1978 mercury model 402 40 hp ob stucik in forward

[tombrown]

Hi i have 78 merc 40 hp ,model 402, ser#4567484 stuck in forward. dont know if shifter arm has to be connected to two different places to operate.as i looked down from the top of motor i see the cable connected to the lu (black) then connects to an arm( which goes to lower end) with two places for something to connect to.do not know which way to push or pull for shifting...just is springy when i try to move it.
Thanks

 

[Texasmark]

Re: 1978 mercury model 402 40 hp ob stucik in forward

Most Mercs use a shifter cam on the lower unit to shift. There is a movable "clutch dog" in the lower unit that slides up and down the prop shaft to connect the drive shaft to the F gear in the front of the LU, sit in the middle for N, or slide back to engage the R gear in the rear of the LU.

The cam rotates through the 3 positions via a shift shaft. These positions are actually detents where a bullet shaped "cam follower" on the front of the prop shaft moves into and out of detents in the cam. They are easily felt when moving the shift shaft. To allow the lower unit to be separated from the mid section, the shifter shaft usually makes a connection right at the top of the LU. The LU shifter splined shaft (male) sticks up an inch or two and receives a splined female from the shift shaft that goes up to the shifting lever. That's it. The rest is at the top.

Mark