Tilt tube removal questions

[steamin53]

I need to swap the engine mounting brackets and associated parts from a parts motor to another that we are going to refinish in order to minimize the area we need to sand blast and paint. The engine to be refinished has a good bit of bracket and lower unit corrosion from sitting in the water in a boat house in a corrosive although fresh water environment...(lots of magnesium in the water.... Smith Lake in AL).

The donor motor is a 70 hp long shaft Johnson with the parts going onto a like year 70 hp Evinrude long shaft engine and they are a direct match.

I'm baffled on how to get the tilt tube free from the donor.

The swivel assembly and attached brackets intact are already removed from the donor engine. The problem is that there is one nut on the tube outside the brackets but two additional nuts (one on each side) that are captive in the bracket. I've done this on a merc 115 in the past but it only had one external nut and one captive on the opposite side.

How does one unscrew the tube from the two captive nuts since a wrench or socket can't be applied to them? All I've been able to come up with is perhaps to use an additional nut as a jam nut to lock the outside nut on the tube to enable the tube itself to be turned on the two captive nuts until enough thread is passed by the tube in order to create enough clearance on one nut to drive it to one side to enable a wrench to get on the opposite nut.

Hellllllllllllllllllllllllp!

Steve

 

[fishfeatures]

Re: Tilt tube removal questions

steve,

I've done something similar recently , but i can't quite figure what you're on about. Can you post pics of the nuts/bolts that you are having trouble with?

 

[steamin53]

Re: Tilt tube removal questions

There are no bolts. The ends of the tilt tube are threaded and onto the tube are screwed two large nuts which are captive in hex shaped recesses in the brackets. The question is regarding how to get the two captive nuts free.

As I'm typing this I just had a thought that perhaps one or both brackets might separate out to the side to free the tilt tube nuts...hmmmmmm.

 

[levi_tsk]

Re: Tilt tube removal questions

having done this job about a week ago ill tell you that its a total PITA and that you need to do every thing mentioned above AND take the engine off of the boat then you need to take the trim and tilt loose from the clamp bracket then take the bolts out were the two halves of the bracket join down on the bottom and rock the two halves back and forth to break the corosion loose it should slide apart but dont be surprised if it doesnt (mine didnt ) if it doesnt break grap a mapp gass torch (it burns hotter than propane and walmarts got em for 20 bux) heat the clamp bracket when the tilt tube goes through and then rock the two halves again - if you got it hot enough it SHOULD come right apart ...
you could however cut the tilt tube if none of the above works and get a new stainless one from bobs machine shop in florida - my tilt tube was shot BEFORE i tried to do this job i had to replace it anyway and i almost cut it but it ended up coming apart

i used a small pair of channel locks in the middle of the tube to hold it and keep the tube form spinning while i took the nuts off

 

[steamin53]

Re: Tilt tube removal questions

Thanks for the come-back levi_tsk. Am I to understand that the transom brackets will separate from the tilt tube leaving the two captive nuts attached to the tube? hmmmmmmm. I would have thought that they were keeping the tube attached to the brackets.

The engine is already off the boat. The donor section is only the transom bracket set attached as a single unit to the swivel bracket which has been separated from the midsection and the engine so I can experiment with it to some extent. My goal is to transfer the transom brackets with tilt assist shocks and the travel lock system along with the tilt tube to my engine.

Would you consider a phone call?

Steve

 

[levi_tsk]

Re: Tilt tube removal questions

pm sent