'89 200 HP Lower unit wont go back on

Guys,

I took off my lower unit to service the water pump. I cant get it back on. I get all the way up the exhaust housing tell either the drive shaft wont align or the shift rod wont go through the hole in the lower cover.

Any tricks to this? Any way to keep the shift rod pointed in the right direction so it will go in the hole?

Thanks everyone!

Grady

Re: '89 200 HP Lower unit wont go back on

pull the spark plugs, have some one turn flywheel when inserting.

Re: '89 200 HP Lower unit wont go back on

Thanks for your reply Gator. Reading this and all the search results were very helpful.

What I found:
The tube in the leg and the hole in the upper motor cowling were out of alignments. It appears the bushings or whatever keeps the turning mechanism inline are worn out. With the motor tilted I used a crow bar to lever the lower unit into alignment with the shift lever hole in the cowling and was able to sneak it through and secure it.

I realize this is only temporary and will eventfully bite me. I am trying to determine if I should fix it or replace my motor next season as this one is 20 years old but runs well.

I hope this response helps someone else.

Best,

Grady19