Mercruiser 140-No Reverse

[mtkbuckeyefan]

Glad to have found this forum and hope that you will be able to figure out my problem.

My first boat...... and I am NOT the biggest mechanic out there so hoping this MIGHT be something easy to fix.

I bought a 1982 Sun Runner 165 Runabout with a Mercruiser 140 motor on it. The HID number on the boat is XUE20164M82. When I purchased the boat reverse was working just fine. Went out on a trip with it and when we went to trailer it I placed the boat in reverse to back up so I could align myself with the trailer. Instantly at that point the boat jerked forward and will no longer go in reverse. When you actually put the shifter in reverse the boat goes FORWARD. So the boat goes forward in both positions on the shifter. When boat is idling....the prop still spins at a slow rate. Enough that when in the water it will propel you forward but at a slow speed. I do not have neutral unless I turn off the boat and then turn it back on without placing it in any forward or reverse position on the shifter. When I run the boat with the ear muffs on it I can see that no matter which direction I put the shifter on the boat in, the propeller moves in the same direction confirming that there is no reverse but forward propulsion in either shift position.

Now the funny thing.....I was out in it yesterday and for a VERY brief minute....I had REVERSE. I actually kept the boat in reverse for a few yards to know that it was working. When I put it into neutral and then back into reverse the thing went forward again. So, I lost reverse again. I know the boat works in reverse. It is just having trouble finding it....

Can anyone walk me through a fix with this? Does this sound like an easy fix for someone who isn't the most mechanically inclined? (I know that many of you will say that owning a boat one should know how to fix it.....This is my first attempt at boat ownership and hopefully I will one day be able help someone out as hopefully one of you will help me out)

If there are any YouTube videos that someone can point me to I would be so appreciative of the information.

Thanks in advance,
Mike

 

[ktbarrentine]

Kind of off topic, but since this boat is new to you, when was the last time the outdrive was off for maintenance (i.e. replacing the impeller, checking the u-joints, condition of bellows, engine-outdrive alignment, etc). Issues with the shifter usually come up after drive maintenance. However, they can occur otherwise, too.
Could be a stretched lower shift cable; could be shift-shaft problems.
I recommend pulling your outdrive if you havent done so since you got the boat, and doing your routine maintenance/checks. This usually goes along way to diagnosing shifting problems.... But...you can start checking things out on the trailer with the engine turned off to help us know what you've got going on.
First, and very helpful, please provide your outdrive serial number. (hull ID tells us nothing). From the year/motor, it sounds like an R/MR/Alpha-1 vintage outdrive.
What type of shift lever do you have? (how do you put it in "throttle only" position...there are differences).

WIth the engine off and outdrive trimmed up so you can get under it to look at the front of it, place your shifter in FWD. Take a look at your shift shaft linkage at the front of the outdrive. The shaft runs vertically down through the bell housing (upper shift shaft) to the intermediate shift shaft (connected via a shoe-foot arrangement), then the lower shift shaft goes into the lower part of the outdrive (you cant see the lower shift shaft until you take the drive apart). You can see the shift shaft "shoe" connection from upper shaft to intermediate shaft. When shifter is in FWD, theis "shoe" should be pointing straight FWD. Now go to your prop and rotate it counterclockwise (CCW). It should "lock". That says your FWD shifting is ok. Now shift to neutral. The prop should free-spin by hand either direction. Now shift to REV. The shift shaft shoe should now be pointing at an angle towards the port side of the boat (called the 10 oclock position on the shift shaft if looking straight down on it). Go to your prop and turn it clockwise. It should "lock". Now back to neutral. Shift shoe should be at about 11 Oclock position and prop should free wheel again. If any of these static checks dont check out, let us know.



Photos of these actions and conditions would help alot, too.

Go visit the adults-only sticky at the top of this forum area for great information on mecruiser drives, service manuals, etc. There is also a link there to several very good you-tube videos on various maintenance activities.

Looking forward to hearing back soon.

 

[mtkbuckeyefan]

Awesome. I will look at these things tonight. Thank you so much. I am not sure what maintenance was done on the boat. I will have to do a lot myself to be sure that things have been done. Thanks.

My serial number on the motor is 5908272.

Thanks again,
Mike