TOPIC: mercury prop removal tools i' need are you selling

hello, i have an old old mercury outboard 350 . i am trying to remove the propeller to get to replace the gear seals. NO EASY to get these parts off . i final got the nut off now this ridged washer has me stopped. i see it is called Bearing Carrier Retainer Nut Wrench Tool
does anyone have a tool that will remove it, they want to sell or maybe rent out ?
i saw some listed on ebay and amazon but im sure they do not fit my motor.
thank you

That is NOT the bearing carrier retaining ring. That is merely the "Splined Washer" that the prop nut bears against. It has internal splines that mesh with the splines right at the end of the propshaft. See #70 in the attached diagram.

The only thing holding the washer on is CORROSION. So heat it up, bang on either side of it with a punch or similar tool, try carefully prying it away from the propeller body.

Gotta say, with that being so hard to get removed, the prop is very likely to be frozen to the propshaft. There are prop-pullers you can buy, that may or may not work. Usually, if the prop hub splines are frozen to the driveshaft, you have to burn the prop out of the rubber hub with a torch, then cut the rubber off the splined center, and split the center off the propshaft without damaging the propshaft. Very messy work, the bits of burning rubber go everywhere!! Then you'll need a replacement prop, or send yours off to be re-hubbed.

Lots of fun! Hopefully the prop will come off easily but just so you know what could be coming next.

Good Luck!.........ed

ED, thank you for taking time to always comment, your experience shows and is very helpful.
To me it looks like that propeller has never been off and I have been using a lot of liquid wrench on it. I guess i will take a stab at it, as you have given me a picture of how bad it might get, I know what i'm in for, lol. I guess the worst that can happen is I have to bring it to a professional at some point if i finally get stumped. The scariest part will be if i actually get it back together and out on the water, knowing that I'm the one that did the repairs, LOL. I will post some updates thanks much

You Betcha!

I found this prop puller on eBay, if it comes to that. It looks to be pretty well engineered. You might be able to get it pulled with something like this, if the prop doesn't want to come off by rapping on a blade with a chunk of wood to cushion the blows.

Or, if the prop is indeed frozen to the shaft, you probably could use this tool to pull the prop off the rubber-bonded hub. You'll have to heat the center of the prop to do that.

https://www. ebay .com/itm/316736995364

Copy the link and paste into browser, remove spaces. Can't post an eBay link otherwise, this site parses all eBay links. Dumb!

Another option, just cut the dang prop off the propeller shaft! A replacement might be cheaper than the puller!! Or find a good used prop on eBay. Just don't cut the propshaft!!!!

BTW early props have 11 splines. Later props have 13 splines. Count the number of splines on yours before ordering or buying any new or used propeller.

And FYI, the 500 took the same props. Be sure to capture the part number and pitch size stamped on the side of your prop's body. Your 350 won't carry a prop with as much pitch as a 500 (50hp).

I'd say a 9" or 10" pitch might be applicable. See what your prop is. Hopefully you can save it!

very ingenious prop puller, lol. thanks for all that we will see what happens

ok i get the washer off tried heating it nothing i cut a deep gouge into it with the hacksaw blade, wacked it a lot, etc. etc.got it off .
now the question is should the propeller just come off separate from the gear? or do i need a puller to get the propeller off first then the gear shaft? or will they pull out together?
thank for any info.

ok i get the washer off tried heating it nothing i cut a deep gouge into it with the hacksaw blade, wacked it a lot, etc. etc.got it off .
now the question is should the propeller just come off separate from the gear? or do i need a puller to get the propeller off first then the gear shaft? or will they pull out together?
thank for any info.

Hate to say it but that prop looks like its center splines are "welded" to the propshaft. Years and years of running, then sitting. Likely it was a Salt Water motor.

You could use a prop puller such as that eBay one to pull the prop body off the center. That is, if your prop is in otherwise good shape. If you have to get it re-hubbed and also repaired, it'll likely cost more than a new one.

The metal center of the prop is bonded to a bunk hunk of rubber, this makes up the "cushion" for the prop. That's why there's no shear pin. If the prop hits something, the rubber gives, or even slips in extreme cases, to protect the outboard's drivetrain.

The rubber hub is pressed into the prop body with special tools and under a lot of pressure. Not something you can just casually remove and replace.

Looks to me like we're back to cutting or burning the prop off, then carefully cutting the rubber away to reveal the metal center of the hub, that's the part stuck to the propshaft.

With the center revealed, you have to carefully score it with a cutting wheel (a Dremel with heavy-duty cutting discs would work well), then split it and remove from the propshaft. All without damaging the propshaft itself!

Only then can you get at your leaky propshaft seals. You should be able to pull these seals without busting into the gearcase. That's an altogether 'nother level of Pain! Especially since the threaded gearcase "nut" aka "bearing carrier cover" requires special tools and they're quite expensive. You'd likely have to destructively remove the ring. It's quite a pain, especially with a Salty Dog motor.

It'll cost you at least $100 for a prop puller like that eBAy one. Likely someone on this forum has a serviceable prop to sell you. But I'd try to find one first, before destroying what you have.

If you want to save that prop, then you have to heat it up until the rubber releases its bond and you can drive the prop off of the rubber hub. Quite a messy job, little burning bits of rubber fly everywhere! You'll need at least a MAPP torch to get this going, a regular propane torch ain't gonna cut it.

So there ya go, cut the prop off or burn it off. Either way it's a fair amount of work. Do what's best for your situation.

FYI, see pic below for examples of bonded-rubber hubs used on boat propellers.

HTH...........ed

I think you are right on the money with it is bonded to the shaft by corrosion. i'm thinking you have done that more than once with the details you offer on what is needed. As much as i like a challenge and learning, I think it is impractical for me to think I can actually get it done. I think I need to look for a different motor maybe someone might be interested in tinkering with the challenges this on offers.
Very nice of you to take the time to write, explain and help me evaluate what to do.
Thanks much

i dont give up easily i manages to get the prop off and a small silver ring . found some fishing line. now what am i looking to take off next? I see a large notched ring inside the housing which is threaded. do i knock that loose?

Also, looking at pictures the carrier assembly does not look anything like what is on my motor compared to the motor parts diagrams
do I have a different lower unit than the original motor ?

thank you

You have the prop off, rubber hub & bronze splinded sleeve still on shaft. Cut rubber length wise & get if off then same with sleeve. Prop is junk.

Silver ring is part of thrust hub. Bronze portion won't come off until you get the above parts off.

Don't touch the big notched nut you see, that holds gearcase together.

I can't make out the 2nd picture. Stand back & take another.

Well, you are certainly determined! Congrats on successfully "de-hubbing" that prop!

As Jim was saying, now you've got the big ol' black rubber hub piece, and the metal center which is bonded to the rubber. Cut the rubber off of there with a saw or something similar.

You need to get down to the metal center so you can score it, then split it open and remove from the prop shaft.

I think I mentioned earlier that a Dremel with good cutting disc would work great for this. Score the entire length of that center metal splined sleeve, with the Dremel. The proper place to score is on the thinnest part of the sleeve (insert), which is where the splines of the prop shaft itself engage the sleeve.

DO NOT go all the way thru the sleeve! You stand a good chance of cutting into the propshaft and damaging it. So go slowly but surely.
Once you have a fairly deep scoring of the metal sleeve, you can use a small chisel to try and split it. Once you split it, you should be able to pry it open further, and then it'll come off.

When you do get that sleeve off of the propshaft, then you have to clean up the propshaft splines. All the rust, corrosion, crud must be cleaned/scraped out of every little nook and cranny of the propshaft splines, until it's clean metal. Any debris left in there, and the new prop won't go on. Yes it is a tight fit!

Once you get that all apart, you'll notice there's another big washer back there, that's the thrust hub for the propshaft. It just comes off, it's sitting on a bevel. It might be a bit stuck, just like the big brass washer under the propnut. So you may have to heat it and work it a bit, if it doesn't come off easily.

When that's all done, you'll have the back end of the gearcase in all of its full glory!

Do Not beat on the flanges of the gearcase locknut. That's not gonna get it out. You need a special tool called a "cover wrench" to remove that threaded nut. And corrosion products can get in the way of that, too.

Then you have to heat the outside of the gearcase and use penetrating oil.

But there is a way that you might try, that sometimes works; Punch a small hole in the 1st seal; screw-in a deck screw or similar, and using that screw with a pair of Vise Grips, pull out the seal. The 2nd seal is pulled out the same way. You have to be careful not to thread that screw way in, or you could damage a bearing or other critical surface. You just need to get a "bite" on the seal and pull it out.

Or you can make your own seal removal tool, such as what this guy did:



The seal is pretty tight to the propshaft, so you might have less height on the part that catches the seal from the inside. But it probably would work. There are commercially-available seal pullers with similar construction.

Check out this Lisle seal puller tool, it has a nice, hardened hook that should fit in there nicely:

www.amazon.com/Lisle-58430-Shaft-Type-Puller/dp/B000FPYW4K

Anyway, I'm getting ahead of my self. Good Luck with the Cutting!!

thanks, now i realize that the rubber is just part of the propeller section and i have a lot more to do before i get to the gear and seals,

appreciate you looking and commenting

now I am getting a better understanding of what still has to be done. thanks for that detailed explanation. i did look for videos but they all seem to start with the prop off. And that guy did a nice job of making a puller himself. I will keep posting progress, but sadly we have been having a lot of on and off raining. Thanks for checking in

Well, it's hotter than the Blazes today in the PNW! A far cry from previous Spring weather this year. Supposed to rain sometime but then nicer days after that. Lots to do outdoors but gotta find that sweet spot, not too hot, too cold, or too rainy! I know, I'm fussy!! Fortunately we have had a lot of much nicer days here, recently.

Good Luck with your weather and your project!!

www.marineengine.com/parts/mercury-outboard-parts/350/1960827-thru-2874703/gear-housing-assembly-complete-page-2

This should be the parts breakdown (I guessed on your S/N).

I believe the silver ring you referenced is item 81 & is generally pressed onto the thrust hub, #80.

thank you very much for all this help,
ok here is where i am now. not easy but i got it off.
I am ordering a wrench from Amazon to get the washer ring off as the next step

Before trying to take the "guts" out, I'd try one of those seal pullers or even a deck screw into the seal, it should pull or pry out if you're careful.

Then you don't have to break the gearcase seal and replace the large O-ring that's inside there. Plus there are many times when that gearcase cover "nut" won't come loose no matter what you do to it. Then you have to destroy it to get the gearcase apart.

Of course then you have to be really careful not to damage the internal threads on the gearcase. And you have to buy a new gearcase cover nut, which fortunately they're not too much $$$. Or didn't used to be, at any rate!

A couple of tips: 1st, there is usually a stainless steel locking tab washer behind the gearcase cover nut, you have to bend down any tab you see or the nut is never gonna loosen.

2nd, you'll probably need a slide hammer to pull the propshaft along with the bearing carrier out of the gearcase. It ain't gonna just fall out of there, I guarantee it! Some heat on the exterior of the gearcase will help.

Good progress, though, you are pretty much a Mercury Prop Removal Expert Now!!

ok i left it in and worked on getting those rings out. I did good with the first one, but the second one was my down fall. the top one the rubber was facing out, the second one was facing inward, but it was not coming out with the dry wall screws and then i ended up breaking off a part of the casing. So I guess i going to have to pull it all out and replace the casing piece. i was being careful of the shaft but did not think that part could snap under some pressure. i will keep posting but now i have to wait for the tool and parts. a real learning process thanks for all your help
maybe i could use some JB Weld LOL

With the amount of crud, it's probably best to disassemble & repair.
The proper seal installation is as you found it, lips in then lips out.

I have my doubts if that spanner nut will readily come out. After bending the tabs out if the way you will need a special wrench to loosen the nut (and also to reassembled it).

If it fights you, I recommend drilling the nut carefully with a 5/16 bit so it collapses and then it will unthread easily.
Start soaking the bearing carrier with penetrating oil at the treads AND at the inner bore.

Good Advice!

Best advice I can give is, if it doesn't seem to be working out, STOP and ask for some help. That way you can learn from OUR mistakes, which costs you less $$ !

I'm thinking this is the bearing carrier you need, but don't order anything until you get yours out and can find the part number on the side. Or, let us know your motor's serial # so the proper part can be looked up:

This 53014 propshaft bearing carrier fits many models of the 44 cubic inch 4-cylinder Mercs as well. Such as the 50hp. So there are a lot of 'em out there.

This NOS part at eBay is less than half-price of a new one, it already has new seals and a new roller bearing installed.

https://www. ebay .com/itm/234978346949

To use the above link, copy then paste into your browser and remove the spaces. This site STILL parses eBay links, DUMB!

Or copy the item # and paste into the eBay search box. It'll bring it right up. Less than $45 shipped, plus tax. A new one at Marineengine.com will cost you around $107 shipped plus tax.

Keep soaking that Bad Boy. FYI, a mixture of 50 percent ATF and 50 percent acetone, is a more effective penetrant than PB Blaster or even Kroil. Very flammable, no open flames around this stuff!

Kroil is my go to. With that and several heating & cooling cycles it should come apart.
Ed's blend works well too but as he said don't apply heat.

thank you'
i have looked at some videos and i do not see those guys having these issues. i guess i'm the first to ever take these parts off in what ever 40 -50 years

I do appreciate all the ideas thanks

Ed-mc , i did look at the ebay one but also found one that said for 350 which is the motor i have and about the same price so i ordered that and a tool from amazon. i will keep updating this and appreciate all the time and advice you offer

quick heads up, i have not been able to get a tool to remove the large washer even tried auto parts stores. i may have to try to cut and hammer it off. but now we are heading out for almost two weeks visiting kids grandkids so it has t wait.

thank you all for your ideas i will be back at it later