Force 5 Hp stuck in forward gear removing drive shaft

[Captmn]

The shift lever on a used outboard I just purchased wouldn't move. In diagnosing the problem, I first seperated the foot from the motor and was able to shift between neutral and forward using the shift road. While in forward I could also spin the prop which would turn the drive shaft. That was good news, so I thought. While i had the foot off, I pulled the water pump apart to see if it needed servicing (including removal of the drive shaft).

After reinstalling the drive shaft & water pump assembly I found that the prop would no longer spin in either the neutral or forward position. I've tried moving the shift linkage in and out a few times but still no luck.

I should also mention that I tried removing the water pump assembly and drive shaft and still the prop will not move more than a few degrees

Any ideas on what I may have done wrong and how to fix this?

Mercury Force 5hp S/N 0E072844

thanks for your help

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Force 5 Hp stuck in forward gear removing drive shaft

The pinion is probably cocked inside the gearcase. Try a couple of times more to reinsert the driveshaft and if no joy, then open the gearcase and remove the shaft, dog clutch and reverse gear. Now reach in and while holding the pinion reinsert the drive shaft.

What you did wrong was to remove the drive shaft to change the water pump impeller--it was not necessary.

 

[Boatdoc58]

Re: Force 5 Hp stuck in forward gear removing drive shaft

Good call Frank...
But now from personal experience, before gutting the lower, remove the water pump, get a flashlight and look down the hole the drive shaft came out of and see if you can see the pinion gear. If you see it is out of line with the opening CAREFULLY rotate the prop shaft to move it into alignment and then put the drive shaft back in and wiggle it in with a slight back and forth turning motion.
Good luck...keep us posted.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Force 5 Hp stuck in forward gear removing drive shaft

That's why I told him to try a couple of times more. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't.

 

[Captmn]

Re: Force 5 Hp stuck in forward gear removing drive shaft

Boatdoc58 and Frank,

Hey guys, I was able to nudge the pinion gear back into place, reinsert the drive shaft and now all is well. The trick was to invert the foot and the pinion dropped in place. Thank you for your help. Very much appreciated.

Oh BTW, my shift problem was with the lever itself. I had to pull the power head to access it. A little disassembly some clean up and a bit of grease and I was back in business.

Thanks again guys.

Iboats is a great site!