2007 Mercury 250 Pro XS Torquemaster Lower Unit - Drive shaft snapped inside LU

[Longboardebo]

Thanks for the tips gents, especially the one about not taking the nut all the way off. Joe54 that was the trick!

I sprayed the pinion nut and gear top and bottom with PB Blaster and let it soak overnight.

I then put in the Pinion nut tool and wedged it up tight to the pinion nut by pushing on the drive shaft and with the long punch spun the nut off, it came off fairly easily after the first two hits.

About 4 revolutions or so into loosing the nut, I did exactly as Joe54 describes, I put in a flat piece of steel about an inch wide and 3/16" thick and 12" long and wedged it up between the nut and the drive shaft.

Two hits with mallet on the driveshaft towards the pinon nut and what was left of the driveshaft popped right out of the pinion gear. I then spun the pinion nut completely off and volia! Out came the stubby driveshaft and the drive gear. The driveshaft came out quite easily after that!

I can't thank you Joe54 enough for giving me the idea of leaving the nut on, that was the lifesaver!

So now the question is what parts to replace!

The LU had a lot of water in it, so I don't know if I should just go ahead and replace all of the bearings in the LU or not.

Should I worry about the prop shaft where the roller bearings come in contact with it? There is no pitting and it feels clean and smooth. Is there a diameter spec I can measure?

All the gears look clean with no strange wear pattern, the clutch teeth look great no worn teeth and the forward and reverse clutch teeth look great.

Frankly everything except for the bearings on the drive shaft (and of course the drive shaft bevel gear which I whacked with the punch) look great. I found no metal shavings or chips in the LU.

Its clear that the lower driveshaft roller bearing is what caused the failure, its completely fused into one piece with all the roller bearings still there. I knocked it out of the LU and it didn't wear past the race (which is a good thing!)

You guys have far more experience in terms of what's a must replace vs might as well replace since I'm inside it anyway, so I would appreciate your input on this!