1988 Merc Black Max 200 hp Lower Unit

Thanks in advance to all who respond. The seals are shot in the lower unit as an oily mixture of water and oil (more water than oil) ran out when going to change the oil. No metal shavings thank God. I ordered a seal kit to replace all the seals which i think contains seals for shaft and water pump. I have changed the water pump before no problem. My question is this. How hard is it to change the seals on the prop shaft. Does this shaft have to be pulled out or can it be done without pulling the shaft. Are there any special tools besides wrenches sockets etc, that I will need to change these seals. I have heard people say this is easy to do and will take only a few hours but I dont want to screw this up. If there are any diagrams that would be great. Thanks. Josh

Re: 1988 Merc Black Max 200 hp Lower Unit

Yes, there are special tools required to remove the prop shaft bearing carrier retaining nut. Yamaha and mercury have the same tool for this, but most of the time they are siezed in there and have to be dug/drilled/chiseled out. Then the fun begins. My suggestion is to soak the whole thing in your favorite penatrant for a couple of days, and then have at it. Once you get it apart, re-sealing it is a piece of cake!

Re: 1988 Merc Black Max 200 hp Lower Unit

Thanks for the reply, I was wondering about that carrier retaining nut from a diagram I found. Hopefully it isn't seized up. I think I can borrow the tool to remove the nut. I saw from a the diagram that behind the carrier bearing there is a rubber o ring. Does this o ring come in a seal kit because if so I am going to have to borrow a carrier bearing puller to get it out to replace the o ring. Thanks in advance. Josh