Mercruiser Sterndrive Not Going Into Gear After Running Out Of Gas

[jshbwms]

I was on the maiden voyage of my boat and ran out if gas I called towboat us and got a tow back to the marina since I was not far after getting gas the engine started but would not engage forward or reverse it does not even feel like it's engaging at all I'm thinking it's the control cable or something even worse when I start the boat now a warning sound continues to sound but I can't figure out what it means any help thanks. The boat is a 1999 Marada 2100 XRT with the Alpha drive Control

 

[alldodge]

Howdy

Three things cause a constant alarm, low oil pressure, over heat and low drive lube. Since you said you ran out of gas and now it won't go into gear, my first thought is gear lube. Check the bottle, and if its empty, then pull the drain on the drive and see if you find any water, milk or metal

 

[jshbwms]

Really it was doing fine, before it ran out if gas

 

[alldodge]

Really it was doing fine, before it ran out if gas

It might be something simple, but you have a constant alarm. I said

Check the bottle, and if its empty

then check the drive. Need to start with the easy stuff first.

If lube bottle is not the issue then check cables at the shift plate and drive. Since it won't go into gear your looking at pulling the drive to find out why anyway

 

[jshbwms]

Sounds reasonable any idea on cost?

 

[harleyman1975]

Cost is not a concern until you know what is wrong. Who is going to do the work? You or a mechanic? Marine techs usually start at $100 @ hr so if not doing work yourself plan on spending between $50 and $200 to diagnose problem. You can do much of this yourself with some basic tools and help from the forum and the correct mercury manual.