alpha one stuck in drive????

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shaenjay09

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Jul 12, 2010
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i just changed the water pump on my 3.0 mercruiser alpha one and its stuck in drive. cant get it to go in neutral to start it or reverse. what could of happened
 
Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1

Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1

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Re: alpha one stuck in drive????

Probably did not have the lower unit in forward when you reinstalled it to the upper half.

Lower is in forward when you turn the lower shift shaft clockwise while turning the prop ccw until it locks and you have to hold it there either by hand or with a bungee cord. The lower unit gets installed to the upper half while keeping pressure on the prop ccw. If it gets bumped otta gear you have to do it over again.

Have a look at the photos attached. Ziggys photo shows the shift shaft in the upper it must be straight which is in forward. It is not in forward in the picture.
 

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stonyloam

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Re: alpha one stuck in drive????

You had the lower in reverse when you put it back together. Shift the control to all the way forward. Split it and turn the small splined shaft (lower shift shaft) all the way clockwise. Turn the prop CCW to lock it, and put a bungee on to hold it in place. Put er back together and you will be good to go.
P.S. make sure the washer on the lower shift shaft is in place.
In other words, what Eric said:D
 
Fishermark

Fishermark

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Re: alpha one stuck in drive????

stonyloam said:
P.S. make sure the washer on the lower shift shaft is in place.
Click to expand...


That would be my guess..... it's the one pictured here:

shiftshaftwasher.jpg
 
Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1

Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1

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Re: alpha one stuck in drive????

stonyloam said:
You had the lower in reverse when you put it back together. Shift the control to all the way forward. Split it and turn the small splined shaft (lower shift shaft) all the way clockwise. Turn the prop CCW to lock it, and put a bungee on to hold it in place. Put er back together and you will be good to go.
P.S. make sure the washer on the lower shift shaft is in place.
In other words, what Eric said:D
Click to expand...

and the o'ring on the top of the lower drive shaft, and the quad o-ring!
Last time I did it i focused so much on keeping it in gear the o-ring wasn't inplace on the drive shaft and couldn't hold a pressure test. :D
 
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stonyloam

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Re: alpha one stuck in drive????

Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1 said:
and the o'ring on the top of the lower drive shaft, and the quad o-ring!
Last time I did it i focused so much on keeping it in gear the o-ring wasn't inplace on the drive shaft and couldn't hold a pressure test. :D
Click to expand...

That's why it is soooooo... much easier to do it on the bench, and I always "glue" the quad ring and ss washer in place with a couple of globs of 2-4-C. :D
 
Fishermark

Fishermark

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Re: alpha one stuck in drive????

Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1 said:
and the o'ring on the top of the lower drive shaft,
Click to expand...

That o ring shouldn't have caused a pressure leak. In fact, it is recommended to delete the o ring there completely. Later models do not even have the groove for the o ring.
 
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John Paul Jones

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Re: alpha one stuck in drive????

stonyloam said:
That's why it is soooooo... much easier to do it on the bench, and I always "glue" the quad ring and ss washer in place with a couple of globs of 2-4-C. :D
Click to expand...

Quad ring....2-4-c??? I'm just a reader and am not familiar with those terms. Are you referring to an O ring and some type of silicon sealant? Thanks
 
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stonyloam

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Re: alpha one stuck in drive????

John Paul Jones said:
Quad ring....2-4-c??? I'm just a reader and am not familiar with those terms. Are you referring to an O ring and some type of silicon sealant? Thanks
Click to expand...

There is a "O" ring on the driveshaft of some of the older Alpha I's, the Quad ring is a small o-ring like seal that seals the oil passage between the upper and lower housing, and 2-4-C is Mercrusier's waterproof grease, it is kinda sticky, so I use it to hold some parts in place during assembly. Yeah, it can get kind of confusing:confused:.
 
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