1974 merc shift problems after impeller change

[richardlee]

I just changed the impeller. I placed the shift/throttle lever into forward prior to pulling lower unit. When I put everything back together, I had to force the lever back into neutral. A slight bump on the lever shifted it back into forward. I was able to start the engine. I decided to adjust the cables. I have them disconnected but the motor is in forward. I didn't want to put too much pressure on the shift mechanism to force it back into neutral. Do I need to drop the lower unit again? I did move the shift/throttle level while the unit was off. I thought I had it back in the same position before putting on the lower unit. Thanks.

 

[Chinewalker]

Yes, you need to drop the unit again. Your shift shaft splines are misaligned. I prefer to keep BOTH the shifter and lower unit in neutral when reassembling as it makes it easier to confirm you're aligned correctly.

 

[merc850]

This is how I do it in about 60 sec.: Turn the LU shift shaft by hand counter-clockwise until it
stops, then with Vise Grips tight on the bottom of the shaft turn it a
few more degrees CCW until it clicks into a stop, this
should be neutral - check by turning propshaft --
prop should spin freely.
Put control in N and go ahead and attach LU to driveshaft housing some turning of the flywheel will help the DS splines align.
Do not shift into reverse unless you turn the prop at the same time.

 

[richardlee]

Thanks for the advice. I had done a lot of reading, some say forward, others neutral. I will drop lu and turn shift shaft according to instructions.

 

[Texasmark]

I prefer N also for the same reasons.

 

[richardlee]

Merc850, thanks for the advice. I finally had time yesterday to drop LU. Only had to drop it far enough to clear shift shaft and didn't need to drop it far enough to disengage the DS splines. Easily switched to neutral. Reinstalled LU. Had to make some minor adjustments to shift and throttle cables. Works great.

 

[richardlee]

Got l/u into neutral. Shifts well into forward, but do not have reverse. Where do I go from here? Thanks.

 

[Chris1956]

Look at the shift slider on the motor. It should be positioned in about the center of the "travel" when the motor is in neutral. If not, the cables and/or shift splines are still out of alignment.

A good test is to disconnect the shift cable and move the slider to the rear and try to engage reverse manually. If that works, then an adjustment will usually work.

 

[richardlee]

thanks Chris1956. Winterized boat yesterday. Will make adjustments next spring.