boat throttle

J

jlsmith

Seaman
Joined
Dec 25, 2010
Messages
53
I am first time boat owner I bought a 97 bass tracker pro team 175 and it seems hard to shift right out of neutral once I shift it into forward or reverse moves easily is this normal. I have not had it on the water yet didn't know if since the engine was not running if this had anything to do with it or not.
 
J

jlsmith

Seaman
Joined
Dec 25, 2010
Messages
53
Re: boat throttle

It seems as if once in slips into gear it moves easily but not the first inch or so takes a little more force to push it into gear than it does once it is in gear is this normal?
 
metriccrescentwrench

metriccrescentwrench

Commander
Joined
Oct 22, 2007
Messages
2,598
Re: boat throttle

Outboards pretty much can't be shifted if they're not running. Once in a while everything in the gearcase will line up just right and you can do it, but for the most part the engine has to be running for you to shift.

Oh, and when you do shift don't try to be gentle with it. You don't want to let it sit there halfway while the clutch dog is just barely making contact with the gear - all the while grinding steel off both the clutch dog and gear.
 
smokeonthewater

smokeonthewater

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Dec 3, 2009
Messages
9,838
Re: boat throttle

yep, perfectly normal.... in the first inch or so you are moving the shift cable and over the rest of the range you are moving the throttle

x2 on the shifting easy..... pop it in and out of gear.... if you hear it grind into gear you are shifting WAY too slow.... it should go into gear with a clunk
 
5150abf

5150abf

Vice Admiral
Joined
Aug 12, 2007
Messages
5,808
Re: boat throttle

there are 2-3 "ears" on the clutch dog and corrosponding holes in the gears, if the engineisn't running and the the gears aren't lined up it will do that btu as long as it does go into gear you should be fine.

If you haven't checked or changed the lower unit oil no would be a good time, to check it crack the bottom plug until oil or water comes out, if you get water you have a leaking seal that needs atantion, if you get oil you are good to go.

As stated you want to shift briskly, it saves wear and tear on the gears and clutch dog.
 
Silvertip

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,762
Re: boat throttle

You just learned a valuable lesson. DO NOT shift the engine when it is not running -- period. If the clutch dogs aren't lined up no amount of force is going to make it go into gear and you risk breaking a cable, cable end, or something in the lower unit or linkage.
 
C

Chris1956

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 25, 2004
Messages
27,145
Re: boat throttle

If it still shifts hard with the engine running, the throttle cable preload may be a bit too much. Let us know and we can assist.
 
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