Reply To: 1958 Evinrude 10 hp Sportwin New Pinion Gear

[Don]

Like you say, sometimes photos can be deceiving…The pinion’s snug fit onto the driveshaft is OK, provided you can tap it into place without much force. Otherwise follow the advice given about cleaning up the driveshaft and inspecting for proper key fit.
Sounds like you are all set, your new upper bushing assembly has a new seal in place already, correct?
Have another very close look at the forward and reverse gears. Just seems like the damaged pinion would have damaged the other two gears as well. Put the assembly together “dry”, no sealer/orings/spaghetti seal and rotate everything to make sure things turn smoothly. Please be very careful to ensure the forward gear get properly located on that alignment pin in the housing or you will be in trouble….
Again, wondering how that pinion got damaged to begin with…Was the unit full of water when you pulled it apart? Another thing to consider is damage from hitting (or being hit by) something which may have knocked the housing out of alignment causing the damage. Again, it is super important to assemble the unit “dry” (so seals/orings/gaskets/sealer) and rotate everything while switching gears to check for binding. (When I say “dry”, I am referring to sealer/seals/orings etc, it is surely OK to lightly coat the shafts/gears with a little gear lube).