I have a Malibu, and I’m taking my motor apart to lift it out. It’s a Mercruiser 350. My question is about the drive shaft. Hopefully I can explain this well enough without a picture. Coming off the engine there’s a round plate that hooks to a brass looking plate that holds the drive shaft. These two plates are held together with 4 bolts. I took the bolts off, and they seem to be still together. <BR> <BR>My question is, does the actual drive shaft go further into the engine? Or should I pry these apart? I’m not sure if they’re just stuck together because they have been for so long, or if there’s something in there holding them together. I don’t want to try to lift the motor out without knowing… don’t want to bend the shaft. Hopefully I’ve explained this well enough for you to know what I’m talking about. <BR> <BR>Any help would be great. <BR>Thanks, <BR>kal

The shaft goes into the coupler and the coupler attaches to the transmission. The four bolts are all you need to undo to disconnect the shaft from the transmission. It will still be tight and you will need to tap it with a soft mallet or pry it apart. Be careful so you do not damage the coupler. If you are not removing the shaft from the boat this is all you need to do. Good luck.

Awesome. Thanks a lot Kevin, that's all I needed to know. <BR> <BR>kal

kevin is correct--all yoou need to do is remove hte 4 bolts. the inside of the coupler has a pertruded collar (if yoou will) to align the coupler to the output flange on the trans. this is what is sticking... good luck