MARINE PROPULSION DEVICE WITH ANCHORING MEANS FOR PROPELLER SHAFT BEARING CARRIER

摘要

Disclosed herein is a lower unit for a marine propulsion device including a drive shaft housing, a gearcase housing connected to the end lower of the drive shaft housing and having an interior wall defining an elongated, axially extending cavity, a propeller shaft extending axially in the gearcase housing cavity and carrying a propeller, and a hollow bearing carrier member generally encircling the propeller shaft and carrying a bearing for rotatably supporting the propeller shaft in the gearcase housing cavity. The bearing carrier member is removably fastened by bolts or the like to a resilient, annular anchoring element which fits into and frictionally engages an internal annular groove in the gearcase housing to retain the bearing carrier against the axial displacement relative to the gearcase housing and to minimize rotation of the bearing carrier relative to the gearcase housing. The bearing carrier member includes a radially extending rib which registers with a gap provided in the anchoring element to automatically index the bearing carrier member with the anchoring element during assembly.