Mercury Quicksilver NEW OEM 23-30676A1 Shift Shaft Bushing Assy Lower Unit 0810

Mercury Quicksilver Shift Shaft Bushing Assy — Part Number 23-30676A1

Brand: Mercury Quicksilver | Condition: New Old Stock (NOS)

Genuine Mercury Quicksilver shift shaft bushing assembly, part number 23-30676A1, for the gear housing on a wide range of vintage Mercury and Mariner outboards. This is the bushing assembly that supports and seals the vertical shift shaft where it passes down into the top of the lower unit. It does two jobs at once: it locates the shift shaft so the shift linkage stays precise, and it seals that penetration so water stays out of the gear housing. When this bushing wears or its seal hardens, lake water finds its way into the gear lube — which is exactly how a gearcase ends up full of milky oil and, a season later, with pitted gears and a failed bearing. It is a small assembly guarding a very expensive part of the motor.

This is a $90 to $101 part at current retail, and it is special order everywhere — Mercury’s distribution chain shows it as non-stocked with seven to ten day lead times and, at most sellers, no returns once the order is placed. This one is on the shelf and ready to ship.

Condition Details

New Old Stock — never installed, never fitted to a gear housing. This assembly has been in dealer or distributor inventory and is sold exactly as it came off the shelf. Packaging may show shelf wear, dust, handling creases, faded or discolored printing, old price stickers, or shelf dirt from long-term storage, and the bag or box may have been opened for inventory counting. The bushing and its components are new and unused. As with any long-stored rubber or elastomer component, please inspect on arrival and contact me if anything looks less than serviceable to you — I will make it right rather than argue about it. Please see the photos for the exact contents of the package. If you want the genuine Mercury part without a week and a half of special-order waiting, this is the listing for you.

Specifications

• Part Type: Shift shaft bushing assembly
• Mercury / Quicksilver Part Number: 23-30676A1 (also catalogued as 30676A1 and 23-30676A-1)
• UPC: 745061073753
• Location: Gear housing (lower unit) — shift shaft entry
• Diagram Group: Gear Housing Assembly, Complete — reference 16
• Function: Supports and seals the vertical shift shaft at the gearcase
• Sold As: Assembly — see photos for exact contents
• Condition: New Old Stock

A note on the part number: the “23” prefix is Mercury’s internal category code for bushings and bearings, not a reference or quantity. The part appears in catalogues as 23-30676A1, 23-30676A-1 and plain 30676A1, all of which are the same item. The “A1” suffix indicates an assembly rather than a single loose piece.

Mercury does not publish dimensional data for this assembly — no bore, outside diameter, height or seal size appears in any catalogue or retail listing. If you need a measurement to compare against the bushing you are replacing, message me and I will put calipers on it and send you the actual figures.

Superseded & Cross Reference Part Numbers

• Mercury 23-30676A1
• Mercury 23-30676A-1
• Mercury 30676A1
• Quicksilver 23-30676A1

There is no supersession on this part — Mercury never replaced it with a newer number, and it remains the current and only part number for this application.

Features

• Genuine Mercury Quicksilver OEM part, not an aftermarket substitute
• Complete assembly, not a bare bushing — see photos for contents
• Correct bore and seal specification for the Mercury shift shaft
• Protects the gearcase from water intrusion at the shift shaft, the most commonly overlooked water entry point on a lower unit
• Fits an unusually broad span of vintage Mercury and Mariner models
• No current stock anywhere in the supply chain — every seller lists it as special order with a 7–10 day lead time
• Most sellers mark this part non-returnable once ordered; this one ships from stock with a 30-day return policy
• Inexpensive insurance against a gearcase rebuild

Application

Vintage Mercury and Mariner outboard gear housings, documented in the factory Gear Housing Assembly parts group at reference 16. Confirmed fitment covers the following Mercury models and horsepower designations:

• Merc 39 and Merc 40 (single cylinder)
• 4 and 4.5 HP (single cylinder)
• Merc 45
• Merc 60
• 7.5 and 9.8 HP
• Merc 75 and Merc 110
• 20 HP and Merc 200
• 39 and 40 (single cylinder) serial ranges

In practical terms that is roughly 3.9 HP through 20 HP across the single- and twin-cylinder vintage lineup, spanning serial ranges from the 1,655,013-and-up era through the 4,107,219 ranges — broadly mid-1960s into the mid-1980s, depending on model.

Important note on Mercury model numbers, because catalogues get this wrong: on vintage Mercury outboards the model designation is roughly ten times the horsepower. Merc 39 is a 3.9 HP motor, Merc 75 is a 7.5 HP motor, Merc 200 is a 20 HP motor. Several parts retailers list this bushing’s fitment as “39 HP” or “75 HP,” which is a mislabelling of the model name — there was never a single-cylinder 39 HP Mercury. If you have seen this part listed against a 75 HP engine somewhere, that is a data error, not a different application.

Confirm fitment by your engine’s serial number, which is how Mercury organised parts for this era — the gear housing diagram for your serial range will show 30676A1 at reference 16 if this is your part. Send me your model and serial number and I will check it for you before you buy.

Why Choose Mercury Quicksilver?

Quicksilver is Mercury Marine’s own parts brand, which means a Quicksilver part is not an equivalent of the factory part — it is the factory part, in Mercury’s own packaging, to Mercury’s own specification. On a sealing bushing that matters in a very direct way. The assembly has to hold the shift shaft concentric while sealing against water pressure at depth, through heat cycling and through years of shift loads, and the clearances involved are small enough that an approximate substitute either binds the shift shaft or leaks. There is no meaningful aftermarket for this part, which tells you something: nobody has found a way to make it cheaper and still have it work. Given that the alternative is a week-and-a-half special order at up to $101, with no returns accepted, buying the genuine part from stock is the straightforward choice.

Returns

30-day return policy. If this part is not right for your application, open a return request through eBay within 30 days of delivery and I will take care of it. That is worth noting on this particular part, since most sellers in the Mercury supply chain mark it non-returnable and non-cancellable once ordered. Please confirm fitment by model and serial number before ordering where you can — I am happy to help you check.

Thank you for looking at this listing. QBS Parts, Inc has been supplying hard-to-find and discontinued marine, industrial and engine parts for years, and we know that when you are mid-job on a boat the part you need is the part you need. Everything we list is inspected before it goes out the door and described as honestly as we can describe it.

If anything about this part is not what you expected, or if you have a question about fitment, measurements, or what is in the package, please contact us first and give us the chance to make it right. We would much rather solve a problem for you directly than have you leave feedback about one. A message gets answered quickly and we will do whatever we reasonably can to sort it out.

QBS Parts, Inc — Gardena, CA