# trouble dropping lower unit 1986 4hp evinrude



## Sail The World (Sep 25, 2011)

hi everyone,

i'm doing a lot of much needed maintenance on my 1986 evinrude 4hp outboard over the winter; i changed the head gasket and cleaned up the block... also put on a new carb gasket and a new exhaust cover gasket. the water pump impeller seems to be ok because a fine spray of water is coming out of the exhaust, but i couldnt get to actually check out the impeller because i cant get the lower unit to drop.  bought the SELOC manual, it said something about having to disconnect the shift control rod, but not how to do it. it also says not all engines have them LOL. great. so i need to get my lower unit to drop and it just wont come down i think if i pull any harder i'm gonna break something. 

please help 

thanks!


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Can't find any procedures but....

Found this .. part #27 in first pic is the shift rod... looks like it hooks into the shift lever up top..
(parts 41-43 etc 2nd pic)

Here's the site these came from: http://www.marineengine.com/parts/johnson-evinrude-parts.php?year=1986&hp=4&model=E4BRHCDE



















Here's a vid of a Mariner.. not sure it's the same block but it may have some ideas.. I know our Nissan/tohatsu has the rubber bung mentioned that's hiding the sift lever lock.. but this may be an entirely different setup.. FWIW


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## Sail The World (Sep 25, 2011)

thanks for the quick response.

i thought that could be it also but it's nearly impossible to get to. i can see the top of the shift rod when i take off the exhaust cover, but even the tiniest fingers cant get in there... and i'm worried that if i do get it off i will never get it to go back on. 
other possibilities i've considered is that the crankshaft is rusted to the driveshaft?
or, maybe i have to take the entire powerhead off to disconnect the shift rod? if that's the case it's not gonna happen, i already broke a very rusted head bolt off in the block when changing the head gasket and had to get a helicoil put in. the bolts down low on the block (# 11 in the 2nd picture) are so rusted theyre unrecognizable...


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## Sail The World (Sep 25, 2011)

...i think i just found out the answer its just not what i wanted... not looking forward to it i will have to wait until next season to try those #11 bolts... i'll just keep coating them with tons of PB Blaster in the meantime...


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## erps (Aug 2, 2006)

I don't think you have to mess with those #11 bolts. You should be down there around that flange just above the propeller. IIRC, I used needle nose pliers to pull the cotter pin off the shift rod up top and when you're putting it back together, as the shift rod comes up through the hole, you use a finger to guide it to the right place as a buddy slides the lower flange back together.

Re: bolts seizing in the aluminum. I broke several off in an old Honda outboard I had. I used to use "Never Seize" and plain old grease when putting these things back together. An old outboard mechanic told me the best thing to use (in his opinion) was that terrible sticky brown Permatex #2 on bolts. It increases the drag for torquing, but since I've been doing that, I've not broken off any more bolts in aluminum. The stuff sure makes a mess though and you're sure to get it on your fingers. It took me another couple years to learn that alcohol cleans that stuff off. Some folks learn faster than other folks. I'm other folks.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

I've never worked on an Evinrude 4, but I have worked on most OMC/Johnson/Evinrude outboard motors from 7.5-HP and larger. On the vast majority of them there is a plate on the side of the exhaust housing, it's usually rectangular and held in place with two screws. Most of the time the screws are badly corroded in place and have to be heated in order to remove them. The plate is located a few inches above the top of the cavitation plate.

Once the plate is removed, the motor should be shifted to neutral, which should expose a small block with the shift rods attached to each end that are held in place with two screws. Loosen the lower screw only. Unbolt the lower unit and it should drop off without too much difficulty. This will provide you access to the water pump and impeller assembly.

If the motor has not been serviced in quite some time, this may be something you should leave for the factory authorized technicians at the dealer to undertake. They know the little tips to get the lower unit off without damaging it, and they have the tools to do the job. I had a dealership for 7 years and my techs all attended OMC's Outboard Motor Service School in New Jersey every couple years. They could disassemble a 150-HP outboard in less than 4 hours, then put it back together and have it running in about the same time frame.

Good Luck,

Gary


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## garyguss (Oct 9, 2007)

Try asking this guy, he is pretty helpful

Marine Engine Repair, New Boats, Used Boats, Boat Parts - themarinedoctor.com


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## garyguss (Oct 9, 2007)

Here's a video which describes it a little
The Marine Doctor - A video describing how to remove a Gear Case


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