-
Ensure
engine is off and battery is disconnected.
-
Drain
drive oil and lube monitor in engine compartment.
-
Put
shifter in Forward gear.
-
Remove
speedometer hose on backside of drive near shift foot. It clips on with a
pressure clip.
-
Disconnect
trim pistons. Pay attention to the installation order of snap rings, caps,
and washers.
Carefully let them hang down to the ground or even better, tie them
up with string or wire so they are suspended and out of the way.
-
Remove
the 6 nuts holding the drive on. Be sure to have the drive supported as
you start pulling bolts out. Pay attention, as one bolt won’t have a
regular washer behind it. This is normal.
-
Begin
to remove drive, but don't fully remove it. You may have to wiggle a bit
to "break" the seal.
-
Remove
drive completely. Have a stand or something similar ready to support it.
You may want help for this step.
-
If
drive comes out with difficulty, engine alignment may be off. You should
check it anyway though.
-
From
inside engine compartment, blow out the hose from the lube monitor that
goes to the drive to ensure it isn’t clogged.
-
To
grease coupler splines, put spline grease directly on drive shaft splines.
Lube it well, don’t be stingy.
-
To
grease gimbal bearing, use zerk on outside gimbal ring, or put grease
inside gimbal by hand.
-
Grease
universal joint through zerk on joint if it has one. Some are Perm-A-Lube
joints and can’t be greased. Check for play and ensure universals look
ok for another season.
-
Inspect
for any gear damage or signs of problems. Fix as necessary.
-
Make
sure the shift mechanism (right side of transom mount when facing rear of
boat) is still facing straight back and forth (forward gear) before
reinserting the drive.
-
Install
all new gaskets and O rings from gasket kit. Use Ultrablack on paper
gasket (thin coat) and water passage O ring to help hold it in place. Thin
coats, don’t glob it on.
-
Insert
drive shaft back into bell housing.
-
Keep
some counterclockwise pressure on the prop to help align gears. Spinning
clockwise will mess up the shifter position and you'll have to pull the
drive again and set the shifter by hand (throttle/shifter should still be
in forward position).
-
Slide
drive back on. If drive doesn't slide in smoothly, engine alignment is
most likely necessary. You should have checked it anyway before
reinstalling drive, and adjusted engine as needed.
-
Reinstall
the 6 nuts that hold drive onto the transom assembly. Torque them evenly
to the specs called for in the service manual.
-
Reinstall
trim pistons paying attention to the installation order of snap rings,
caps and washers.
-
Reinstall
speedometer hose on back of drive.
-
Inspect
reassembly for any visible problems.
-
Fill
drive with gear oil and fill lube monitor according to Mercruiser specs
and directions.
-
Start
boat on land (with water supplied to drive via muffs) and check lube
monitor for water. Let it run for a bit. Check water temp to ensure water
passage is not blocked/impacted during reassembly. Check drive oil level
again in case air burped out of system and lowered oil level.
- Once
boat is in water, check engine compartment for leaks (if so, it's most
likely to be the bellows that are leaking, or the drive itself.)