1957 Evinrude 18 hp lower unit seals?

Question

I am getting water and oil in the lower unit. what is a safe way to get the bushing/seals out and new ones in. Where is a good place to buy a seal kit like this?

Answer 1

This was a real simple gear box. The hardest part was getting it off the motor and that was just 4 bolts and a hidden shift connector mid way down the right side of the motor. Put the unit -upside down in a toweled vise. One the side will be a philips s***w above the drain-remove it. Using an impact driver (the kind you hit with a hammer) release all the slot headed screws, Take off the fin. Set it in solvent. Lift out the prop shaft and all the gears--catch the clutch saddle and allow the swing arm to hang off the shift rod. Put everything but the outer prop shaft bushing in the solvent. This bushing has the prop shaft seal in it. Slip a small punch or screwdriver into the bushing from the inside out and find the lip of the seal. Drive it out. Put the bushing in the solvent.

  Take the lower out of the vise, turn it around and put it drive shaft up into the vise again. Remove the 4 small screws that hold the water pump housing to the lower. Remove drive shaft, pump housing and impeller with one move. Push the drive shaft down thru the water pump housing and remove the tiny drive pin from shaft. NOW the shaft will come off the water pump. Inspect the pump housing, impeller, bottom wear plate. Put all but the impeller in the solvent. Below the wear plate is the drive shaft bushing /top seal casting. This comes out. Do the same to remove the seal as you did the propshaft seal. Install it lip towards the oil. (do not put it sideways in the vice with the skinny side in the jaws. It will break with the first hammer hit.) Now clean everything up shiny new and start the reverse with these points. First get the evenrude carmel colored sealer. Use it everywhere there is a parting line. Next get a sheet of glass and some wet/dry 250 sandpaper. Use this sparingly to flatten the lower skeg. Install the top casting with it's seal (lip down)into the lower. Seal your drive plate to the topseal plate, put in the little pin and the waterpump. If you are using your old one, be sure it points in the same direction as it came out. Add a little grease to the rubber impeller so it dosn't dry start. Put sealer on the pump housing. Rotate the drive shaft (in the direction the motor runs) as you feed the impeller into the pump housing. Now set your 4 screws to the pump and rotate the drive shaft as you tighten the pump housing down so you don't pinch the ends off the impeller. Done here-turn it over.

Check your clearances on the front prop shaft bushing. Put in the pinion gear. Check clearences to the gears.(they were always fairly loose(Unless brand shiny new), but they shouldn't  change to much when you spin the drive shaft and watch the gears and pinion. Happy with the gears? (usually if they didn't jump out of gear before, they are OK). Now put the new "O" ring on the prop shaft casting and put it on the propshaft. Fit the shift saddle into the clutch. This should fit fairly good. Slide the shift shaft down over the propshaft and fit the piece to the saddle. Heavy grease in the sockets will help hold it together till final assembly. Now you will need to cut your orange spagettie seal to fit your skeg. Put a lot of sealer in the groove. Place one end in the grove so it sticks out 1/8th inch. Feed the seal round the front and down to the back without any twists. Cut that end 1/8th " long. Let it set about a half hour. Put sealer around the prop shaft seal casting. Put the skeg on the lower unit (make sure the spagettie stays in place) and dip each s***w in sealer befor s******g it in. Don't tighten -just snug. Find your Philips headed s***w and put it in the side hole, stabbing the hole in the saddle piece. You can move the piece around a little with the shift rod. If it won't go try using a nail or pick to get them aligned. Flashlight OK here.  Now shift the unit by hand and rotat the drive shaft to make certian it all stayed together.  NOW you can impact it shut. I prefer just a big screwdriver so it dosn't crack.(Send the gorillia out for bananas) Now put it back on. Don't forget the driveshaft cover. it probably stayed in the exhaust housing/or somebody lost it in 1965. Enjoy boating . Check your lower unit oil after your first trip to see if you got it right.

Answer 2

The seals are replaceable, but your talking a 50 year old motor. It's worth more to collectors than as a running motor.  CR  (Chicago Rawhide) made the seals for Evinrude.  The originals were brass.  Later replaced with SS.  I haven't done this job in years, but I'd bet someone has the seals, try a "Bearing House"   .....Google CR