Reply To: 1958 Johnson shift handle

[Don]

That lower seal looks almost new, like the rest of the engine….The seal pieces are just held in place by that snap ring…It would only take a few minutes to remove and inspect the pieces, might as well replace the oring inside the carbon seal if you are going to pull it apart. If you feel uneasy about messing with it, I would suggest leaving it alone. But, please remember to be careful, moving that powerhead around, bumping it on a table, could break the carbon seal…Be sure to coat the driveshaft splines liberally with OMC moly lube before reinstalling the powerhead and make sure the oring is in place on the top part of the driveshaft splines.
That gasket “looks OK”, but is probably dried up and stiff. I would probably replace it..If you decide to reuse the gasket, apply a thin coating of OMC gasket sealer to the gasket surface, you sure don’t want a leak after reassembly…
Did you find a replacement shift lever and shaft?