powerhead stuck on exhaust housing

[BMills]

76 Mercury 850 The powerhead will not come loose from the exhaust housing at all. All nuts the hold the parts together are removed. A cherry picker is properly attached. Motor is on the pontoon. Lifting the powerhead raises the entire boat. I've tried heating the powerhead. I used wood to pound the powerhead up from the housing. There are no gaps between the parts at all. What can be done to separate the powerhead from the housing?

 

[BMills]

No Title

here's a pict

 

[racerone]

How many bolts / nuts did you remove ?----------Also remove the lower unit to confirm that the problem is not the driveshaft rusted solid onto the crankshaft.

 

[Chris1956]

Did you get the 2 nuts in the front, under the carbs?

 

[merc850]

I had the same problem - the gasket is bonding the two together I hammered a blunt kitchen knife into the gasket all around the powerhead and it released.