1987 evinrude 50hp no forward or reverse

[mkoz]

A friend of mine has an '87 50hp rude which apparently quit going into forward or reverse. <br />He said when this happened he first lost forward and reverse still worked but quit soon after. Is this a common problem and what is a good place to start the troubleshooting process? Are diagrams for the lower unit available somewhere on the net? Any help or prod in the right direction would be great.<br /><br />Mike (mkoz99@yahoo.ca)

 

[DJ]

Re: 1987 evinrude 50hp no forward or reverse

First off, is the linkage moving under the hood?<br /><br />If so, look under the bottom carburetor. There is a shaft that comes up from the lower unit. That is the shift shaft. Does it move, up and down, with the linkage?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 1987 evinrude 50hp no forward or reverse

You might also disconnect the shift cable on the engine and try to shift it manually. If it works, there is a cable adjustment, cable, or control box problem. If it doesn't shift manually, do what DJ says. If everything is connnected properly, you have a lower unit problem.

 

[llfish]

Re: 1987 evinrude 50hp no forward or reverse

I may be wrong but I think you need to rotate the prop as you try and shift manually.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 1987 evinrude 50hp no forward or reverse

Rotating the prop is one way to tell if the lower unit is in or out of gear. Spinning the engine over with the starter (muffs on of course) is another.

 

[mkoz]

Re: 1987 evinrude 50hp no forward or reverse

Looks like the lower unit is toast. Anybody got a good used one?<br /><br />Mike (mkoz99@yahoo.ca)