Re: Outboard unit slams when we put it into gear
I disagree.
I have a 2.5l OMC Stringer and it DOES have a WORM GEAR in that location. Said worm gear is on a shaft that protrudes next to the ball gear and meshes with a small gear on the intermediate unit (the part that sticks through the transom).
Don't bother looking for it though -- that worm gear IS there, but you'll never see it from the top.
AND your problem is NOT in the steering YET.
DO NOT PUT YOUR BOAT IN GEAR WHILE THE ENGINE IS RUNNING -- Until you read the rest of this post and follow the provided instuctions. You can easily turn this $3 - $5 problem into a $3000 - $5000 problem in just seconds.
Yes, you can really fix this properly for about $3-$5 and about 2hrs of simple handiwork.
Please do the following and let me know the results.
Have one person stand near the back of the boat (in view of the prop, but safely away from it).
Have a second person get in the boat.
Person in the boat removes the coil wire (spark wire from the coil to the middle of the distributor). This step is not neccessary but can prevent serious accidental injury.
Person in the boat then verifies the ignition is OFF.
Person outside the boat tries to turn the prop. It should turn freely. (98% chance it does)
Person inside the boat turns the ignition to ON or RUN (same thing) but DO NOT TURN IT TO START!
Person outside the boat tries to turn the prop again. Since you said there was no problem until you tried to put it in gear, I'd say the prop should still turn freely at this point.
Now, the person in the boat puts the boat in gear (DO NOT START THE ENGINE!! The ignition should still be in ON or RUN).
Now the person outside the boat tries to turn the prop again. If all has been good up to this point, I'd say you have a 99.95% chance of NOT being able to turn the prop at all.
Don't worry. This is actually a good sign. It means the expensive parts work!
You said you have electric shift. If my guesses above were right, you have a very easy to fix problem. -- Both of your clutches (FWD and REV) are engageing at the same time. This binds up the drive and prevents the shafts from turning. The force required to stop a running engine is incredible -- and why your drive is acting like it is.
The good news is, you probably just need to fix some wireing. (Yup, your problem is just a dumb wire).
Want proof?
Leave the boat in gear and turn off the ignition.
You can now turn the prop freely.
Reply to this forum if my guesses and suggestions above were correct and i'll give you step by step directions on how to fix this.
Hope this helps
