1965 mercury 65 HP outboard Kiekhaefer 650 4 cylinder Lower Unit Shifting

[Weliketomoveit]

First time poster long time reader.
So after hours of reading hundreds of post on this subject I am stumped.
Recently purchased a 1965 MFG Westfield Custom with 1965 mercury 65 HP outboard Kiekhaefer 650 4 cylinder. All original one owner garage kept with documentation. Performed all the usual/required maintenance items. Motor runs and works great. Time for the impeller replacement:
Removed lower unit ?IN NEUTRAL?
Installed new impeller
Could not get lower unit to line up by myself after trying for hours. This is where things get a bit foggy:
Eventually got unit to within 3/8? and tightened it up from there.
Ran engine and only had ?Forward Gear? Removed lower unit, moved shifter to forward and reinstalled but no change.
Eventually discovered that ?shift shaft? had popped in to forward. Rotated shift shaft counter clockwise and tried every possible combination of installation of F-N-R with the shifter in the correct position. The best I can achieve is ?Reverse with Neutral? or ?Forward? only. I also seems that I have to disengage or reengage the shift linkage and/or move the shifter to get the lower unit to slide all the way in.
The only thing I can add is that at one point I had neighbor come to move the shifter and heard a ?clink sound?. I do not recall if the lower unit was on or off at the time or the direction he moved the shifter. My concern is that I may have bent something.
I can get the ?shift shaft? to engage F-N-R
I know this topic has discussed hundreds of times. This is not my first boat nor my first impeller change. If anyone can point me in the right direction I would really appreciate it. Thank you

 

[Weliketomoveit]

PS. I am thinking that this has to do with the Reverse Lock Cams

 

[GA_Boater]

Welcome aboard.

Put the lower in forward and the remote in forward. There is no pressure on the reverse lock in forward, so it's easier to fully mesh everything. In neutral and reverse the the cam is trying to lock the hooks on the trim pin and you have to fight the return spring.

 

[Weliketomoveit]

[FONT=&quot]Thank you for the input. When I put the LU in forward and the shifter in forward, I only get forward. However I did note that the locking pin is not and will not engage. Also the last time I tried in neutral all I got was neutral. It?s amazing something so simple has turned out to be so difficult by so many.[/FONT]

 

[GA_Boater]

What locking pin?

Can you use a pair of pliers and cardboard on the shift shaft stub to shift F-N-R?

 

[Weliketomoveit]

I meant the trim pin, also yes pliers or a 11/32 socket fits the shift shaft.

I noticed this morning that I must have pushed the upper shift rod up about a 1/4"during one of my LU installations. It was not engaging the lower shift shaft. I simply tapped it back down in place.

I'm hoping my only problem now is the position of the reverse lock cam. The last attempt was NOT successful. I'll try again after lunch.

 

[Weliketomoveit]

Took three more tries with someone helping but finally got the reverse lock cam in the correct position.
Conclusion:
I would still drop the lower unit in neutral for this model year
Take a picture of the position of the reverse lock cam
Make sure the shift shaft does not jump/bump in to FWD position
I would have someone help during the reinstall to move the fly wheel and jiggle the shifter
?MAKE SURE THAT YOU DO NOT PUSH THE UPPER SHIFT ROD UP? (it seems that there should be something to prevent this) if you do, reach in below the carburetor with a screwdriver and push it back down before engaging shifter.
Have shade, a fan and ice water handy if you are doing this in 90 degree weather and cold beer on ice when you successfully finish.

 

[GA_Boater]

Good you finally got it. On some Mercs it can be a pain. The best part was the beer on at the end of the job!

 

[60sboater]

Congrats but why use neutral instead of fwd...just curious?