need help with lower unit fast!

Fellas,

In dire need of help - I guess my water pump and/or impeller is burned up and I need to get it fixed by Friday, as I leave early that day for Dale Hollow. I've got an 87 45hp mariner and can't get the lower unit off. The prop is off, oil is gone, five bolts holding it onto the gear housing is off. I can only get the lower unit to come off 1/8 of an inch or so. Any ideas? Is there something else that's there to hold it on? I've done everything in the manual, but now I'm in panic mode!
Anyone in the Indy area I could call?

Can you tell I've never done this before? Thanks in advance for any help.

I have never changed a water pump before but I remember reading the directions on how to do it and it seems like I remember that the motor needed to be in reverse for the lower unit to release.

A good source of information can be found on

www.bassboatcentral.com


R19

Did you disconnect the Gear selector rod. Watch the side of your motor and move your throttle forward. Check to see if the rod connected to the cable is disconnected.

thats what I was thinking, Gear selection linkage or shift shaft. Although I'm not familiar with that design completley thats what I would surmise. Never heard about having it in anything other than neutral. Usually reassembly is harder, getting the water tube lined up, and the driveshaft splines lined up. Sometimes rotating the driveshaft little by little and re-trying is required. also, don't put grease on the very top of the driveshaft, it can create too much pressure in the female sleeve that accepts it, just the side gear teeth.

and make sure you coat the inner areas of the impeller cavity with light coat of grease so it will rotate easier the first times you start it. Otherwise the rubber blades can stick to the sides and rip off or burn up.

It sounds like you haven't unhooked your shifting rod.Once you drop it loose I wouldn't shift the control lever untill i put it back on.If you do it will make it alot harder to get it splined back up.When you go to install your new impeller I found it much easier to put the impeller on the driveshaft first and if it has a key that goes in it put a little grease on the flat spot on the driveshaft and it will hold they key in place so you can put the impeller over it.Then put some 2 cycle oil inside of the the water pump where the impeller goes and then put it on the shaft and slide it down to where it meets the impeller.Once it is against the impeller push down on the impeller housing and turn the drive shaft and it will go right in the housing... That is if your motor is in neutral..I always leave them in neutral when i changed them out just for this reason...I hope this helps you out some....

These guys know what they are talking about. I just suggested that you move your throttle forward to see where it was connected. Then put it in neutral and then disconnect it. I'm sorry if you misunderstood what I was trying to say.