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Tricky one! David's removal procedure is good. The next step is unscrewing the yoke from the rod (MF calls it a control spring plunger, roughly 5/8 or 3/4 x 8" with a plate welded to the inner end to hold the spring) which runs through the centre of the spring. And it's always siezed because water gets in the threaded hole in the yoke. Originally, a rubber plug was fitted to plug the hole to keep water out, but they all disappear. (We fill the hole with grease after reassembly.) We hacksaw the rod about midway. You can then get the rod into a vise to hold it, drive out the 1/8" +/- roll pin in the yoke which keeps the rod from turning, heat the yoke, and unscrew it. Once removed, the threads may be cleanable and the rod welded back together. If it buggers the threads in the yoke, they can be cleaned up with a tap. If the rod is too badly corroded or the threads shot, a new one is less than $30. aftermarket. (MF dealers might surprise us too. Sometimes their prices are actually below aftermarket!) When reassembling, the rod threads should be coated with never-sieze, and tightened so the spring is snug, but can still be rotated by hand, and the rod turned to line up the end slots so a new roll pin can be installed. Coating the rest of the rod and spring with grease will reduce future corrosion.
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