Lower Unit install.

[Skeeterman]

I have a 1986 Yamaha Pro V 150 on a 18' Skeeter Bass Boat, which I bought new in 1986..
I have changed the water pump Impeller and gaskets, etc about eight times in the nine**** years. I never had a problem installing the lower unit before today.

Here is the procedure I have done in past installs.
Run the drive shaft up in it's proper hole, run the speedometer hose up into the hole, insert the shift cam up in it's housing, and with ease and effort the lower unit slided into the water inlet tube. But not this time. I have tried at least ten tries. Won't go.

Anyone have a better idea?

[Hamfisted]

What kinda condition is the plastic grommet in, there at the plastic housing's outlet? I usually just put some grease on the outside lip area of the pipe and it slides in easy. If it's not sliding in look for a deformity of that grommet. How old is the plastic housing? Maybe time for a new housing and grommet. I have more problems with the driveshaft splines lining up than that water pipe.


Mike

[Skeeterman]

Mike, The black plastic grommet or tube like thing looks fine. I'm referring to this as the plastic that inserts in the water outlet on the black water pump cover. Under this black plastic grommet in a rubber seal. I know this is probably the problem, as eveything else looks okay.

I can get the lower unit up and and almost in, except about one inch remains and thats is about as far it goes. I do not want to force it as I may damage something. I have taken the black plastic item we are talking about and put it on the water tube from the engine. So I know it will slide on from there.

Like I mentioned, I have done this many times with no problem.

Here is my first thought, and that the drive shaft will not go all the way up in. Could there be something in the engine to restrict this>

Thanks for your ideas.

[jb123]

assure you have the shift shaft in neutral position and the rod heading into the lower unit. sounds like that is the inch impeding you.
I also have the same motor , for the last 10 yrs and love it,without ANY problems,just some dirty jets.

[Skeeterman]

My father always said, measure twice, cut once.
That applies to cutting a board.
Same to be said about something that want go back in it's same location.

When I taken the lower unit down, I must have moved the gear shift rod counter-clock-wise into forward gear, as I found when I taken it back down I could turn the propeller shaft and the drive shaft would turn also, meaning the shift rod had turned so now it was in gear. The splines on the shift rod is designed to go in only one way, the correct way.

I turned the shift rod clock-wise and the propeller shaft did not turn the drive shaft.
I installed the lower unit again, and it went back into place and it's bolted right up this time.


jb123, I have owned this Bass rig nine**** years and spend some 48 days a year on the lake. This Pro V 150 is the best I have ever own. It never has been in any shop.. I change my own plus and water pumps, and hoses. etc. I have never had any problem with it. Now I better knock on wood from bragging on it now..

Thanks very much for the information.

[jb123]

neutral to neutral works everytime....trust me...and the units are the lightest when trimmed fully up. I too love my pro-v a true screamer.

[Ken]

jb123,
Well your advice to Skeeterman saved my butt today. This was the first time for me to do the water pump maintenance routine on my 2000 C115.
I've run it hard now for four fishing seasons, and I mainly wanted to see what condition the (7) bolts holding the lower unit on looked like. When it came time to stab the lower unit back into the upper housing, everything went ok until that last half inch of travel. She would not go. I tried about a half dozen times trying to figure out what was wrong, when the little light bulb went off in my head and I remembered reading your post about making sure the shift rod was in neutral. Sure enough, somehow the lower unit got shifted into gear when I removed it. I had it in neutral when I removed the prop and I have not a clue how it got shifted into gear. Anyway, I just put a rag over the shift rod to protect it and turned it a little with pliers until I could move the prop shaft without the drive shaft moving. On the next stab, she went in just fine. Good thing, because my soon to be sixty year old back was about to give out. Thanks again for the tip.
Ken K.
Beaumont, TX

[jb123]

and if you use it in salt be sure to load up all bolts with a high quality lube,anticorrosion product to help with future removal. I use the gold/ copper never-seize on mine.

[Ken]

jb123,
- yea,JB, this is something I spent some time on researching what to put on the threads of the bolts holding the lower unit to the upper case. I bought the Yamaha shop manual (they are very proud of their manual) and in it Yamaha recommends using Loctite 572. The Loctite rep out of Baton Rouge corresponded with me and recommended I use Loctite 567 because it had teflon in it and would act as a lubricant and not "gall" the stainless steel threads. Ok, sounded good to me - until I tried to find it in local stores. I did find it at local Graingers outlet, but it was wholesale only, and then in large quantities.
So I went looking for a substitute, and lucky me, I found a thread sealer with teflon made by Permatex, number 14A - looks like it should do the job of sealing the threads,cut down on corrosion, and be easy to remove when the time comes. By the way, how often do you drop your lower unit to check for corrosion/and/or do a water pump replacement?
Ken K
Beaumont, TX