Home › Forum › Ask A Member › 1957 Johnson 18HP FD-11 water pump HELP!
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bobw.
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February 25, 2018 at 4:30 am #9297
Hi everybody,
I’m new here located in Atlanta, GA. I just acquired a FD-11 that needed a new water-pump, as it wasn’t pumping water. Today the parts came in everything went smooth on disassembly of the midsection unit and installing the new impeller was a breeze. But I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get the lower unit back in. I cannot even see the shift rod going in, Am I missing something here? Any help would greatly be appreciated.February 25, 2018 at 5:46 am #71569Getting closer at least I can see the shift rod now by pulling it out added to length, now if I can just align the copper water tube.
February 25, 2018 at 11:41 am #71570Hello and welcome! I would suggest using a pair of long nose pliers to guide the shift rod in to the connector. Harbor Freight has the extra long nose pliers cheap. Another hint: at the top of the shift rod (on the gearcase side) there is a notch machined into the end. A little dab of white paint applied to the notch, with an artist touch up brush, will allow you to see it when it is aligned properly. The white paint should be fully visible through the bolt hole in the brass shift rod connector. This will prevent stripping the bolt threads when installing. A dab of vaseline on the water pump tube grommet will also help. Here is a picture of the long nose pliers. Handy as a shirt pocket! https://mobiledistributorsupply.com/11- … 4EALw_wcB#
BTW, your 18 Johnson is one of the best all around outboards that OMC ever built, in my opinion. Great motors!February 25, 2018 at 1:14 pm #71575londonflu, 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.
February 25, 2018 at 1:18 pm #71576When installing the L/U, move the shift lever on the motor to "forward" position and push the shift rod on the L/U down all the way (reverse). Then you can worry about getting the shift rod re-connected after the L/U is reinstalled. As Jerry mentioned, using a long-nose pliers works well if the lower shift rod is slightly mis-aligned with the coupler. Use the pliers to pull up on the shift rod while at the same time moving the shift lever on the motor to the "reverse" position. The shift rod should slide right in.
February 25, 2018 at 1:34 pm #71581London, welcome! That motor has what we call in this club a "five bolt lower unit". You probably noticed one bolt is bigger than the rest. 3/8 goes in from the top and the 1/4’s go in from the bottom. Here is what I do. Find a longer 3/8 bolt, might take a road trip! Cut the head off with a hacksaw. Screw it into the gear case and it will serve as a guide when assembling the two cases together. Also will hold it in position when you align the shift rod and the water tube. Make everybody happy!
dale
February 25, 2018 at 5:36 pm #71593Thank you everybody for your help and suggestions. I had to walk away from it for a sec. I will try all your helpful suggestions when I get back to it later today.
February 25, 2018 at 6:20 pm #71596It’s also a good idea to paint the notch in the shift rod with some bright nail polish to help you see when it’s aligned correctly.
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February 25, 2018 at 7:46 pm #71607@FrankR, I had the drive shaft in but nothing else would line up, so back out it went. This is quite frustrating to say the least. Also, their was no o-ring on the drive shaft when I dropped the lower unit. Maybe it’s still in there?
February 25, 2018 at 8:11 pm #71608"patience brings joy.".. said the fortune cookie keep at it and all of a sudden….bingo
Joining AOMCI has priviledges 🙂
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