Re: 1987 15hp evinrude water pump repair
Slow down! Stop! Go back to the manual. Stop removing things you don't know the function for. Is this an official factory service manual, or one of the aftermarket ones?
Either way, you'll find the information about disconnecting the shift rod in the section on working on the lower unit. Where it tells you how to remove the gearcase from the engine, you'll find information on the shift rod joint. With the shifter in reverse, you should see it, just inside the leg, where it the lower unit or gearcase separates. The shift rod is in two pieces, and there's a connector that joins the two pieces.
Don't fool around with it until you have found that part of your manual and understand what you're doing. Leave the sledgehammer in the garage, please. That's too nice an outboard to ruin.
If you still can't understand the process after finding the shift rod connector information in the manual, you may just have to bite the bullet and let someone else do your water pump. But, trust me, you can do it. Just take your time. Read. Understand what you read, then proceed.