outdrive pump/gear and seeping problem?

[billwright43]

1985 mercruiser 4.3 with Alpha Gen 1 outdrive. Last time on water easing along no wake speed, didn't hit anything, no bang or jar but boat by itself went into neutral and would not go into either forward or reverse. Luckily a tow came along and I took it. Got boat home cranked on muffs, boat went into and out of forward and reverse as if nothing was ever wrong. OK it sat up a few months and now it's lost impellor flow to the thermostat housing. I rigged a separate flow to the thermostat housing so I could crank the engine and winterize. In doing this, I checked the forward/reverse issue above and now AGAIN it will not go into either gear. Also, outdrive gear oil is seeping out the weep hole. Drained gear oil, no metal or water in oil. Obviously, the outdrive impellor needs attention, but...is the "not going into gear thing" a separate problem or could they be related. Lower shift cable was replaced a year ago, wonder if the mechanic didn't get the lower shift shaft seal installed correctly causing the weep hole leak. Maybe they are all unrelated? What do you guys think?

 

[chiefalen]

Re: outdrive pump/gear and seeping problem?

Yank off the drive.

And you can see if it shifts bye hand, than see if the cable is shifting bye someone moving it and you watching from behind.

Post what you find.

You will need to put it in forward gear to remove.

Drive got to come off for the real fun to come.

 

[billwright43]

Re: outdrive pump/gear and seeping problem?

maybe a dumb question, but if it won't go into gear....then how do I put it in forward?

 

[ziggy]

Re: outdrive pump/gear and seeping problem?

maybe disconnect the shift cable from the shift plate inside the boat. see if it will shift by hand. confirm it shifted by looking at the shift shaft coupler under the drive. the couple needs to be facing fwd so ya can remove the drive. see if the prop locks ccw.....

Lower shift cable was replaced a year ago, wonder if the mechanic didn't get the lower shift shaft seal installed correctly causing the weep hole leak.

i think the seal yer talking about seperates water/exhust from dry air where the shift shaft lever and shift shaft slide engage. the shift shaft seal that would cause drive lub to leak would be in the lower. the lower shift shaft seal. to find a leak. pressure testing the drive may be in order...

 

[chiefalen]

Re: outdrive pump/gear and seeping problem?

The throttle lever doesn't move at all?

My friend had water when on the muffs would travel up the cable and p-ss all over his motor. Thats when i saw it, but he had saltwater doing it, also.

I said to him you use the 10 dollar kit every time you pull the drive.

He said no.

I cant print it here, but you guys must know already how many different ways, i called him stupid and maybe 4 languages.

Feels so mush more satisfying cursing in different languages.

Could be a stupid tech didn't think he had to use the kit ether.

Killed your new lower cable.

Ziggy told you take off the cable from the shift converter see if you can first move the throttle than the drive cable.

If the cable is frozen don't force it shoot pb blaster down the cable between the plastick and the cable.

Keep doing it till you can get it to move forward.

Maybe if you llift the drive you can get some pb blaster on it from there .

 

[ziggy]

Re: outdrive pump/gear and seeping problem?

The throttle lever doesn't move at all?

i get the feeling that the throttle lever moves, it just don't shift... sounds like clarification is in order..

I said to him you use the 10 dollar kit every time you pull the drive.

what kit? the gasket set for R&Ring the drive... if so, that's a no brainer.... use new everytime.... what kinda tech wouldn't do that (not use a new gasket set)... not a tech imho.... agreed too. if it leaks there at the gasket, water could get to the shift cable and perhaps ruin the new part...
if it's really the cable that's bad and preventing movement. once the shift cable is disconnected from the shift plate, i'd think ya could maybe grasp the coupler with some pliers and move it into fwd that way... if it's internal to the drive. i don't know if that would work though. but that'd be my next step lessin someone here thats encountered this problem has a better idea.... i'd approach moving the shiftshaft coupler with pliers very carefully though, as ya don't know if the problem is the cable, or in the drive... i suppose worse comes to worse, ya could force it apart hoping that the shift shaft bends to let it loose (that'd be a last resort though, after all else has failed to get it into fwd.)... we read here about folks removing drives all the time w/o putting it in fwd... this seems to bend the shift shaft, but they do get them off.. ya will just have something else to replace...

aslo, if it ends up ya can shift it by hand, shift cable disconnected. that'd lead me to think that the remote is what is failing...

from the description, i think the oil leak and shifting issue are unrelated...

edit...
if it shifts with the shift cable removed from the shift plate, might be a remote adj. is what is necessary as opposed to a failing remote...

if ya can't get it in fwd. as opposed to forcing the drive off. maybe saw the coupler apart, you'll end up replacing the shift shaft anyways and sawing the shaft off may be less stress on everything related...

 

[Trent]

Re: outdrive pump/gear and seeping problem?

There are one of three causes for your oil leak. The shift shaft seal is bad, the two seals in the lower waterpump base are bad or the seals in the upper drive are leaking and causing oil to run down the driveshaft.

 

[ziggy]

Re: outdrive pump/gear and seeping problem?

the two seals in the lower waterpump base are bad or the seals in the upper drive are leaking

and/or the drive shaft has oil seal grooves wore into the drive shaft causing the seal not to seal...