time to learn how to do it and be able to replace your impeller when the next change comes about.

Gerry