outboard question

[Scott Dunsworth]

I have a long shaft kit ordered for my 4.5 hp. They wanted $120 to install this so I decided to give it a shot myself. I have rebuilt car engines but I have never took an outboard apart. Should I let them do it?

Scott

[Scott Dunsworth]

Come on there has to be an outboard mechanic out there??? How much of a job is this??

Scott

[Guest Oyster]

I think at this point, the price maybe cheap, if you mess up, or if you have to take it apart again to make it work. Curious how old is your motor? This also comes into play if any bolts or hardware is stripped of breaks off. I guess its easy for me to say, since its not my money, but I leave most all of my mechanical work for people that do it everyday, as I have a fraily good collection of mechanics that are really good at their jobs.. I try not to have the right tools around for mechanical work, either. Since oil and grease does not go well with wood and finishes. In some cases, I have been required to purchase some tools just to do a job, causing me to spend additional money on stuff that I may not use again, either.

[Designer]

I once converted a 20 HP Johnson from short to long shaft and it did not seem like rocket science to me. The kit came with a 5" spacer, a longer shaft, a longer water pickup and some extra bolts. I used it for a few years without problems.

[Larry Q]

While I have not converted to a long shaft, I have had a couple of outboards apart to the point that I could have. The biggest hint I can give is to get a service manual or copy the pages for your motor out of one of the big books (our library has several). There is usually a specific sequence to get the lower end off and then get the shaft off. Not really hard at all if you do it in the right order.

If your motor is older, make sure you use some Liquid Wrench on the bolts and give it a chance to work. If you strip the bolts it gets expense to fix.

[Scott Dunsworth]

Its an 82 Johnson. I know the orignal owner and he sold it to a guy that used very little.

The kit is suppost to be in today so I 'm going to give it a shot.

Scott

[Scott Dunsworth]

Well its done :shock: and it actually shifts still. It also still pumps water and starts.

It only took me 4 hours and I only had to take it back apart once! Thats two hours more than the shop was going to charge me. :wink:

Scott

[Larry Q]

Feels good to do it yourself, doesn't it? You also have the added benefit now that you know your motor a lot better and can better diagnose any problems that you have. You also know exactly how to get to the impeller to replace it.