shift shaft washer missing?

[imraan47]

I have 2.5L mercruiser 120hp with alpha 1, gen 1 outdrive.

last summer took the outdrive off to fix the engine coupler.
previous summer the lowerunit was replaced by mechanic.
as the outdrive was in the car for about a month when the coupler issue was being dealt with, i noticed that there is a zip tie holding the SHAFT ASSEMLBY, SHIFT - UPPER and SHIFT SHAFT, INTERMEDIATE
i took that off not knowing what it was.
when i mechanic got the outdrive back on and was adjusting the throttle, we ran into trouble and noticed that its not sitting in the groove. so he saw the washer is missing (picture attached - part 24

i ended up tying a piece of wire and also zip tied it myself temporarily and put in the water.
now when you go into forward gear it wont go so i push the shifter further down and the boat would just jolt/jerk forward then move. when coming back to idle its wouldnt idle too well as the position of shifter is not center. i dont remember if backing up was fine or not.
i played around with adjusting the throttle with that brass barrel close to the carb but i couldn't get any results with putting boat in forward gear.

so not sure what the damage is here but spring is coming up and i want to tackle this problem myself and looking for advice.
questions:
i guess i have to split the outdrive for sure..does oil have to be drained before? how is this done?
how easy is it to get that washer back in?
is there any other thing that caused the jerk when going to forward apart from the shift shaft because i had it snug together when i tied it with a ziptie and piece of wire so the 2 parts would not slip of their grooves.

thanks

 

[ziggy]

Re: shift shaft washer missing?

part #24 only holds the shift shaft in the upper. it's held in place by a cotter pin. this shift shaft is pretty darn loose fitting. it's supposed to be this way when the upper is isolated.

bummer about the out of focus, but ya can see it. the washer and cotter key. looking at it from the bottom. this don't cause your problem with the shift shaft coupler.
the washer that's missing is in the lower. it is likely the cause of the problem with the shift shaft coupler not mating proper.

the washer just sits on top of the shift shaft in the lower.
yes ya need to drain the lub to work on it. remove the screw on the ft. port side of the bullet. that's the drain, the vent is in the upper. it's a screw too. may say vent on the upper by the screw.

sounds like ya been adj. the remote cables. i think ya need to read the service manual for that. ya gottoa follow the directions close to get it right.
http://www.boatfix.com/merc/Servmanl/srvcovr.pdf you want #6.

 

[stonyloam]

Re: shift shaft washer missing?

That is pretty screwed up. It sounds like you had the control handle in neutral, and the gearcase in reverse when you put it back together, with your intermediate ss "off a spline". In this case when you push forward it goes into neutral, then just catches forward at high throttle. Here is what you need to do (even if my guess is wrong). Put the cables back as close to the way they were as you can. Drain. Drop the lower. Shift the control into forward. Locate the lower shift shaft (short splined shaft), and turn it all the way clockwise. Put the prop in place and turn it CCW until it locks, and hold it in place with a bungee. Make sure the washer is in place. Put it back together, making sure both the intermediate ss and the connection to the upper ss are pointed straight ahead. Get a manual and new mechanic. Good luck

 

[imraan47]

Re: shift shaft washer missing?

oh darn..the manuals are not with adults.
i should have saved them somewhere

 

[ziggy]

Re: shift shaft washer missing?

oh darn..the manuals are not with adults.

that's true. but ya can get #6, which is what ya need from post #2 from this thread...

http://www.boatfix.com/merc/Servmanl/srvcovr.pdf you want #6.

i should have saved them somewhere

hind sight sure is 20/20 ain't it... :facepalm:

 

[imraan47]

Re: shift shaft washer missing?

is there a way to leave the outdrive alone as is being held in place and work on getting the boat going forward, reverse and idle back to normal?

 

[Bondo]

Re: shift shaft washer missing?

is there a way to leave the outdrive alone as is being held in place and work on getting the boat going forward, reverse and idle back to normal?

Ayuh,... Are you askin' if you can fix this, Without Removin' the Drive,..??

Nope...

 

[stonyloam]

Re: shift shaft washer missing?

is there a way to leave the outdrive alone as is being held in place and work on getting the boat going forward, reverse and idle back to normal?

The best that you might If you are lucky is drain, unbolt the lower and drop it down a few inches, separate the intermediate ss from the lower ss, turn the lower ss all the way clockwise, slip on the washer, put the i ss back on pointing straight ahead and put it back together. You don't have to pull the whole outdrive off, but you gotta take something apart LOL.

 

[imraan47]

Re: shift shaft washer missing?

dont know if this helps but i snapped some pics of it as it sits.

 

[ziggy]

Re: shift shaft washer missing?

what happens if your engineering breaks? guess you won't shift. that could be dangerous if circumstances are wrong.

why are you opposed to separating the upper and lower and putting the washer back where it belongs?

 

[achris]

Re: shift shaft washer missing?

In what world is that sort of 'repair' (I call it a botch up) acceptable?
Do the job right, or take it to someone who will. As Ziggy quite rightly put it. Dangerous. For the sake of a few minutes work (obviously you have an allergy to the 4 letter 'W' word) you are willing to run incalculable risks, to life, limb and property. If you're worried about the cost of the oil you'll be draining (about $5 worth), then you can reuse it if you catch it in a clean container.

 

[imraan47]

Re: shift shaft washer missing?

no the problem is not work..its where can i do the job.
i have the boat in a really small garage at a friends place. i live in an apartment and drive a small 2door car that an outdrive would not fit.
also not too much detailed stuff for someone that doesn't know where intermediate ss is. lol

just trying to read more and see if i can do it. bottom line i need to get the outdrive to my place and work on it in the balcony or something like that cuz i cant work on it at friends garage.

 

[Don S]

Re: shift shaft washer missing?

Rent a storage shed for a month where you can work on it.

 

[imraan47]

Re: shift shaft washer missing?

is it possible to work on this and fix it as the outdrive is away from the boat?
i remember when the outdrive was put back on, the splines wouldn't line up with the coupler so we put pressure on the engines belt and turned so finally the splines lined up and slid in. could that have caused any of this problems?

 

[achris]

Re: shift shaft washer missing?

no the problem is not work..its where can i do the job.
i have the boat in a really small garage at a friends place. i live in an apartment and drive a small 2door car that an outdrive would not fit.
also not too much detailed stuff for someone that doesn't know where intermediate ss is. lol

just trying to read more and see if i can do it. bottom line i need to get the outdrive to my place and work on it in the balcony or something like that cuz i cant work on it at friends garage.

is it possible to work on this and fix it as the outdrive is away from the boat?
i remember when the outdrive was put back on, the splines wouldn't line up with the coupler so we put pressure on the engines belt and turned so finally the splines lined up and slid in. could that have caused any of this problems?

You don't need to remove the drive, just remove the bolt and 5 nuts holding the lower unit to the upper and allow it to drop down about 3". The put the washer back where it belongs (on the splined shift shaft sticking out of the top of the lower) and push the lower back up to the upper. If you put the shift in 'forward' before you start you can use the prop to turn the shaft so the splines line up. Remember to turn the prop in the reverse direction. No damage done by turning the engine by hand.... The whole job shouldn't take more than 15 minutes, tops!

Chris.......

 

[stonyloam]

Re: shift shaft washer missing?

is it possible to work on this and fix it as the outdrive is away from the boat?
i remember when the outdrive was put back on, the splines wouldn't line up with the coupler so we put pressure on the engines belt and turned so finally the splines lined up and slid in. could that have caused any of this problems?

I would say that is a pretty good guess! As it sets the position of intermediate shift shaft indicates that you are in reverse:facepalmthe intermediate shaft fits into the shoe on the bottom of the upper shift shaft). So you are all screwed up. Cut that tie off and let the Intermediate ss drop back down out of the shoe. Get into the boat and shove the control handle all the way forward. Take a look underneath, the shoe should be pointed straight ahead. Do as Chris suggests, when you have dropped the lower make sure to turn the splined shaft all the way clockwise (forward gear), and put it back together. Should be able to do it in the driveway. Good luck.