on my 73 Merc 7.5 there was a front
nut and a rear nut on the lower leg..
once loosened I had to use a rubber
mallet to remove it, the driveshaft and
the shift shaft had rusted into the two
pieces that held them. Also seems like
I had to put it in forward gear for removal.
(I think) no longer have the motor or
the shop manual...

On Fri, 05 Sep 2003 06:43:16 GMT, stuck onland wrote:

It's a '79 Mercury 7.5hp long shaft outboard. I have two shop manuals
which cover a variety of models from this era. They both describe
removing the 2 or 3 obvious nuts and separating the lower unit to
service the impeller. It is really bound at the leading edge and I'm
afraid of breaking something by prying. Is there some other process
involved here? I have to remove the prop and shaft and remove th
pinion gear to free the drive shaft? It pries apart at the joint to
about 2 inches from the leading edge so it seems like the drive shaft
is more towards the middle and already free. Please send help. sol.


On my 20hp Merc , I had to remove the shift shaft.
The manual I had made no mention of this either.
So I called a local Merc dealer.

There's a clip behind the carb, on the shape of a "c"
that connects it . You can get at it with a screwdriver.
Just flip it off the connector.
There was also a washer on the shift shaft.
Don't lose it! good luck

If it has been in sal****er(you used the word "canna" so I would guess
Scotland) the long bolt in the leading edge may need a lot of heat to shift
the corrosion. A good propane torch usually works. This engine is also prone
to drive shaft locking in the crankshaft at the bottom of the powerhead. If
that has happened it's goodbye. Just drop it off the transom in the Clyde.