Changing the shift rod seal on my Johnson CD-12

[crosbyman]

i know we don’t fix if it ain’t broken but if you are in there why not inspect for fishing line etc…

change the prop shaft seal, the O ring, spagetti seal and drive shaft seal under the impeller

couple more $$$ of course so it depends on you

Joining AOMCI has priviledges

[scoots]

quote crosbyman:

i know we don’t fix if it ain’t broken but if you are in there why not inspect for fishing line etc…

change the prop shaft seal, the O ring, spagetti seal and drive shaft seal under the impeller

couple more $$$ of course so it depends on you

I rebuilt all of the lower unit 2 years ago, but not the shift rod seal, because I didn’t know how to remove it.
Now, that’s done and so far – no leaks.

[1946zephyr]

Frank Robb sold me an awesome tool for the shift rod.

[wedgie]

quote 1946Zephyr:

Frank Robb sold me an awesome tool for the shift rod.

Frank has discontinued selling those . Glad I got one before he did ! Have to be careful using it as there is a risk of breaking the casting on some models.

[Mumbles]

Here’s a couple homemade ones to give you an idea what you need to knock the bushing out. They are stepped so they will fit inside the exhaust housing. The top one had to be ground down to fit inside one housing which had a bad casting. That’s how tight it can be in there.

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[steeleman]

When you guys tap them, do you usually have to drill some before using a 5/16 tap?

Also, do you usually reuse the same bushing if you didn’t drill/tap all the way through?

[david-bartlett]

quote SteeleMan:

When you guys tap them, do you usually have to drill some before using a 5/16 tap?

Also, do you usually reuse the same bushing if you didn’t drill/tap all the way through?

I personally have never had to drill before tapping. I also use the same bushing over as I do not go too far into it. Probably wouldn’t matter anyway as long as the O-ring does not get cut.

[Buccaneer]

The shift rod bushing on my Fleetwin pulled out as I was tapping it.
Not sure if it was never seated tight enough or what, but after
I re-installed it, I put a little loctite around the top for good luck!

Prepare to be boarded!

[fisherman6]

I never have had to drill before tapping either. I never tap past about half way. All that is needed are a few solid threads for the bolt to grab and it can be driven out with a punch on the end of the bolt that is threaded into the bushing. If it were tapped thru it would undoubtedly shorten the life of the bushing. The shift rod would then only be supported by the peaks of the threads. At least it still has a decent land to bear on if the threads only go half way through the bushing. Remember that the bushing is there to guide the shift rod and the O-ring is there to seal it. If the bushing is badly worn, the seal won’t last long. I also put some Scotch 847 at the leading edge of the bushing when I reseat it to help seal the outside.
-Ben

OldJohnnyRude on YouTube

[rjoynt]

The other tool that you should make, similar to mumbles, is a tool to insert the brass plug into place. My tool was made out of an old driveshaft from an outboard and you just have to tap the brass plug into place. Very similar to the tools that you use to put seals in place.

[Author]

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