remove stuck drive shaft!!!!

northrivergeek

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Mar 11, 2006
Messages
38
This was shown to me by a old salty outboard guy I work with ( C.L. Sumner )
I got my 1979 Evinrude shaft out , I was about to take the acetylene torch out when he said STOP.. don't heat a precision machined part it will weaken it and cause molecular changes!

Ok so How do I remove it ? I had tried every thing nothing worked, by this time I had removed the power head and took it to work with the shaft still stuck in it to use the torch.

I had attached a large cable clamp to the shaft to have something to pull on.. He went over to his rusty crusty old tool box, and pulled out a Tie Rod Separator Pickle Fork, went over to the pipe threader and cut off a 8" length of stainless steel pipe, grabbed 3 hardened machine washers big enuff to fit over the shaft, and just a hair bigger than the pipe diameter, slid two over the shaft then the pipe, the the other washer. Above the washer he put on my cable clamp ( my shaft had a machined step down about half way up the shaft) Tighten it down just below the step, laid the power head down placing small blocks of wood under shaft to keep shaft level.
Inserted pickle fork between the cable clamp, and the top single washer, then whacked the pickle fork a few times with a 20lb small hand sledge, and out popped the rusted on shaft!!!.
We then cleaned out the hole and buffed the shaft splines to remove rust and dirt, applied a dab of silicone grease and worked the shaft in and out until it moved freely with out getting stuck.

Ive asked on a dozen or more forums NO ONE Ever said to do this !!!
 

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Don Hansen

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Sep 17, 2007
Messages
230
Re: remove stuck drive shaft!!!!

I like it. That way all the pressure was on the end of the crankshaft. If you had tried to heat it up and pound it out you may have damaged the crank seal with heat and the main bearings with the pounding. Going to file that one away for future use.

Don Hansen
 

Dhadley

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Feb 4, 2001
Messages
16,978
Re: remove stuck drive shaft!!!!

We've used a similar method but find that a lot of the times when you do get the shaft out the splines are rusted / worn to sharp points. Hopefully it's just the driveshaft shaft that needs replacing, not the crank. But we have figured out a way to change the cranshaft splines.

BTW - good pic but that's a propshaft. Hope you don't have to use this drastic means to get one of those out!
 
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