1973 Mercury 850 Shift Rod

[TheGeek]

Hello, I have a 73' 850 and the shift rod came out when I pulled the lower unit off from the motor. Whenever I try to replace it it hits the top of the shift cam or the bottom of the gear case and won't align. Is there any way to get the shift cam to align with the shift rod without disassembling the whole lower unit? Would taking out the drive shaft help? Ive already tried the advice from this older post (linked at the bottom), but I've had no success with the advice posted there. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[merc850]

I think you'll have to remove the bearing carrier and the propshaft and reverse gear to access the cam; might as well put in a new one, maybe a Mercury dealer will will loosen the carrier nut (24) for you because there's a tool for that. The bearing carrier (20) may be seized into the housing so you'll have to use penetrating fluid to free it.