Gearbox dismantling?

[paddlers]

I have a Mariner with a badly damaged cavitation plate that I am considering getting welded. Having done a bit of research it seems to be wise to strip it to avoid damage to the seals. Is it a major task for the home workshop or best left to a marine workshop?

[uncle al]

Most if not all of the mar/merc gearhousings require special tools,also the service manuals on all merc/mar range say that seals should always be changed when rebuilding a gearhousing, and and when re-built the gearhousing should be preasure tested which is best before refitting.

[paddlers]

Thanks for that, looking at it I'm hopeful that if the welders patient it won't damage the internals!

[jyasaki]

Hmmm. You're risking more than the seals. If they are damaged, you get water ingress, then destroy the gears and bearings. I suppose a pressure test after the welding would go a long ways in enduring integrity, but I'd personally go the dismantling route.

jky

[uncle al]

I would never weld a gearhousing without stripping the inards out first, and I would never refit it without replacing all seals and preasure testing as well,I just wrote above what would be required to do the job.