2003 Mercury 4 stroke outboard prop issues

swilson3828

Recruit
Joined
Sep 20, 2012
Messages
2
Hello and thanks for reading this.

I have a 2003 Bass Tracker with a 2003 25 hp Mercury outboard on it. The motor is in immaculate shape. The issue Im having deals with the prop. I was going forward very slowly and I hit a sunken stump in the water. I move on past the stump and turned the boat around and went back the other way for about 100 yards. I stop the boat, put down the anchor and fish for about an hour. I'm getting ready to leave so I lower the trim, start the motor and push the throttle forward and the boat doesn't go anywhere. I put it in reverse and it doesn't go anywhere, so I troll what turns out to be about 2 1/2 hours to get to the landing. I load the boat and look at the prop and there isn't any visible damage to the prop or rudder. I know I his something whether it was a sunken stump or just the bottom (depth finder wasn't reading properly and I thought water was a little deeper.) Nonetheless I can turn the prop freely clockwise and coun terclockwise when it's in gear, and the typical slight grinding noise I have heard when I shift into forward and reverse isn't being made anymore. As a matter of fact when I move the gear shifter forward I don't hear any clinking or anything that sounds like its going into gear, nor do I hear it when I shift it in reverse. I checked the cables and the little arm that is controlled by the cables that sits on the side of the motor and that's still working fine. My first thought would be the prop sheer pin was sheered, but being that I was able to tuern the boat around and move it AFTER I hit whatever it was I hit has me stumpe. Any ideas or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks so much.
 

steelespike

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Apr 26, 2002
Messages
19,069
Re: 2003 Mercury 4 stroke outboard prop issues

I don't think it has a shear pin take a look for one.
Look under the cowel watch the action of the linkage.
You may have damaged the linkage there.
In gear the prop should ratchet one way and engage in the other.
It does sound like its not engaging hopefully something under the cowl and not in the gear case.
 

swilson3828

Recruit
Joined
Sep 20, 2012
Messages
2
Re: 2003 Mercury 4 stroke outboard prop issues

I don't think it has a shear pin take a look for one.
Look under the cowel watch the action of the linkage.
You may have damaged the linkage there.
In gear the prop should ratchet one way and engage in the other.
It does sound like its not engaging hopefully something under the cowl and not in the gear case.

Hey THANKS for the response.

Thank the good lord I did a closer inspection today of the throttle and transmission cables and found the transmission shift cable clip had come off, allowing the transmission cable to slip off the pin. Slipped the pin back on, put the clip back in place, snapped it shut, and all is well! I thought it was really odd that after I hit the bottom or the stump or whatever it was I was able to throttle past it, turn it around, go past it again about 25 yards, stop the boat and turn it off and fish for an hour only for the prop not to turn when I started it again, especially with the shift lever suddenly having no tension on it at all when shifted in forward and reverse. Didn't sound like a spun hub, nor did it sound like a broken gear. I had a hunch it was something with the cable. Thanks goodness I was right for once lol
 
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