[JasonAych]

I have had my lower unit apart on my 97 Volvo Penta which I believe has some similarities. I took the housing out leaving the shaft in place. I just needed to replace the seal.

1) Are they similar?

2) Does the output shaft housing thread out or pull out? I fabricated a tool to thread the Volvo Penta housing out.

3) Is the front bearing (behind the prop on the output shaft) a sealed bearing or an unsealed bearing with race (similar to a wheel hub)?

The reason I want to know is mine is getting a little noisy. In fact it feels a little rough at low RPMS and totally smoothes out at higher RPMS. I am trying to be proactive and replace the bearing and race before anything worse happens. Using a stethoscope (fashioned from a long pry bar), I narrowed the noise to this location. I am betting it sat for a while at some point in its life and the bearings got pitted - rusted.

[JasonAych]

Ok I think I answered my own questions:

The bearings are not really similar (like a wheel bearing). The carrier housing pulls out and does not thread out.

My new questions are:
1) Will I be able to pull this assembly out without opening a can of worms? Meaning if I leave the prop shaft in will I be able to just replace the bearings and put it back together without worring about shims and things.

2) Is there a replaceable race on the prop shaft?

I will, of course, replace the seals.