Help with lower end

[foreverstrung]

Hey all. I'm havin some issues here and could use all the help I can get. I've just replaced the Impeller on my '01 Mercury 200 2 stroke carbureted. Lower end came off easy enough. Had a friend with experience helping. Re-assembly just isn't as slick. Impeller kit installed nice.Everything is lined up, greased. The driveshaft is straight and true. It has not been tweeked, we've been very careful. There appears to be nothing down low obstructing. all tubes, bolts etc.. We can actually "feel" the top of the drive shaft connecting to the underside of the flywheel, (or thereabouts). but it will not slip into position and when we turn the crankshaft it makes zero difference. The drive shaft is obstructed by something, but the flywheel is not engaging with it at all. We are still 3 inches out as it hits the obstruction. (A video I watched showed the crankshaft being turned for final seating as lower end was about 1 inch from seating). We have tried earnestly to wiggle back and forth while pushing into position, but we are in SE Texas and temp is already nearing 100 degrees, so we've taken a break.......You thoughts are greatly appreciated

[fitz73222]

Does your engine have an aftermarket shaft extension kit? Look up inside the engine an see if you have a female stub that your driveshaft would slip into. Take the stub out and put it back on top of the driveshaft and try again. The other thing it can be is that you are not lining up the shift shaft spline that can cause the interference but that usually happens about an inch from the case mate up with the housing. Make sure the water tube is also lining up when you try to mate everything up. Just make sure the gearcase is parallel and square when you try to put it together. If it is not, the driveshaft will hit the inner housing adapter and not make it to the crankshaft spline.

[wingtime]

What he said! ^^^^^^^^  

[Blue Agave]

^^^X3

I find its better to remove the water tube from the lower unit and place it up into the mid section. If you have to, shine a flash light up into the mid section and get the water tube up into the proper orifice.  Leave the 3" plastic tube in the top of the water pump housing. Then attempt to re-install the lower unit.  Good luck!

[foreverstrung]

Does your engine have an aftermarket shaft extension kit? Look up inside the engine an see if you have a female stub that your driveshaft would slip into

As the day cooled down we went out and looked up the shaft. We could see what appeared to be a "sleeve" like bushing or such that the shaft would fit up into, right before entrance to the flywheel. Well it had slipped to the downside of the shaft hole opening following gravity. Had the half moon like line up where the spline would enter the flywheel. Blocking the spline/shaft from entering. With a long probe we could slide it back into place, it is very loose, but only with the motor in the down position and no way to hold it securely in place as the motor would go into the upright position to install the lower half. It could not be removed from the shaft hole as I could see. Unless someone has an answer to this clue, it looks like my current options are to dig a 3' deep hole under the motor, get this stub/bushing in place and lift the lower end "up" into position and bolt....... Seems like a pain How do we get this out of there and put onto spline so as to re-attach the lower end? Or is there something else going on?
Appreciate ya

[gran398]

Do yo have an extension kit installed, from 20 extending to 25 inch? If so, you'll have a 5 inch cast almag external housing, independent and between the original LU and lower pan of the powerhead.

[foreverstrung]

I don't think it has the extension though the driveshaft is 28 3/8" from the top of the lower end housing to the tip of the driveshaft. I will have to wait till morning to 100%

[foreverstrung]

there is no extension housing

[fitz73222]

I've done lots of Merc lower unit installs and am unaware of any bushing as you describe. What does this bushing look like? Is it metal, rubber or a combination of both? My first reaction is that it could be your crankshaft bottom seal that has fallen out of the bearing cap but I've never seen that happen. It could also be the seal wear sleeve. It would be a thin metal sleeve. Also very strange. Can you get a coat hanger up there and pull it out? You may need to take the powerhead out to find out what this is. I do not recommend you do this but take it to someone who knows what they're looking at and pay the money. There are too many details involved with a powerhead removal and install for the average lay person to do correctly. Don't get in over your head!

[wingtime]

Can you get a camera and a bright light to get a picture of it?

[foreverstrung]

I found that it was a seal after searching a bit. what I've done is use a probe and a bit of grease to hold it in place and then "stuck it". Seated nice. No forcing. From what I understand that seal is to keep the water off the crankshaft and spline area. It's been known to come loose when the lower end unit is removed and supposedly the ONLY way to fix it correctly is to pull the powerhead and re-install a new one in the flywheel. So Realizing I'm going to have to pull the powerhead soon and make sure I have that seal sitting in there properly doing what its suppose to do........ how much of a bear is it to pull the powerhead. What suggestions do you all have for pulling a powerhead?

[fitz73222]

I found that it was a seal after searching a bit. what I've done is use a probe and a bit of grease to hold it in place and then "stuck it". Seated nice. No forcing. From what I understand that seal is to keep the water off the crankshaft and spline area. It's been known to come loose when the lower end unit is removed and supposedly the ONLY way to fix it correctly is to pull the powerhead and re-install a new one in the flywheel. So Realizing I'm going to have to pull the powerhead soon and make sure I have that seal sitting in there properly doing what its suppose to do........ how much of a bear is it to pull the powerhead. What suggestions do you all have for pulling a powerhead?

Lots of details; take it to a mechanic.