I have a '77 Johnson 55 hp outboard. The lower end has a leak
as the gearcase oil is much lighter than it should be. Any water
in there isn't seperating from the oil, but the oil has gotten
quite light. Obviously not a good sign.

My simple but perhaps silly question is should I get a lower
end seal 'kit' to solve this problem? I haven't pulled the
lower end off before and won't be able to do it for probably
another week. I'm thinking that since no maintenance has been
done to the lower end for at least four years (two years me
and two years the previous owner) and the fact that parts for
this motor seem to be getting harder to come by, will a lower
end seal kit solve my problem or could there be a bad seal that
is not included in the kit and I should wait and see exactly
where the leak is coming from?

Second question: I want to replace the water pump impeller
the same time I do the above. I was wondering if this is a
case of where I should get the water pump 'kit' or just the
impeller? Again, I klnow that NO lower-end service has been
performed in at least four years. Engine is not over-heating
or anything, I just want to protect this motor while I have
it and feel that at a minimum the water pump should be replaced.
I just don't know what the deal is on the water pump 'kit'.

Thanks,
Jim

I have a '77 Johnson 55 hp outboard. The lower end has a leak
as the gearcase oil is much lighter than it should be. Any water
in there isn't seperating from the oil, but the oil has gotten
quite light. Obviously not a good sign.

My simple but perhaps silly question is should I get a lower
end seal 'kit' to solve this problem? I haven't pulled the
lower end off before and won't be able to do it for probably
another week. I'm thinking that since no maintenance has been
done to the lower end for at least four years (two years me
and two years the previous owner) and the fact that parts for
this motor seem to be getting harder to come by, will a lower
end seal kit solve my problem or could there be a bad seal that
is not included in the kit and I should wait and see exactly
where the leak is coming from?

Second question: I want to replace the water pump impeller
the same time I do the above. I was wondering if this is a
case of where I should get the water pump 'kit' or just the
impeller? Again, I klnow that NO lower-end service has been
performed in at least four years. Engine is not over-heating
or anything, I just want to protect this motor while I have
it and feel that at a minimum the water pump should be replaced.
I just don't know what the deal is on the water pump 'kit'.

Thanks,
Jim








Since I just did that on the same engine about a year ago, I'll try to help. As
I recall, there are 3 seals and 1 copper bushing to replace. The shift rod has
the copper bushing which is easy, dig out the old one and tap the new one in
with a hammer and a flat screwdriver. The next is on the drive shaft under the
water pump. Also easy but while you have the water pump out I'd do the whole
kit. You've got too much labor involved in dropping the lower unit to skimp
now. The last two are the hardest to get to. Pull the propeller and down inside
the carrier are 3 bolts that hold it in. Remove them and then slide the carrier
out and you'll see the other seals. It's important to notice which way these
are facing. One keeps the water out and the other keeps the oil in. The are the
visually the same but you MUST replace them the same as they came out.

Unless you run into a lot of corrsosion, the whole thing should take about 3 to
4 hours. The parts are relatively inexpensive.

Barry

Barry,

Thanks so much for the info. Hopefull I'll get start tearing into
it early next week.

-Jim


F330 GT wrote:

Since I just did that on the same engine about a year ago, I'll try to help. As
I recall, there are 3 seals and 1 copper bushing to replace. The shift rod has
the copper bushing which is easy, dig out the old one and tap the new one in
with a hammer and a flat screwdriver. The next is on the drive shaft under the
water pump. Also easy but while you have the water pump out I'd do the whole
kit. You've got too much labor involved in dropping the lower unit to skimp
now. The last two are the hardest to get to. Pull the propeller and down inside
the carrier are 3 bolts that hold it in. Remove them and then slide the carrier
out and you'll see the other seals. It's important to notice which way these
are facing. One keeps the water out and the other keeps the oil in. The are the
visually the same but you MUST replace them the same as they came out.

Unless you run into a lot of corrsosion, the whole thing should take about 3 to
4 hours. The parts are relatively inexpensive.

Barry