Mercury Mariner 200, 225 Optimax Outboards Service Manual, 90-855348, Page 389Get this manual
9Place flat washers onto studs (located on either side of drive shaft housing)Start nut on these studs and tighten finger-tight10Start bolt at rear of gear housing inside trim tab recessDO NOT tighten bolt at this time11Recheck shift shaft spline engagement and correct if necessary IMPORTANT: Do not force gear case up into place with attaching nuts12Evenly tighten nuts which were started in Step 9Torque to 55 lbft(74.5 Nm)13After nuts (located on either side of drive shaft housing) are tightenedcheck shift operation as follows: aPlace guide block anchor pin into forward gear positionRotate flywheel clockwise (viewed from top)propeller shaft should rotate clockwisebPlace guide block anchor pin into NEUTRAL positionPropeller shaft should rotate freely clockwisecounterclockwisecPlace guide block anchor pin into REVERSE gear positionRotate flywheel clockwise (viewed from top); propeller shaft should rotate counterclockwise