Anybody know much about Outboards?

[Rannsachair]

I have a wee Suzuki DF50 that I have had for almost 10 years now, I service it every year and it has been a reliable and economical motor.

3 years ago I went to drop the lower leg to fit its annual new impeller and I could not get it to move. I am guessing I forgot to grease the driveshaft spline the previous year.

So I have tried a puller, blows with a mallet and even pulling it with the winch on the Landy and I cannot get it to move.

So far the impeller has been fine, but this year I started getting a drip of oil coming out at the joint, suspect the lower crankshaft oil seal - so now I am stuck.

Options I am thinking of:

1. I thought of taking the engine off and turning it upside down with lots of release oil or citric acid?

2. Look for a second hand gearbox and cut the drive shaft i the hope I can free it if the gearbox is out the way.

3. Sell the engine for spares, it still runs well and everything else works and put the money towards a replacement.

Any advice appreciated, I have wasted a few days trying to get it apart, though was an excuse to go down to the boat...

 

[cheb]

From memory of my Yamaha outboards it was undo the 4 mounting bolts and the gear change rod and the bottom end just slid down and off. I don't remember seeing much grease on them and I doubt the factory wasted the farthing's worth of grease either.

If you do go for a new outboard Tohatsu are very well made from what I've seen up here.

 

[addjunkie]

Id go with option 1 or 3, Id not go cutting things. Diesel for option 1 world probably work. A bit of heat to expand things is another option.

If you can get it held down upsidedown with a good straight pull, from say an engine crane you might get it.

What I do know about out boards if you make a complete bottom of it, and break bits, they are expensive

 

[Rannsachair]

From memory of my Yamaha outboards it was undo the 4 mounting bolts and the gear change rod and the bottom end just slid down and off. I don't remember seeing much grease on them and I doubt the factory wasted the farthing's worth of grease either.

If you do go for a new outboard Tohatsu are very well made from what I've seen up here.

Yes the Suzuki is similar though more mounting bolts.

My dad bought a new Tohatsu a few years ago and it was quite good for the money. But a new 50 is more than I can justify (about £5k), I would be looking second hand.

 

[Rannsachair]

Id go with option 1 or 3, Id not go cutting things. Diesel for option 1 world probably work. A bit of heat to expand things is another option.

If you can get it held down upsidedown with a good straight pull, from say an engine crane you might get it.

What I do know about out boards if you make a complete bottom of it, and break bits, they are expensive

Heat would be ideal but I cannot get near to where it is seized. I tried pulling it immediately after a long run when the engine was warm, but no luck.

Holding it upside down is a possibility though when I tried the Landy winch on it I was worried I would damage the transom of the boat, it is well stuck

The one advantage to outboard parts being expensive is that it is worth something for parts.

I agree, am not keen to start cutting - was suggested by my local Suzuki dealer as to how they have dealt with similar.

 

[cheb]

Can you get the joint to separate at all, even just a hair's width? Are there locating dowels in the joint?

How complex would it be to try and remove the power head so you wobble the joint from the top?

 

[cheb]

I'd not be battering at it on the transom, it'd be easy enough to make an engine stand. Maybe lay it flat and try to full the leg with ratchet straps and batter at it with a soft mallet.

 

[Rannsachair]

Can you get the joint to separate at all, even just a hair's width? Are there locating dowels in the joint?

How complex would it be to try and remove the power head so you wobble the joint from the top?

Yes i can get a couple of mm at the joint, and i can wobble it on the dowels.

Am not sure if loosening the power head will help much. Will have a read at the manual.

 

[addjunkie]

Have you a drawing or parts image......its been 30 years since I was reall intimate with outboards....and they changed a bit since then with all this 4 stroke gubins.

 

[Rannsachair]

Have you a drawing or parts image......its been 30 years since I was reall intimate with outboards....and they changed a bit since then with all this 4 stroke gubins.

Unfortunately there is not one in the manual, I found this on the web:

The Orange shaft goes all the way from the bottom leg into a female spline at the bottom of the powerhead. Normally the shaft can be removed with the gearbox, it should just slide out of the female spline.

Same issue as:

 

[mm289]

I have never had to do this but from memory of a few threads I have read on boating forums I am on I would remove the OB and securely hold in place. Then use a wooden block on the hydrofoil/skeg whatever looks solid enough and keep tapping/banging away working your way around the leg.

If its the driveshaft then as you say, you won't get heat near it. Turning on an angle and running lubricant down (up) the shaft may help if you can get it supported in a position like that.
Obviously you have already done this but triple check you have all the bolts out and that their isn't a gear shift linkage or something that needs undoing?

If it is like anything I have ever had stuck it is the percussive shock that will loosen it, straight pull like a winch will never overcome the binding forces.

If you have a gap you could use timber or plastic wedges to force the gap hard open and put a bit more pressure on the bound surface whilst you then clock it with hammer, but I wouldn't try actually leveraging against the gap edges as you will destroy the case mounting surfaces.

HTH

Cheers,

MM

 

[KemppiFrog]

I have a few O/Bs inc a Suzuki 3.5 2T. The joint that needs to go is the end of the crank/shaft splined shaft to g/b one. If sticky, the lower gearbox to shaft joint usually give a little, before it hangs up. If it doesn't, then look closer at the lower joint.
In the meantime; PM Steve66, he is the ace on small O/Bs.

Edit: Quite surprised that you have parted it very year to replace the impellor, but it sticks this year? Usually a prob after being left for years.

Not that it matters here, but Tohatsu supply powerheads to Mercury, Mariner, Nissan, Yamaha and a few other O/B manufactorers. So given a choice, I would buy Tohatsu. Talking small O/Bs here

 

[addjunkie]

Id not be too quick to go to the drift wedges in steel and a mash hammer. Things are normally stuck for a reason.

Not sure, but if you remove the power head, this will expose the other end of the shaft, perhaps giving you an opportunity to give it a technical tap with a hammer and a chunk of brass.

If you resort to our friends in the video method, you want two equal wedges, and pull it off equally if possible, with out mashing the castings.

 

[Keith 66]

Have you disconnected the gear change or clutch rod? Its accesed under an oblong rubber plug on side of the lower leg, under it will be a steel block with two bolts that clamp the gearchange rod together.
They are usually made from that special outboard motor bolt alloy that contains a high proportion of zinc for guaranteed corrosion & lead for easy snapability!

 

[Rannsachair]

Have you disconnected the gear change or clutch rod? Its accesed under an oblong rubber plug on side of the lower leg, under it will be a steel block with two bolts that clamp the gearchange rod together.
They are usually made from that special outboard motor bolt alloy that contains a high proportion of zinc for guaranteed corrosion & lead for easy snapability!

Yes, it is a bronze locking sleeve nut on the Suzuki 50, I have removed the lower leg half a dozen plus times in the past.... though my brain has let me down a few times this year post chemo, so I double checked on the workshop manual.