1990 mercury force inboard, slipped out if gear on the plain won't go back in

Josh.officer

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Jan 6, 2014
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The boat is a 1990 mercury force inboard bayliner Capri, I was cruising along at about 25 mph and we hit a wave it was quite rough and then it just suddenly through it's self out of gear, I stopped and then tried to put it into gear again and the motor just revved, I took it out if the water and put it from forward to reverse with the engine not running and all seemed Normal, then I left it in forward gear got out the back and turned the prop and I could turn the motor over very slowly, I'm thinking it could be the clutch dog but I'm not the expert, I'm
Hopping it's something simple that I can fix at home.


Any ideas please help
 
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Bondo

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Re: 1990 mercury force inboard, slipped out if gear on the plain won't go back in

The boat is a 1990 mercury force inboard bayliner Capri, I was cruising along at about 25 mph and we hit a wave it was quite rough and then it just suddenly through it's self out of gear, I stopped and then tried to put it into gear again and the motor just revved, I took it out if the water and put it from forward to reverse with the engine not running and all seemed Normal, then I left it in forward gear got out the back and turned the prop and I could turn the motor over very slowly, I'm thinking it could be the clutch dog but I'm not the expert, I'm
Hopping it's something simple that I can fix at home.


Any ideas please help

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.... Unfortunately, I believe you've got the dreaded Force, L-drive,....

Nothin' to do with Mercury, nor Mercruiser,...

Worse yet, there's No parts available for that drive,....
It was built for only 3 years, then completely abandoned,...
 

redneck joe

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Mar 18, 2009
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Re: 1990 mercury force inboard, slipped out if gear on the plain won't go back in

yep I had the L drive and seeing you are over in NZ your gonna have a tough time with parts. Good news if you can get them the thing is easy to work on - if I can do it anyone can. I replaced the powerhead and a lower unit on mine.
 

Frank Acampora

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Jan 19, 2007
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Re: 1990 mercury force inboard, slipped out if gear on the plain won't go back in

FIRST, before you do any disassembly, check for a spun prop hub. Even with a completely spun rubber insert it is usually possible to turn the engine by hand at the prop.

Remove the prop and mark the back or front, including the bronze splined hub, in indelible marker with a line. Replace the prop and run the engine in the water in gear. see if the line has moved. OR, check the back of the prop to see if there are wear marks on the aluminum hub where the thrust washer has rubbed against it.
 
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BlueFishCrisis

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Sep 7, 2010
Messages
96
Re: 1990 mercury force inboard, slipped out if gear on the plain won't go back in

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.... Unfortunately, I believe you've got the dreaded Force, L-drive,....

Nothin' to do with Mercury, nor Mercruiser,...

Worse yet, there's No parts available for that drive,....
It was built for only 3 years, then completely abandoned,...
There are quite a few parts still available for components on the L drive that are shared by other Force motors including power head, ignition, and lower unit. Many Mecury / Force dealers and marine parts stores in the states ship internationally. There are, however, quite a few components that are no longer available, and most marine mechanics will not work on the motor.

You have a challenge, but all is not lost.

I had an issue with my lower unit - the shift linkage was out of adjustment. The drive dog was engaging enough for operation at idle but would pop free under heavier load. I just needed to adjust the linkage a bit then all was fine.

Check for a spun hub as Frank said as well......
 

Josh.officer

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Joined
Jan 6, 2014
Messages
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Re: 1990 mercury force inboard, slipped out if gear on the plain won't go back in

Yes, so far the engine has been nothing but trouble but when I put it in gear and i can spin the prop with a bit of force and it doesn't engage it turns and misses the crank, like it doesnt want to grip onto the shaft witch cracks the whole motor
 

Josh.officer

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Joined
Jan 6, 2014
Messages
19
Re: 1990 mercury force inboard, slipped out if gear on the plain won't go back in

H ave had the leg in at the marine shop tested for spun hub it came back algood, cluch dog is good, water pump and housing are being replaced and a new impella, the gearbox and lower unit are good also.

Starting to get a bit puzzled to what it could be
 
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