Reply To: Johnson CD-14 Frozen Pinion Gear-Shock Absorber

[Don]

Jim
OK, so the skeg is cracked?? I’m guessing this is freeze damage. The driveshaft shock has expanded or perhaps broken as well. Any evidence of rubbing on the top of the driveshaft or underneath the upper bushing/seal assembly? So, you really don’t have much to work with here….Another judgement call for sure.
Theoretically, the skeg and the upper gearcase castings are a “matched pair”, and should not be mixed/matched with other units. ‘But, on the other hand, this is only a small engine, not a whole lot of power, so I’m guessing replacing the skeg will work out OK…. Do you know any aluminum welders? If so, I would just have your skeg welded up. Unfortunately, a leak is still possible, so you might want to add some JB weld on the inside of the skeg just to make sure. As for the driveshaft, I would try putting it in a press and driving it back down to its proper length. But, liike others have said, you have to be sure the shock spring is not broken. Welding the driveshaft in place is fine also. To me, that shock absorber mechanism is a bit of “over engineering”, the shear pin is all the protection you need.
Why don’t you post some pictures of the pieces you have. I surely would not spend much to “repair” this gearcase, look for a decent used replacement if you prefer not to weld the skeg and compress the shock. Again, swapping out the skeg with a used one will probably work out fine also, plenty of guys have done it. You are in the Yankee Chapter, were you able to attend the Framiingham meet last weekend…Where are you located, let me know if you need some parts….Don