Reply To: 1959 Johnson RDSL 21B Info Needed

[Don]

Tom
Thanks for the info… Ok, driveshaft won’t turn at all… What “corrosion holes” are you referring to? The next step when you get home is to remove the two big drain/fill screws (one underneath skeg in front, the other over top of the anti-ventilation plate) and see what comes out… If water comes out, this kind of confirms the worst. But, if nothing or very little comes out, this probably means the skeg is split open somewhere allowing the water to drain out after it thawed. Ideally, it would be nice to pressure test the gearcase before disassembly so you can see exactly where the leak(s) are before you pull it down, then concentrate on those areas once it is apart. I’m guessing parts are pretty badly rusted inside. The forward gear is usually more expensive that the reverse gear, sometimes this is because the pinion and forward gear are included in “a set”. Nonetheless, NOS repair parts for this project will probably include many more parts/pieces and be very expensive. Once you have pulled it apart and confirmed the gear housing itself is OK, might be best to look for a used gearcase assembly…This way you can pull the used one apart, and put its good parts in your original gear housing. You may luck out and find another white gearcase that will simply bolt up and go….D