Re: 1946 mercury kds3

[green-thumbs]

If I may…the prop shaft seal is a bugger to get out without gouging the recess…repair with
JB Weld if need be.
The drive shaft seal originally was a piece of raw hide formed into a seal held in place by a
spring and a spacer. The spacer also served to align the leg and gear housing. The problem
with the raw hide was it absorbed water and held it against drive shaft…most drive shafts
are pitted due to corrosion in that area. You can try filling with JB Weld (or something better) and smooth by fine sanding. Duplicating the raw hide seal might work better on
a rough shaft than a lip type sea.
The lower end of drive shaft was ground to provide a smooth seal and bearing surface and is slightly smaller in diameter than the upper end. If bronze bushing is not worn the upper end of drive shaft will not fit into bushing…if it does fit bushing is worn oversize. Find another
gear case as replair of bushing is a toughie to align without a holding fixture to align the
two bushings.
Louis