Removing Lower Unit from a 1984 Johnson 40hp (model: J40ELCR)

[kybanker]

Hello all:

I am attempting to replace the water pump on my 1984 Johnson 40hp outboard for the first time (it has always been done by a boat mechanic previously). I have removed the bolt below the trim tab, as well as the 4 bolts securing the lower unit to the exhaust housing. With all of these bolts removed, the lower unit breaks free from the motor, but still seems to be connected internally. I have reviewed a service manual, and it indicates there is a bolt below the lower carburetor that is connected to a shift connector that needs to be disconnected.

When I look at the motor, it appears that I need to remove the carburetor to access this bolt. Can anyone tell me if this is correct? I am nervous about removing the carburetor, as I am a total rookie and do not want to mess things up on the motor. I read about doing this project online, and watched several YouTube videos, and have never seen any mention of removing a carburetor (nor is it mentioned in the service manual). Is there something I am missing, or is this just a much bigger job than I anticipated?

Thank you in advance for any advice you can provide!

Jason

 

[racerone]

Just remove the starter and the job becomes easy.

 

[kybanker]

Thank you racerone, I will attempt it again tonight after removing the starter.

 

[kybanker]

Okay, I got the starter out of the motor without a problem, and have found the shift connector that needs to be disconnected (marked by the yellow arrow). My question is now this... do I simply remove the bolt (marked by the green arrow), and when I do, the lower unit will slide out? If so, to put it back in, do I just feed the assembly back up from the bottom and hope that this ends up in the same position?