mercury KD3

[JEFFREY PLITT]

hey guys . need help again . working on the kd3 . i seem to have oil coming up the drive shaft lower seal in the gear case . only when the motor is running . prop shaft seal ok . upon disassembly there appears to be no seal there , just a brass bushing . any ideas ? thanks in advance

[green-thumbs]

There should be a “bushing” , a spring, and a seal present.
Original seal was a bit of raw hid, A replacement can be made
from a scrap of leather. If the drive shaft is pitted and rough in the
area the seal contacts, seal will leak and wear. so regular replacement
may be expected.

NOTE: only one end of drive shaft is ground to fit gear case bushing and area where seal rides. Drive shafts vary in length. If you need to
find a replacement be sure to check lengths.
Louis

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by green-thumbs.

[opposedtwin]

Jeffrey,
There have been a number of good threads this spring regarding K and KD models. Here’s one that covered ALOT of ground.

Keep in mind the singles used different gears in the gear case than did the 2 cyl models.

Good luck and keep us posted on your efforts/findings. Pictures are always interesting and are a great conversation starter.

Scott

https://www.aomci.org/forums/topic/mercury-kd4/

[JEFFREY PLITT]

HEY GREEN THUMBS . after disassembly i have just a lip seal in the upper half . no spring or bushing . got a seal and gasket kit from the merc guy but none of the seals match what came out . also , this is a single cly KD3 .

[green-thumbs]

“Bushing”, spring and raw hide seal system is original factory set up.
A metal case lip seal can be instead and would not require additional
items. Seal can be selected from a seal catalog using shaft diameter, seal thickness and diameter of bore it is to be installed in. ‘
Careful measurement is required.
I have noticed that while the ground area of drive shaft seems to be a
consistent 0.495″ the shaft size varies. As with all OLD machinery, wear,
corrosion and other factors may be more in some than in others. No two examples will have exactly same issues. Each is a mystery to be
explored and issues found and resolved.
Louis.
bb
Allow me to back off on spacer,/bushing, spring and raw hide seal…Kiekhaefer and those who serviced motors tried a number of different methods to keep grease in and water out. By the looks of things
none were fully successful.
Louis

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by green-thumbs.

[JEFFREY PLITT]

thanks you louis

[fifty20ne]

Some Mercury Factory Training Charts showing springs and seals.

[billw]

I like #58, “drive shaft cork water seal….4 for 12 cents.” But I don’t see where there is a spring for the drive shaft seals, even though I think I have seen them in actual lower units. What am I missing?

Long live American manufacturing!

[JEFFREY PLITT]

SO I SEE THE CHART WITH THE SPRINGS AND BUSHINGS . I HAVE A KD3 . CHART IS FOR A KD4 . IT SEEMS TO HAVE MORE PARTS . MY KD3 HAD A LIP SEAL WHERE THE DRIVE SHAFT ENTERS THE GEAR CASE . MEASURES 130 MM INNER AND 180 MM OUTER .

[opposedtwin]

Look closely at the two types of drive shaft seal set ups in the lower right of each drawing. The old style with a spacer and 3 cork seals was replaced by the new style using a spring, a spacer and a modern lip seal.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by opposedtwin.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by opposedtwin.

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