1975 mercury 650

[71camaro]

I have a 1975 mercury 650 3cyl that needed a water pump and before I dropped the lower unit it shifted fine.Now it only has forward no matter what position the shifter is in.The shift rod in lower unit will turn almost a full 360 and if turned all the way to one side the rod will turn a bit more and the prop will turn freely in both directions.What could I have done to to cause this and how do I fix it? thanks for any help

 

[bktheking]

Re: 1975 mercury 650

Bet ya a christmas turkey you didn't get the splines lined back up for the shift rod, probably not even meshed.

Pull the lower, find neutral, will be between forward and reverse, shift the controls into neutral and be patient reinstalling the lower, it can be a real PITA.

 

[douglas1978]

Re: 1975 mercury 650

what he said^^^^^