Suzuki outboard motors 1988 2003 repair manual., Page 286Get this manual
8-18 LOWER UNIT Forward GearPinion Gear
Figure 16 See
The following steps need to be performed prior to adjustmentI Install forward gear bearing, back-up shim, forward gear, and forward gear thrust washerInstall thrust washer, thrust bearing, thrust washer, pinion back-up shim and pinion gear When installing the forward gear back-up shim, choose the shim thinner than the design specification for calculating adjustment"ACT
2Slide drive shaft assembly down into the gearcase and install the pinion gear on the driveshaft splines3Install the pinion gear circlip4Prior to checking the tooth contact pattern, be sure slight amount of backlash exists between the pinion gear and forward gear by slightly rotating the driveshaft or forward gear by handIf there is no backlash, reduce back-up shim thicknessIf there is too much backlash, increase the back-up shim thicknessTooth bottom05008G76
5This is the optimum tooth contactDoing shim adjustment may be necessary to obtain this contact pattern6An example of incorrect top side toe contactTo correct this condition, decrease the forward gear shim thickness and slightly increase the pinion gear shim thickness Optimum tooth contact
approx13 of tooth width
Fig16 Prior to checking the tooth contact pattern, be sure slight amount of backlash exists between the pinion gear and forward gear by slightly rotating the driveshaft or forward gear by hand