I've got a 2008 Nissan 6 (NSF6) with maybe 20 hours on it.
At about 10 hours - the lower unit failed and the gears in it were replaced under warranty. Since the lower unit was fixed it's been working flawlessly. Yesterday I took it out and after about 30 minutes operation I had a hard time getting it out of forward and into reverse but it did go. No gear grinding or anything. The next time I wanted to stop it wouldn't come out of forward gear at all and hasn't since. I was able to pull the cover and hold the mechanism that keeps you from starting it in gear up with my thumb. This allowed me to start it in gear and avoid a VERY VERY long paddle back to the landing.
I tried to get it into neutral while pulling the start-cord and moving the prop by hand...it simply will not come out of forward gear. I pulled as hard on the shift handle as I dared w/o breaking it...it flexes quite a bit
I should point out - I'm very careful about this motor and never ever shift it unless it's at idle rpm. There has been no indication of the problem till now.
It's still under warranty so I guess I'll be taking it back to the dealer again but I do have a couple of questions:
Is there some other technique I should be trying to get it out of gear and avoid having to leave it at the dealer during the busy time of year for them?
I use this motor to access VERY remote locations for cave diving and specifically selected this one because of it's reputation for reliability and fuel economy. In a large percentage of outings with this motor - my return home has been in question. Physical exertion(like paddling upstream) right after an extreme dive can easily trigger decompression sickness. Do I need to be looking at selling this one and finding something else?
At about 10 hours - the lower unit failed and the gears in it were replaced under warranty. Since the lower unit was fixed it's been working flawlessly. Yesterday I took it out and after about 30 minutes operation I had a hard time getting it out of forward and into reverse but it did go. No gear grinding or anything. The next time I wanted to stop it wouldn't come out of forward gear at all and hasn't since. I was able to pull the cover and hold the mechanism that keeps you from starting it in gear up with my thumb. This allowed me to start it in gear and avoid a VERY VERY long paddle back to the landing.
I tried to get it into neutral while pulling the start-cord and moving the prop by hand...it simply will not come out of forward gear. I pulled as hard on the shift handle as I dared w/o breaking it...it flexes quite a bit
I should point out - I'm very careful about this motor and never ever shift it unless it's at idle rpm. There has been no indication of the problem till now.
It's still under warranty so I guess I'll be taking it back to the dealer again but I do have a couple of questions:
Is there some other technique I should be trying to get it out of gear and avoid having to leave it at the dealer during the busy time of year for them?
I use this motor to access VERY remote locations for cave diving and specifically selected this one because of it's reputation for reliability and fuel economy. In a large percentage of outings with this motor - my return home has been in question. Physical exertion(like paddling upstream) right after an extreme dive can easily trigger decompression sickness. Do I need to be looking at selling this one and finding something else?
