Removing OD Out Drive - It is Stuck

[KM7]

I'm removing my OMC OD from my 92 4Winns Horizon 200 to replace the U-Joint Bellows and the bearing. The problem is that the OD seems to be stuck. I have removed all 6 nuts and the actuator pivot pin. I plan on replacing the bellows and bearing due to a leak and vibration. The leak could have caused the drive shaft to rust onto the engine mating piece as well as damage to the bearing.

The OD will separate from the transom about 1/2 inch, but it will not come all the way off. I suspect that the drive shaft is rusted into the motor. I have been using wooden wedges to try to force the 2 pieces apart, but they still will not come apart. I have hammered the wedges in between the 2 pieces. I do NOT want to pry them apart with a large screwdriver because I do not want to damage the sealing surfaces. I put the boat in gear so that I can twist the prop and try to bang the drive shaft back and forth to help it separate. That has not worked.
I raised the OD and wedged a 1x4 between the OD and the transom. That did not work either.

Any suggestions? Thanks

I will add pictures tomorrow, 11/8/24

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,..... You could try putting the drive down, hook up the trim rams, block the top of the drive against the transom, then use the trim rams to push it off,.....

 

[Scott Danforth]

Hey @Lou C , didnt you have experience with a stuck cobra in your past.

 

[Lou C]

Mine was always removed so it never got stuck & always greased the D/S splines. Depending on how big you are you might be able to get down near the bell housing behind the engine & you can feel where the driveshaft comes out. Spray penetrating oil in that area as much as you can.
Did the bilge ever flood to that level?
The stuck Cobra issue I had was splitting the upper & lower gear cases. I got a trick for that problem which works well

 

[KM7]

1) I have never have a stuck OD before and I have had this one off before
2) The boat has never flooded

Ayuh,..... You could try putting the drive down, hook up the trim rams, block the top of the drive against the transom, then use the trim rams to push it off,.....

I have heard of that method. I just want to be sure not damage the transom. I may just try standing on the OD while I extend the trim actuators.

 

[Lou C]

are you sure the gearshift is in neutral?

 

[KM7]

Up date: I got the OD off the boat. Just by lots of prying with the wooden wedges, Hamering them in between the Transom Mount and the OD and rocking the OD back and forth. Water had gotten in the bellows and rusted the bearing and the U-Joints!!! They both will be replaced.

 

[Lou C]

Congrats you got er done!

 

[KM7]

Congrats you got er done!

 

[cyclops222]

Where or how did the water get in ? Damaged drive or shifting bellows boot ?

 

[Lou C]

Usually the D/S bellows cracks from age. Inspect yearly & replace as soon as you see small cracks in the rubber. On the shift cable boot, on the OMC Cobra that bellows is inside the boat, so leaks are very uncommon.

 

[KM7]

Where or how did the water get in ? Damaged drive or shifting bellows boot ?

I have not figured that out yet. It sure would be nice if they included a drain plug with a good seal that you could remove and see if water was getting in.
Then I would have known and avoided this repair. If it was the boot. I guess I should have been inspecting it. I will post later after I inspect the boot.

 

[Lou C]

This is a common issue to all I/O drive systems, and it is why many people will spend extra money on 4 stroke outboards. On their latest drives I think that Volvo Penta had the option of a water sensor inside the bellows to alert you to water there, a great idea if it works right.
The only way around it is to pull the drive yearly and be really careful when you replace the bellows, follow factory directions to the letter, and use OEM only for that bellows. You can use aftermarket for the exhaust bellows and the gasket between the drive and the pivot housing, but IMHO the D/S bellows and shift cable, OEM only, you pay more but they last and work and fit better. IMHO those are mission-critical parts on any I/O system.
So if you inspect it yearly, you should be in better shape. I have had this boat 22 years, the only time I had water in the bellows was when I first had it, that was the previous owner not doing the maintenance 100%, since I've owned it the bellows was replaced in 2005, 2016 and this spring I'll see how it looks, if there are any cracks in the rubber I'll change it then.
In general what I've learned in 20+ years of I/O maintenance vs outboards, is that the outboards take much less work to keep going, but in salt water eventually you get to the point where corrosion does them in. The GM marine inboard engines, can be more durable (as long as the exhaust is inspected and maintained, and the boat is properly propped), and repairing them is far cheaper. I did a top end overhaul (reman cyl heads) and installed new center riser exhaust on mine in 2017 for about $1800 in parts + my labor. That's not happening on a 4 stroke outboard. With all aluminum construction and a focus on light weight, there just isn't as much metal to resist corrosion as in a cast iron inboard. And put closed cooling on your new or reman inboard and it will outlast most outboards because you have mostly eliminated internal corrosion.

 

[KM7]

I have not figured that out yet. It sure would be nice if they included a drain plug with a good seal that you could remove and see if water was getting in.
Then I would have known and avoided this repair. If it was the boot. I guess I should have been inspecting it. I will post later after I inspect the boot.

I found a hole in the bellows at the 11 O-clock position where a clip for an anode ground strap should have clipped into the hose clamp. It looks like it made a hole in the bellows.