So I took apart the lower unit... What am I looking at?

Been having a leak near the prop on my lower unit (28HP SPL Johnson). I finally tracked down the year of the motor, which should be: J28ESLED 1996

The lower unit is a split case... and thinking it was only my seal, I just removed the bottom section to "see" what's involved. Looks straight forward, but I have afew questions.

Based on the pictures, does the SEAL separate from the from the bushing easily? Should I be replacing any other parts, while I'm at it?

Do I need to drop the whole lower unit for this job? The shaft seems to be held in place just fine when I removed the bottom section. But I dont know if I can get access to the seal like this halfway?

Let me know if I am going about this all wrong. I know I'm taking a slow approach, its the first lower unit I have dropped... Seems straight forward and within my skillset, but I just want to be sure I am looking at the right stuff.

Also: Some other stuff I noticed. The bolts all had this "crusty" "gluish" stuff on them. I know there should be sealer used, but this stuff doesnt look right. Is it just old? AND... What is this black spongie part in the skeg? Is it just build up or some kind of part? I noticed its movable when I touched it.

NOTE: The gears looked amazing, with no wear. No shards in the oil either. I have more pictures, if this might help anyone else down the road.

Re: So I took apart the lower unit... What am I looking at?

To be honest with ya, I've never worked on one without taking the entire lower unit off and then flipping it upside down and clamping it in the jaws of my bench. However, I believe you can do it like that. The part you're looking at is the gearcase head assembly. That needs to come out and the new seal put in, part#0321459, 0321787 and o-ring part # 0321921. If you are going to replace all the seals, the lower unit needs to come off and the seal kit number is 0396352.

Re: So I took apart the lower unit... What am I looking at?

The stuff that looks like wood glue is gasket adhesive. Service manual says to put it on the bolts to seal them and keep them from corroding.

Re: So I took apart the lower unit... What am I looking at?

Hi ib. Yeah, you gotta drop the LU and flip it over to work on the gear case properly. The gasket adhesive is 3M 847 and is used on the mating surfaces and perimeters of each seal. You can often get it at Grainger's, otherwise you'll probably have to order it. Here's a link that can walk you through and entire lower unit reseal job. You can get the reseal kit right here at iboats for about $25.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=277190&highlight=lower+unit+seal+kit+installation