79 70hp merc mariner locking motor down in reverse/steering sticking

I have another problem with my outboard. The motor does not lock down when in reverse. My guess is something is out of adjustment, but I'm not sure what it is that needs adjusted to lock the motor down in reverse.

Also the steering seems to stick pretty bad when I turn to the left. I have greased the zerk on the steering without any results. Any suggestions.

Thank you

Kim

Re: 79 70hp merc mariner locking motor down in reverse/steering sticking

Kim,
I had the same problems with my 78 80hp. I solved the no-reverse-lock-down problem by spraying the lock mechanism pivot points with penetrating oil and working it by hand until it moved freely.
The steering problem was due to old grease turning into a sticky mess. I pulled the steering cable end from the sleeve on the motor and cleaned all the old sticky grease out of it with a long handled brush and solvent. Then reassembled and greased with the proper lube. Works great now.
I've found that if you're dealing with an older moter that hasn't been run / maintained in a while, you can either do everything before you try to have fun with it or you can take it out and bring it back with another problem every time until you've gone through everything. Do lots of searches in this forum on everything you can think of, you'll find pretty much everything you need here and in your manual.
Tim

Re: 79 70hp merc mariner locking motor down in reverse/steering sticking

If you remove the lower unit, there is a black plastic spiral cam on the splined shifter shaft. The cam raises the mechanism that locks the motor onto the pin when the shifter is in reverse. If this is out of adjustment, or if the plastic cam is worn, the pin will not lock.
Something to look for, anyway.

Re: 79 70hp merc mariner locking motor down in reverse/steering sticking

Another possible cause of the hard steering is the trim tab / anode on the lower unit needs to be adjusted. You mention that it is hard to steer left only. Is that always or just when driving? If you only notice it when driving then you need to rotate the back edge of the trim tab to the left, maybe 15*. Try it again and see if it is better. Adjust as required.