Can't get SE206 to line up

[Tourney3p0]

I've turned the shift rod CW while turning the propshaft CCW. The propshaft no longer ratchets at this point and the propshaft turns CW when I turn the driveshaft CW. I put the powerhead into forward by pressing the control all the way forward. The instructions mention that you should put the shift cable into forward by adjusting it manually. Is this necessary, or can I put it in forward like usual using the remote control?

When trying to slide the lower unit into place, it gets stuck maybe an inch and a half away from where it should be. I'm temporarily omitting the water pump tube to make sure I'm not getting stuck on that. I'm a good half inch away from the shift rod, so I'm not getting stuck on that either. All the bolts seem to be lining up, so I don't think that's it.

I suspect the driveshaft splines are not lining up. The instructions say to install a prop and turn it CCW to align it. Is it necessary to fully install the prop for this, or can I spin the propshaft? I ask because the propshift is still ratcheted at this point, so I can't spin it in either direction.

I've never done this before so I'm probably missing something obvious. I appreciate any help.

[admin]

You’ve turned the shift shaft the correct way to put the unit in forward gear. You are unable to remove the water pump tube. You have removed the guide tube which makes lining up the brass tube in the midsection and the waterpump very hard. It may be what is holding you up at this point. You do not need to completely install a prop to turn the propshaft. The propshaft is not ratcheting. Turn it harder to get the driveshaft to spin a little to align the splines to the crankshaft. It will be hard because of the water pump impeller is resisting you.

We suggest that you fully remove the shift cable so that any possible misadjust of the cable will not keep you from aligning the shift shafts to each other. You then adjust the cable to fit the new drive before reinstalling it.

Tech support

[Tourney3p0]

For anyone who runs into something similar in the future, nothing I did on the bottom end would get it to line up. I ended up having to manually move the flywheel a bit. It then lined up and everything was fine.