Reply To: 1957 Evinrude Big Twin 35 Skeg interferes with gears.

[boscovius]

Got another shaft coming.  Like the one in the (This one works) picture.  For all the fuss and bother I’ve put into a (spare) lower unit, LOL, I felt it was worth the price.  We’ll see what happens with that.  Dave-Bernard brings up the possibility that the depth of splines in the pinion gears might be different.  He may have a point there.  All I know for sure is that at one time this unit worked, kinda.  It turned properly, but was defective.  It was purchased to replace a lower unit that wouldn’t stay in forward gear because of of a worn clutch dog/forward gear lobes.  Turned out the replacement lower unit had the same issue, so I began to tear them apart, figure out how they work, and slowly attempt to find parts and get them all back together.  One of them got a new drive shaft.  I just now dug up the old one and it matches the one that works.  I think this will fix it.  I won’t try to put the old one back in to test it out as I don’t want to risk damaging the seals with this ragged old shaft, but I think I see light at the end of the tunnel.