Mercury 200: which way forward, which reverse?

[singletrack_mind]

I am not an experienced marine mechanic, but I have been asked to install a new throttle/shifter on a friend's boat. The previous unit was not correct for the application and had also been removed before I saw the project so I was not able to infer anything from that installation. I can't tell which way I should have the shifter set up: I can't tell if the gear selector on the engine gets pulled forward from neutral into forward running, and pushed to the rear for reverse, or if it's the other way around. Currently I have the control installed, and it locates neutral correctly and can be shifted both directions with my friend turning the prop so the gears will engage, but once it's been shifted I can't tell if it's in forward or reverse.

The control I am installing appears to be correct for the boat; all it's wiring harness colors correspond to the boat's. Other than that I know nothing about it, it doesn't even seem to have a brand or model name anywhere on it. It appears to have alternate control cable connections for both throttle and gear that would allow either one to be push or pull. There were only two control cable retainers though, so I chose to install the cables in the positions where the retainers were. That turned out to be wrong for the throttle, which appears to need a "pull" cable action instead of a push. That makes me wonder if I have the gear shift cable in the wrong place too, but I don't know how to tell since I do not have access to water, so can not run the engine. How can I figure this out?

This is a 2004 200HP 6-cylinder engine, family # 5M9XM02.51C0

Thanks for your help!

 

[Texasmark]

How about a picture. For that year model the Quicksilver/Mercury Commander 2000 and 3000 were popular units. The 2000 had exposed cables in the rear and the fast idle lever was at the top rear. The 3000 mounted in the bulkhead with hidden cables and a large black knob at the center of the shifter that you had to push in to get the throttle/shift lever in throttle only....aka fast idle.

The F-R thing for the shift lever is as simple as does the cable come from below the shift lever pivot or above; easily changed once the cover to the box has been removed. Those remotes are made to operate most Merc products so there is commonality of functions between engines of different yearmodels and HP ratings.

 

[Faztbullet]

Cable pushes for forward and pushes for reverse.....

 

[singletrack_mind]

Thanks to both of you for your answers and attention but you've missed the point of my question. What I am trying to figure out is at the engine end: I can tell when the shifter (on the engine) is in neutral because I can spin the prop by hand. I can also tell that it shifts into gear (again, spinning the prop manually to ease the shifting process). What I can't tell is whether it has shifted into forward or reverse. I want to make sure that before my friend tows his boat 2 hours to a reservoir where he can test it, I have it correctly connected so "forward" on the remote throttle control gives forward motion of the boat in the water and "Reverse" backs the boat up.

I will go make pictures of the remote and the engine linkage and post them ASAP today, hopefully before 8:30AM Mountain time.

 

[GA_Boater]

You can always pull the plugs, shift into gear and rotate the flywheel CW. Prop turns CW in FWD and the opposite way in REV.

Or put it in FWD and spin the prop - Locks CW and the dog clutch clicks CCW. REV either locks in both directions with no Rev clutch or locks CCW and clicks CW if there is a REV clutch. I think I got the directions for FWD and REV right.

Or put the muffs on and start it up and look at the prop in FWD and REV. Be careful.

 

[singletrack_mind]

I went and took pictures, but trying to include them here I am getting the message that I am "not authorized to upload or edit attachments", probably because I haven't made enough posts on this forum or something like that. So, I have to try again to make myself clear without pictures:

On the engine, I can clearly see where the shift linkage rests in neutral. I can shift the engine into forward, and also into reverse, but I can not tell which is which since I can not run the engine.

Faztbullet says the cable "pushes for forward and pushes for reverse". Does this mean the cable pushes some distance aft from the neutral position to engage forward, and a further distance aft to engage reverse? Or the other way around?

The control I am using IS an actual Mercury controller. I had somehow overlooked the "Mercury" name on the plasti-chrome cover . . . no model info though.

I'm really sorry I am not allowed to post photos, that would make this conversation much more productive.

 

[singletrack_mind]

I just reached tech support at Mercury and they explained that the prop, when turned by hand, should lock up when in gear if it is being turned in the direction of propulsion. In other words, if it's being turned in the direction it would go when running in "Forward", it will lock against turning in that direction, and "ratchet" if turned in the opposite direction, apparently slipping against a clutch. Same for reverse. This should be all I need to know in order to confirm that the gearbox is indeed shifting into "Forward" when I want it to and "Reverse" when I want it to.

 

[GA_Boater]

You have 4 posts now, so photo attachments should be unrestricted. Look at the tutorial for some guidance - http://forums.iboats.com/forum/forum-rules-and-guidelines/9938375-photo-upload-tutorial

 

[singletrack_mind]

I have given up trying to post photos. Thanks to everyone who replied, and GA Boater, I believe you have your directions correct, that is the same info Mercury tech gave me. So, I think I have the info I ned to finish this job, thanks!

 

[Texasmark]

In N the prop spins both directions freely. In F gear looking at the prop from the rear of the engine it will resist turning CCW but will freely turn CW with a clicking sound and slight Fore aft movement back and forth as it clicks.....that's the overrun clutch in the lower unit which allows the prop to continue at the speed the water forces upon it while you cut the engines throttle meaning in short, the prop is turning faster than the engine.

R has no overrun clutch (usually) so it is a rectangular gear and cog situation. Shifting into R gear with the engine off requires the prop to be turned manually while the shifter is slowly moved to the R position (quoted from the serv. manual to prevent damage to your shifting linkage). Once engaged in R gear where the shifter arm moves fully into the R position, the prop is locked to the flywheel but turns in the opposite direction to what happens when you turn the flywheel in F gear (obviously).

 

[singletrack_mind]

Texasmark is correct, and I wish I'd seen his/her post before I went back to the boat and changed my control connections to achieve what I THOUGHT Mercury had told me. The crucial misunderstanding was when Mercury says "turns clockwise", I now assume they must have meant "when viewed from the bow". I failed to ask them about this and assumed they meant "when seen from the position of the assistant turning the prop by hand" i.e., from behind. This caused me to un-do my previous work and shift the cable around to achieve exactly the wrong outcome. Texasmark's detailed description would have saved me a lot of work.

We did get a pair of muffs and were able to fire up the engine to confirm all this, so at least after I'm done for the third time I'll know it's right.