Saving Old Seagulls

hi all
i finally got the frozen piston out following all the directions from the group. i had soaked it in diesel fuel heated it and used penetrating oil. roasted it on the bbq for an hour still not moving. so it went into the freezer for an hour and a half and it came out rather easily.
i have read the manual and nowhere does it mention the amount of play on the gear. i have taken the filling bolt off and there was oil in the gear box so i figured i'd leave well enough alone. but if you pull up on the crown gear shaft it will come up about a 1/4 inch. when you turn the prop you can hear the clicking of the gears turning against each other. is this normal or do i have to take the gear box apart and replace something ??

thanks for the help

greg

1/4" play is far too much.

Take the prop off and then see how much the shaft moves, it should not be very much I would say about 1/32"nd max.
There is a thrust washer that fits between the crown wheel and the end cap, this sets the gear mesh whilst under load.

I have taken gearboxes apart that have not had the thrust washer in, they are easily lost as they sometimes stick to the cap when you take that off.

If I were you I would take the end cap off and have a look.

H-A

hi all and H A
i removed the prop. the prop bearing is worn so it will get replaced. with the drive shaft down there isn't any play on the prop shaft. with the drive shaft lifted there is about an 1/8 inch on play on the prop shaft. it raises a few questions. does the square drive shaft push down on the crown gear ? and is there a way to get the 1/4 inch play out of the crown gear

thanks
greg