TOPIC: Any surprises I need to know about?

I am down to the final 2 projects in rejuvenating my '62 Elgin. I have to replace the seats. And I have a small water infiltration in the gearbox. I found a bad seal on the prop shaft and replaced it. I still have a bit of milkyness in the oil when run in a test tank. I have studied the repair manual, by the way the motor is a 1961 Royal Scott 43.7 h.p. I am assuming that the problem is a bad seal on the driveshaft coming from the powerhead? Well, any help as to what problems I may encounter, tips to help the project, or anything others have found when R & R the gearcase. Also, according to the manual, the impeller on the older models is in the leg. Newer models on top of the gearcase. If I pull the lower unit and it is not there, how hard is it to pull the leg? Any tips on getting the lower unit reinstalled? I will start on this soon. Any help will be liked.

It isn't always the seal. Sometimes there is a wear spot on the shaft. Sometimes you can simply select a new location on the shaft by using a different brand of seal, putting a double lip seal in backwards, or not pressing the seal into the housing bore all of the way. If none of those options work there is a quick fix called a speedi-sleeve that presses over the shaft and over the worn spot. You have to use a new seal with a slightly larger hole. You can not weld the shaft. The shafts are hardened and it will remove the hardness and ruin the shaft. There is a process called spray welding, but I'm not a fan of that. Sometimes if you feel or see wear, you can polish the worn spot with emery cloth and find a slightly smaller seal. It is usually worth trying all this stuff because, if you can find parts, they are usually expensive.

Good luck!

i still have the cast seat brackets from my 1961 elgin, for the front and rear seats, and alot of hardware that i took off, if you need anything send me an e-mail. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. frog

Thanks for the info. The seal I replaced was cut in two, the shaft was shiny with no pits. But, I did not examine further. I did not use a 'run out gauge' to see if there was a worn spot. The shaft just seemed too pristine. So, there is not a driveshaft seal that could be leaking? If not I'll pull the prop seal and use a gauge to find a flat spot.

Oh and 'frog' I might take you up on the extra parts offer. Parts like for these are getting hard to find. THX

Yes. There should be a seal on the drive shaft from the power head too.

i was advised to pull the LU and pressurize it with a few psi when i went leak hunting. found a few leaks i wasn't expecting this way. i just drained the oil and pressurized through the drain hole. i'm not familiar with your motor, so i'll be of no help there, but i found out that the seal/bushing on my shift linkage (where it leaves the LU gear casing) had worn badly and was the worst offender for water infiltration out of all the leaks i found.

I remember reading about the pressurization of the LU, Thanks for reminding me. I will get some liquid leak detector and go bubble hunting. Thanks all, I now have a plan of attack.

Good point Riceman! The shifter rod moves up and down. It doesn't spin so it wears out the seal differently. The shifter rod is often the cause of the leak.