How to Install a Boat Propeller
- 1). Shift the engine's gear box into the Neutral position so that you can turn the propeller shaft as necessary. Remove the leads from the spark plugs to prevent accidental starting.
- 2). Remove the cotter pin from the propeller nut with the pliers and put the cotter pin in your pocket. If your outboard was built by Mercury Marine, use the pliers to bend the tabs on the propeller nut retainer away from the propeller nut.
- 3). Use the wrench--a propeller nut wrench, an adjustable wrench or a combination wrench (one end is an open end wrench, the other a box-end wrench)--to remove the propeller nut.
- 4). Coat the propeller shaft with marine grease of the type recommended by your outboard motor's manufacturer. Slip the propeller onto the propeller shaft.
- 5). Slip the propeller nut retainer on the propeller shaft if your motor was built by Mercury Marine. Thread the propeller nut onto the propeller shaft. Place a block of wood between the propeller and the gear case. Tighten the propeller nut to the torque recommended in your motor operator's manual. If your outboard was built by Mercury Marine, bend the tabs of the propeller nut retainer over the top of the propeller nut. If your outboard motor was built by another manufacturer, slip the cotter pin through the hole in the propeller nut and bend the end of the cotter pin to keep it in place.
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