TOPIC: Fat Fifty drive shaft seal removal

Hey guys, so what's the best way to remove this shaft seal? Trying to do this without taking the case apart. I only bought what was needed without taking it apart. Everything else is good, well "o" rings need replacing but have those and that shouldn't b a problem.


Thought about drilling a small hole in the brass ring and use a small dent puller to pop it out so to speak. Tried using a washer one a screw on the small dent puller and didn't work. Put the washer edge between the seal and bushing and tried popping it to no avail.

Any suggestions?

Bob

Take a propane torch and heat the outer housing, not alot, but just beyond too hot to touch. Then take a large flat bladed screw driver and insert into hole and pry out. Seal will be ruined, but it should never be reused anyways. When reinstalling new seal use a gasket sealer when driving the new seal in, it both seals and provides lubrication during install.

Thanks I tried the torch a little bit with the dent puller/washer set up and it didn't realLy budge. May not have gotten it hot enough though. Tried prying a little with the screw driver but didn't get anywhere and figured that wouldn't work since your prying against the other side of the seal itself. Tried using a longer screwdriver and a piece of hardwood across the pump opening so it didn't pry against itself but didn't work, again maybe I didn't heat it up enough.

Bob

when I did mine I really deformed the metal around the rubber seal to the point where that is what allowed the seal to finally come out. I've replaced alot of seals in my time and this one was one of the harder ones.

Why not simply use a dremel type tool / cutter and weaken the seal at 180 degrees apart.-It should almost fall out and you will not damage / crack the housing.

www.harborfreight.com/seal-puller-35556.html

One of those will do the trick! The only caveat to using these is when the housing around the seal is thin, you do have to be careful to not reef too hard on the tool as you can break the housing.

Shouldn't be much of an issue with your lower unit, I guarantee if you heat the casting surrounding the seal with a torch, that style puller will pop the seal right out!

You can do it without heat as well, but the heat will loosen things up quite a bit and make removal easier.

HTH..........ed

unless he is totally disassembling and cleaning the lower unit I don't think he wants any forein bodies in there.

Sorry couldn't log on yesterday for some reason. Thanks for all the inputs, I have to work all weekend but will see if I can't try and get back at it tomorrow after work. i definitely don't want to get anything in the lower unit as I'm not taking it apart i at all possible. There wasn't any leaking around the prop shaft so if it's not broke don't fix it. Planned on heating it up again and trying the screw driver pry against a hardwood piece across the housing. I'll let you know how it goes.

thanks again.

Bob

Bob you might try taking a pick/scribe/awl and going around the outer edge of the seal where it is pressed into the housing to remove some of the sealant used during assembly (and maybe a little corrosion), spray some PB Blaster/WD40 and let it soak a while. I had the same problem last spring on the E'rude upper driveshaft seal, very similar. I was struggling with it back in the engine shop at work when one of the guys who rebuilds antique car motors came in. He did as described and we took a coffee break. When we came back he inserted the seal puller (like Ed showed) and popped the handle of the puller with a rubber hammer and the seal popped right out.

Thanks Mark. Saw your response while at work. Came home and immediately scraped and sprayed. I'm letting it soak now and I'll try the long screwdriver/wood prying trick first and se what happens.

Bob

Thanks again everybody. Tried everything and after butchering it up a little, guess what worked best.................drum roll.............................Vise Grips!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yep, clamped the grips so the rounded top would be against the the shaft housing, smacked it once with a hammer and out it popped. It's all back together with the new seal, o rings, pump gasket and foam ring ready to get put back in the Fatty.

Bob

Believe it or not - here is the way I get those out.

I get a 3" long pan head phillips self-tapping sheet metal screw. I usually use a # 10 screw. I use my Makita drill to drive the screw into the face of the seal shell. It takes about 500 RPM and a good deal of pressure to get the screw to bite. Once the screw digs in, back off the speed immediately. Thread the screw in 3/8" or so. Lay a block of 2X4 or metal bar stock across the machined top edge of the casting. Get a small crowbar (a Wonder bar is what I use) Use the 2X4 lumber as your backer for the crooked end of the crowbar - put the V of the bar under the screw head & pull it out. Sometimes the screw pulls through the shell of the seal. Just zip another hole into the seal with the screw & try again. On stubborn seals, I try to pull a little from one side, the move 180 degrees to the other side. This almost always works - and without causing metal shavings to fall into the bushings or causing damage to the aluminum housing. The dent puller would do the same thing, but having to drill for the screw on it means shavings inside the case. Not good.

Thanks Bruce. I actually stuff a piece of old sock don the shaft hole, drilled 2 small holes 180 out from each other and tried the dent puller, no joy believe it or not. Ended up making four holes to try it and no joy. Of course the screws pulled out and I ended up just trying with the vise grips on the messed up holes and that did it. I will try your trick next time though.

Thanks,

Bob

Bob - as has been said countless times - there is more than one way to skin a cat. Not that I will ever skin one..................

You got it done & that's all that matters. Good luck on the re-seal.

Bruce