I'm having trouble getting my XR/XZ drive to go back on. I run into this everytime I try to put them back on. It seems to go on to a certain point and then it's stuck there. I've gotten the drive shaft to go into the coupler but it hags up after that. I've tried spinning the drive shaft, lifting the drive higher and lower but it just won't go all the way in. I'm probably about
1-1/2" from getting it all the way on but that's as far as it will go. Anyone have any tricks or suggestions on how to get this on??

Sounds like you are hanging up on the shift link. You want to put the boat's shifter in nuetral and then pull the shift link al the way out on the drive, you can do it with needle nose pliers. when you shove the drive on make sure the cable end is linning up with the shift link, you can use a small screwdriver to help it out if it needs it, then just give it a good shove and it will pop the drive back into nuetral as the shift cable pops into the shift link. You may also have an alignment issue, might want to take it to a shop and have the alignment checked while you have the drive off. Another thing that makes it easy is to leave the prop off, which you should do anyway when pulling and intalling the drive to avoid damaging it, and put a pair of vice grips on the prop shaft. Don't clamp em down to tight or you can scew up the splines but they don't need to be very tight nayway. This way as you shove it on you can turn the vice grips with your free hand and since you the drive in gear it will rotate the input shaft until the splines line up with the coupler.

1000

It is not the shifter cable - the jaws are out and the shifter is in neutral. It goes on almost to where the jaws start to engage. It almost seems like part of the housing or the universals are hanging up inside. I've had the same problem with my other drive as well as other XR's that I've helped install. Is this supposed to just slide right in without any binding?

Carefully examine the input shaft at the point just prior to the bearing seat. If there is an indication of the gimbal bearing jamming at that point you probably have an alignment problem. Some input shaft forgings are off a little and the resultant taper to the bearing seat is not perfect. The gimbal bearing bites on this if your aligment is not right on. You need an alignment tool.

Had same problem seems that it is always an alignment problem.Mine were .

Check your alignment.

ditto ditto ditto on the alignment... Along with gimble bearing, universal inspection, Inspect the coupler on that engine as well for any wear......

Good luck!

Try removing the 3 o rings on the shaft and see if it works then. The o rings might be to big.

alignment

need bigger hammer.

Hahahaha