85hp Mercury ThunderBolt Gear Engaging problem

[fomoco-gnatsum]

Help My motor just started shaking violently when I put the motor in FORWARD and reverse! It Started out doing this just in forward so I adjusted the gear selector cable @ the motor (moved the brass turnbuckle closer to the cable end) thinking this would pull it into drive more it just got worse! now it shakes in forward and reverse. How can I adjust this correctly before I shake the motor right off the transom or is there more to this problem than the engine control

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: 85hp Mercury ThunderBolt Gear Engaging problem

Is it a shaking like the gears aren't meshing correctly, or is it simply a more-or-less silent vibration? If it's just a heavy vibration, I'd check the propeller for damage, or perhaps the propshaft is bent? If it's a loud grinding sound, then you may have some shift linkage out of whack, or perhaps the shift cam down in the lower unit is worn. <br /><br />You can check for a bent propshaft by spinning the propeller in neutral and watching the center of the propshaft. If it wobbles, the shaft is bent.<br /><br />I've seen severely spun propeller hubs create a good deal of vibration if the propeller becomes off-center to the centerline.<br /><br />- Scott