280 penta outdrive issues

[tbergh]

Greetings. I have a 28' 1982 Bayliner Contessa. 454 mercruiser, 280 penta 1.61 ratio. After a recent haul out(replaced cracked fork ). New bellows, ujoints, ect... Got her out to sea, she ran beautiful. As soon as I got her back into the harbor she stopped moving. I had full reverse, but she would not move into forward gear. Needed a tow back to the slip. Thought I may have "spun the hub" removed the prop. Started boat, put her in forward. I can physically grab the spline while she is in gear(little or no movement), put her into reverse and the spline spins like it should. My next check will be to pull the cover where the shifting mechanism is to make sure she is fully engaged. Anyone out there ever had this issue? Is there possibly internal damage? The Lower helm control is quite sticky(hard to get into forward) Flybridge controls are smooth but still will not fully engage in forward gear.
regards, Tom

 

[DJ]

Re: 280 penta outdrive issues

This appears to be a drive issue, not a prop issue.

I'll move it to the I/O section.

 

[captmello]

Re: 280 penta outdrive issues

Welcome!

Sounds like your on the right track. Pull the shift cover off, like you said, and make sure its shifting completely. Let us know what you find.

 

[tbergh]

Re: 280 penta outdrive issues

Thank you for the reply. Get back to you after the weekend with an update.

 

[tbergh]

Re: 280 penta outdrive issues

Here is an update on my outdrive. Disconnected both shifting cables from shifting mech. Cables move smoothly. Oil in drive is in perfect condition, no milky residue With the outdrive in neutral, started the boat. Lifted the drive up to gain access to manually engage mechanism. I am still having the same problem. Full reverse, slipping in forward. The boat is in the water by the way. No funky noises or clunking. Possible internal problem?
Tom

 

[captmello]

Re: 280 penta outdrive issues

Possible internal problem?

Seems like it. Very hard to diagnose while in the water.