Help needed taking driveshaft assembly out of Alpha Gen 2 upper housing

[CaptainMak]

Anyone have any tips or tricks to get the driveshaft assembly out of the upper Merc Alpha Gen 2 housing? Had it soaking in PB Blaster for 24 hrs and still not budging. Yes, the spanner nut is already loose.

 

[Bt Doctur]

was water n the bellow? that can cause corrosion. If it cannot be pulled out try removing the top cap and prying in the nut to move it forward between the nut and the vertical shaft

 

[harringtondav]

It is a very close fit, tight even when clean and oily. I use a heavy dead blow hammer, lift the coupler shaft to it's max and smack it outward with the dead blow near the uni joint. As the assembly creeps out it will want to **** off center and jamb. So I tap the gear yoke uni joint to center it up and resume the big smacks on the coupler shaft. I've only had one out of many just slide right out.

I've read on this forum an air heat gun/paint stripper will heat up the nose enough to expand it and ease the operation.
Mine fights me every time on reassembly. Slide in, ****, jamb, tap back on center, continue.

 

[harringtondav]

Add to above: I've never had to do this, but I'm sure it would work: Press out the coupler shaft U joint at the cardan connector. Get a short section of steel pipe or rod, alum or brass would be better, that slips through the U joint holes in the cardan. Drill and tap mid length in the rod to fit a slide hammer threaded adapter. Then slide hammer the rest of the drive shaft from the housing.

 

[Luv2fish36]

Anyone have any tips or tricks to get the driveshaft assembly out of the upper Merc Alpha Gen 2 housing? Had it soaking in PB Blaster for 24 hrs and still not budging. Yes, the spanner nut is already loose.

Heat it up with a propane torch (map gas) it will slide right out.

 

[CaptainMak]

So I was able to squeeze in a wrench and take the nut off holding the drive shaft assembly together. The shaft is out with the races, but the bearing and drive gear are still on.
I guess the bearing is in there pretty good, I cannot get it to come out ...

Yes , there was water intrusion and apparently a leak also. Only water came out of the drive when I first drained it.

My next attempt is to loan the Steering Wheel puller kit from a local auto parts store, feed the long bolt thru the bearing and gear and try to pull it out that way. If it doesn't work, I'll have to torch the sucker and make it come out with heat.

 

[Bt Doctur]

put the shaft back in, put the nut back on and pull from the inputshaft.
Should that fail, a threaded bolt thru the rear of the bearing and a front plate with a hole for rod or a threaded bolt attached to a slide hammer.