Trying to help out father-in-law\Won't go into gear?

[Mr Incredible]

I'm new to boating and I'm trying to help my father-in-law out. He has a 1990 Bayliner with the V6, 4.3 I guess. I wasn't with him when it stopped working, but he says it just stopped going to gear. He has talked to a mechanic about it and was told that "it's probably the gear drive between the motor and the lower unit." I was just wondering if that sounds correct to you experts out there? How can I check? If it is the gear drive where is a good place to find parts and an instruction manual?

Thanks for the help.

 

[thrasher]

Re: Trying to help out father-in-law\Won't go into gear?

If it won't go into gear, then I doubt it's the gear drive. If it goes into gear and the prop doesn't turn then it might be the drive.
If it is not going into gear, then it is probably the shift cable that has broken or gone out of adjustment. Depending on the engine and drive that you have, it should be fairly easy to replace the shift cable, but you will need to have the boat out of the water to do the work. Count on a full day to do it yourself. See if you can find the manufacturers manuals (NOT Seloc) as it will make the job much easier.
If you can tell us which drive you have we can start to give ideas about how to check the cause. Is it a Volvo, OMC or Mercruiser drive? Whats the serial number? What year is it?

Gary

 

[wcsparky05]

Re: Trying to help out father-in-law\Won't go into gear?

i had this problem on my '89 merc 4 cyl 3 ltre. my prop would click when turned by hand in neutral. i adjusted the shift cable play area, oval shaped adjustment on top of engine, and that fixed it for a bit until i shifted through a few times. ultimately, i had to open up the all thread about 7 turns to get it right. if i remember correctly, and i think i do, in full fwd, prop should lock ccw and spin freely cw. and just the opp in rev. but in neutral should spin free w/o any noise. that will ruin your clutch dog. dont do that. or you probably need new lower unit shift cables. good luck!

 

[Mr Incredible]

Re: Trying to help out father-in-law\Won't go into gear?

Thanks for the ideas. I wasn't sure what info was needed to make a good assessment. I'll get over there and get the numbers and brand name off of the drive. And I'll take a look at the cable. I'm also not sure if it is going in to gear or not, I'll have to ask him if he's sure it's going into gear.

 

[shamrock220]

Re: Trying to help out father-in-law\Won't go into gear?

Mercruiser drive? If so disconnect the lower shift cable and push in should be forward pull out should be reverse. For adjustment check out mercstuff.com Maybe post outdrive and others who know other then merc will help

 

[Mr Incredible]

Re: Trying to help out father-in-law\Won't go into gear?

Here's an email from my wife. I had her ask her dad some more questions and this is what I found out:

OK So here's what I've found out! It's not the shift cable he said that he checked it. When he puts it into gear it starts to whine and you can hear stuff moving but nothing happens. I got these numbers from my dad of of the Boat it's self:
Engine Serial: OC860162
Trans Serial: OD318961
Drive Serial: OD314902
Vin# BJYD37CXA090
It's a Mercruiser drive. Hope this helps.

Oh I Forgot it's a ALPHA 1 4.3/ V-6. And i found a book on it.




Sounds like it is the gear drive. What do you think? How hard is that to replace? Where do I get parts?

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Trying to help out father-in-law\Won't go into gear?

In or out of the water?? Could be something as simple as a spun prop hub.

 

[firehog6305]

Re: Trying to help out father-in-law\Won't go into gear?

if you have to fix the outdrive take a look her


http://www.boatfix.com/merc/Servmanl/6/6B3R3.PDF

 

[Mr Incredible]

Re: Trying to help out father-in-law\Won't go into gear?

In or out of the water?? Could be something as simple as a spun prop hub.

It is out of the water. How do I check for a spun hub?

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Trying to help out father-in-law\Won't go into gear?

It is out of the water. How do I check for a spun hub?

I doubt a spun hub would show up out of the water, thats why I asked the question. That said the shaft and prop retaining nut would still turn.