Re: 1957 Johnson 18HP FD-11 water pump HELP!

[frankr]

londonflu, as I read your question, it appears you are trying to align the shift rod as you mate the lower unit to the exhaust housing. In a word, don’t worry about it. Here’s what you should be concerned about:

1: Make sure you have a (preferably new) o-ring in the groove at the top end of the drive shaft. That little part is vital and if it fails will virtually destroy some $$$$ parts. Smear some grease on the outside of it and the splines.

2. Smear some grease or oil in the water tube grommet. Pull the shift rod up to put it in gear (not absolutely necessary, but having it in gear makes it possible to rotate the drive shaft by turning the prop). Now go ahead and assemble the lower unit to the exhaust housing. You will have to feel to get the drive shaft aligned and maybe rotate it to align the splines. AND of course make sure (by sight) the water tube enters the pump grommet. Once it is in place, install a couple of bolts to hold it there.

3. NOW you can address the shift rod. It is not hard to do. Moving the shifter handle toward reverse causes the upper and lower rods to approach each other. I strongly advise using a flashlight to peer in there to observe that the notch is perfectly aligned with the hole in the connector before installing the screw. If it is not aligned, the screw will drag on the edge of the notch, which will wipe the threads off the screw. Then it will fall out—-almost always when 5 miles away from the dock.

4. That’s about it. Button everything up and go for a ride.