Shift shaft seal removal – ’61 Merc 6hp

[jpatti75]

Gents,

Anybody have a trick they can share on removing the seal from the shift shaft bushing for a 1961 Merc 60 6hp without destroying the aluminum bushing?

Thanks,
JP

[dave-bernard]

pry what you can out then collapse the rest of it..

[20mercman]

Those are a real stinker! I have resorted to cutting them with a very tiny Dremmel rasp while wearing my magna glasses. Had to be very careful. I have also used a sharp chisel I have made out of a piece of school bus FM antenna, (think small flat screwdriver) to get between the bushing and the edge of the seal. Both have worked. I found it was easiest to remove the bushing from the housing so you don’t have to fight around the shift shaft at the same time.

Steve

[billw]

I use an 1/8" drift punch with the end ground to a sharp, 45 degree angle. I take the guts out of the gear housing, then put the shift shaft bushing back into the gear housing and mount the housing tightly in a vise. I find this to be the best way to hold the bushing, while I work to remove the seal. Then I carefully chisel the outer part of the seal in towards its center, until it is loose enough to pry out with a screw driver. Sometimes you can grab part of the pried-in edge of the seal with small Vise Grips and pry it out that way, too.

Long live American manufacturing!

[jpatti75]

Thanks for the responses, guys. I was able to get it out tonight with some work with a Dremel and a small punch. Certainly wasn’t a finesse job. Probably one of the more difficult seals I’ve had to get out in awhile…way too small to use any of my seal puller tools. I think the bushing isn’t too worse for wear at this point, so I should be able to pop in a new seal and be all set. If it leaks, I can always pop for the new bushing assembly, but dang, they are pricey.

JP

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