35 hp Suzuki shift rod is too long~problem with lower unit installation

A friend has asked me to help repair his Suzuki 35 HP outboard. The original lower unit was stolen and he bought another one off Ebay.
The problem I am encountering is the shift rod in the new lower unit is way too long.
It sticks out of the lower unit about 6".
Based on the location of the shift coupler in the upper housing, this shafter rod should only be about 2" long.
Basically here is the problem:
When the shifter rod engages the coupling, the lower unit is still 4" from mating to the upper housing making it impossible to assemble.

I can not find any notes about the shifter shatf being different anywhere! The parts breakdowns I have found show only one shaft part number.

I need help and advice
Thanks
Barry in Waxhaw NC

Re: 35 hp Suzuki shift rod is too long~problem with lower unit installation

maybe he bought long shaft unit, so drive shaft is also longer one.
my adice is to take thin . 1m long piece of wood and push into midsection to fit into crankshaft and mark how long it goes, to measure

next you have to measure the lenght of drive shaft stickig out from lower unit( on lower unit surface is water pump )

compere the measurment with mark on piece of wood.
if drive shaft is 5" longer then cut of 5" of drive shaft in the midle, do the sleve, put this sleve on drive shaft and weld
the same you have to do with shift rod

Re: 35 hp Suzuki shift rod is too long~problem with lower unit installation

dont cut drive shaft, it will be out of balance. a shop can replace shift rod and driveshaft with correct ones. other wise, sell the one you bought and get the right one.

Re: 35 hp Suzuki shift rod is too long~problem with lower unit installation

I have shortened long driveshafts & welded them back together. If in doing this you would finally have to be sure that it is straightened so there would be no wobble. Again if doing this, go to a welding shop that can weld stainless with a wire feed welder (more penetration), grind the mating ends to a cone type taper with the center about 3/16" dia left. Place them in an angle iron that is mounted in a vise so it forms a Vee to hold it in line for the initial weld. Once welded & initially straightened, the weld can be rough turned down to slightly oversize to the outside dia. & at this time while in the lathe, ran, straightened & ran again until it is close with the least amount of wobble.

Or another method would be to make a sleeve, 2 to 3" long that can be slid over the shaft & have it welded to the shaft on each end of this sleeve. This would change your installation procedure slightly as the water pump unit then would have to be slid onto the shaft from below before you installed it into the lower unit. The splice would need to be maybe mid point between the water pump & the upper end, or at least enough above the water pump so the pump body could be installed above it's final location & then slid down to mount up.

The shifter rod part number for the short shaft is #318992. The long shaft rod can just be cut off & the bend put back in the top end. You will not have to re-groove it like the original, as you just need to grind a notch in the location that the bolt goes thru that attaches to the upper rod. Be sure however that the notch is in the exact same relationship from the top, but the 5" lower, as this times the shifting. Or unscrew the shifter rod from the lower unit & cut 5" out, then re-weld it back. If you do it this way stand the lower unit on end & unscrew the rod being careful to not jar it around as you will have to push the rod back in & insert it in the female threads of the yoke unit, plus if it is tipped over the gear oil will run out. You can adjust this slightly by how many threads you screw it into the lower unit shift linkage.

Re: 35 hp Suzuki shift rod is too long~problem with lower unit installation

Barry. I am in Monroe. I do Suzuki's and all the rest as a hobby. May be able to help you. Basically you need the correct lower unit. I will take a look. What model number do you have.