Driveshaft end to crankshaft socket spline lubrication

[Tim Frank]

Just reassembling this gem after resealing gearcase and with powerhead separated from exhaust housing.....for a second time....don't ask.

The OEM manual says to use a mix of "one part molybdenum sulfide" (I am guessing that is just grease) "to 40 parts OMC Sea-lube Anti-corrosion Lube."

I am all for following the manual explicitly....but up to a point.
I have a shelf full of lubricants....how critical is this....or is the Bondo rule ("any lube is better than no lube") OK here.

My inclination would just be to use one of the Anti-seize pastes that I have...e.g. Loctite 707....one of the usual silver, pasty compounds....or mix in a bit of moly grease as well....or just slap a lick of some decent grease on the splines and stop worrying so much?

I will wait for a few opinions/comments before proceeding.

 

[jimmbo]

They just want a lubricant/barrier to keep moisture out to prevent corrosion which can keep the parts from separating in the future. Make sure you do not put anything on the end of the shaft, doing so will make it impossible to install. If there is a grove in the shaft below the splines, there is an o-ring that goes there.

 

[F_R]

We used just any grease for 60 years. Then somebody decided moly grease is better. Maybe that was to cover up the fact that they made the o-ring almost non-replaceable.

 

[Tim Frank]

OK. Thanks to you both. What I figured.
It is back together.

It is easy to replace the o-ring with the power head off....

The OEM manual says to replace the o-ring when putting the lower unit back on with the powerhead still in place....but does not offer any instruction on how to do that.

A bit like replacing the shift rod o-ring with the bushing in place....a few claim that it is possible, and i do not doubt them, but it is so much easier when you R$R the bushing.