When I boat this boat (81 Tidecraft V15), the reverse did not work. I was hoping it was just an adjustment and not broken gears. Took it to a shop that was only gonna charge $45 for an adjustment. Drove 30 miles there to be told that as of that day, they no longer are taking outboards. The mechanic told me he would work on it himself for less than the shop would charge anyways. We talked for awhile and I ended up dropping the boat off at his house.
Jusat talked to him and he said he adjusted it and the reverse was working again but that the teeth on the gears were worn down quite a bit and if it will sometimes miss in reverse and might not last too long. A set of gears cost around $400. Well, he said that he could take a die grinder to it and sharpen the gears back up and readjust it again and it should work just fine. He's charging me $125 to do this, check the water pump, and change the lower unit oil. Not bad I think..
Jusat talked to him and he said he adjusted it and the reverse was working again but that the teeth on the gears were worn down quite a bit and if it will sometimes miss in reverse and might not last too long. A set of gears cost around $400. Well, he said that he could take a die grinder to it and sharpen the gears back up and readjust it again and it should work just fine. He's charging me $125 to do this, check the water pump, and change the lower unit oil. Not bad I think..
