Goodbye lower unit

[VkingMike]

Cruising back from a long run and though I spit the prop off. Towed it back and started pulling it apart this morning. Link to video as well


https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ylM1_bpgh1w

[LakeFever]

Bummer. Did it just let go at speed or something happen to instigate this? Hairy moment or what?

Also, Nice Maggie box there chief whatcha buildin?

[VkingMike]

Thankfully I wasn't full tilt. I was just cruising straight line at about 45mph, maybe 3500 rpm and it just revved to the moon, no drama at all. I immediately let out and shut it down. I have often wondered how long the lower would last running it on the surface.

[rjdubiel]

what do the gears look like?

[VkingMike]

Not sure yet, I don't have the tools to disassemble but am picking them up from a friend this evening. Real curious to see what the insides look like.

[OnPad]

Maybe the pinion nut rattled off.

[VkingMike]

How screwed am I here? since its sheared off, how would one go about removing the lower portion of the driveshaft?

[rjdubiel]

wow. pull the carrier and see what you can get out that way. Gears are probably still good!

[OnPad]

You'll have to take the shift shaft out also, in order to get the prop shaft out.

[rock]

You may be able to jam a screwdriver or something suitable into the forward gear so as to lock it in place in order to remove pinion nut. Getting driveshaft out is going to depend on how bad the carnage is at the break point.

Rock

[OnPad]

Good idea Rock!! I've used a penny to jam the gear set, before I brought the drveshaft tool, which doesn't help in this application. You could also weld something to the top of the driveshaft if you had to.

Kinda a rust bucket, in the top of that case!!

[25two.stroke]

As soon as I saw that video I knew what you were in for lol. Every time I've seen a driveshaft break below the pump one of two things went wrong: alignment in the midsection or the case lost all its oil/filled with water. Typically its the lack of lubrication and the driveshaft just starts to seize in the drive. Hella hard to get those driveshafts out when they break like that. You could weld something to it to hold it but most of the time I drill and tap them, send a bolt down it with loctite and a jamb nut and then hold that with a wrench and pull the pinion nut off. Good luck.

[VkingMike]

As soon as I saw that video I knew what you were in for lol. Every time I've seen a driveshaft break below the pump one of two things went wrong: alignment in the midsection or the case lost all its oil/filled with water. Typically its the lack of lubrication and the driveshaft just starts to seize in the drive. Hella hard to get those driveshafts out when they break like that. You could weld something to it to hold it but most of the time I drill and tap them, send a bolt down it with loctite and a jamb nut and then hold that with a wrench and pull the pinion nut off. Good luck.

Nailed it. No gear lube in sight and mostly water came out when drained. From the looks of the bearing/driveshaft and corrosion its been going on since I had the lower coned. I put fresh fluid in it after the cone job, so from that time on is where the issue started. I am likely not going to even attempt repair and juts get a replacement. lesson learned

[sonicss33]

Get the replacement lower painted like this one.