1987 Mercury Classic firty Reverse issues (please help me)

[mikeymike76]

Hello

I just purchased a pontoon boat from Oklahoma about 2 months ago. I new that it was not pumping water when we hooked it up to ear muffs. So I took it into my local shop and had them replace the seals and the water pump and I tried to back it off of the trailer and it went into reverse but when I tried to throttle it higher to back off the trailer it would not rev up. The shifter I think has some issues but I am not real sure. This is the first time that I have owned a pontoon boat and I have never driven this one. How does the control work? and what are the two cables for? I think one is throttle and the other is to go into reverse or forward. I am pretty new a boats but am mechanically inclined. Where should I start.

thanks for any info you might be able to give
Mike

 

[mikeymike76]

Re: 1987 Mercury Classic firty Reverse issues (please help me)

I just went out again and watched it a little better and when I pull back on the control it clicks and goes into reverse, but when I pull it back further to give it a little more throttle it goes out of reverse. :blue:

 

[Lone Duck]

Re: 1987 Mercury Classic firty Reverse issues (please help me)

It sounds like you have the throttle cable hooked to the forward reverse and the shift cable hooked to the throttle. Look where these controls are hooked to the engine and switch them.

 

[mikeymike76]

Re: 1987 Mercury Classic firty Reverse issues (please help me)

I will try and check these tonight when i get home. It is really stiff at the shifter when moving. Thanks

 

[Texasmark]

Re: 1987 Mercury Classic firty Reverse issues (please help me)

When the engine is not running, do not force the shifter into reverse. The reverse gear in the engine is made of cogs and they have to line up before you can shift all the way. If you force it you will break/bend something. F gear doesn't matter. To line up, just slowly go to the R position on the control while someone else rotates the prop. It won't take but a partial turn for them to line up and the shifter will easily go all the way into R.

Agree on check which cable is which. Remove cables and check engine levers to see if they operate with moderate ease. Cables may be old and corroded making movement difficult. Only solution there is replacement. Morse-Teleflex is in that business as they make them.

Before you go back together with your cables mounting to your engine, ensure that the cables are adjusted to the right length. The brass barrel on the cable is used for that purpose.

Move the shifter on the control box back and forth to get the right cable. Set control to N. Go to the engine and set the shifter to N and wiggle back and forth ensuring center....same on control. Place the barrel adjacent to the mounting point and look at the end of the cable. It should be lined up with the pin on the engine. If not, roll the barrel up or down the cable end as necessary to get the two to line up. Install cable.

Repeat on throttle with throttle/shifter (if single lever, otherwise for 2 levers throttle all the way to the rear) on control at N also. Pull the throttle arm on the engine to the idle position. Adjust barrel as necessary.

How does that work?

Mark

 

[mikeymike76]

Re: 1987 Mercury Classic firty Reverse issues (please help me)

well fellows I removed the cables and identified by marking them with tape. After removing them I tried to put it into neutral without the cables on it and it will not stay there and acts like that it is spring loaded or something as it will not stay in any of the gears except for whatever gear it is that it wants to go back to each time and it seems like that would be reverse. it springs back toward the boat if you know the direction of what I am talking about. It seems like it would be reverse but I am not sure. Could the shop that I took it to messed up on the alignment when they reinstalled the lower after replacing the water pump? If anyone has got a quick explanation and would like to call me that would be cool but if not I understand. just in case my number is 1-316-323-2338 and I live in the Wichita Kansas area. Thanks again guys

 

[merc850]

Re: 1987 Mercury Classic firty Reverse issues (please help me)

It is spring loaded to shift into FWD without pressure on the cable, neutral has pressure and reverse has the most
If you turn the prop while the cable is off it should ratchet to the right when in FWD.
Here's my way of re-installing the LU: Turn the LU shift shaft by hand counter-clockwise until it
stops, then with Vise Grips tight on the bottom of the shaft turn it a
few more degrees CCW until it clicks into a stop, this
should be neutral - check by turning propshaft --
do not shift into reverse unless you turn the propshaft at the same time.
If it is in N go ahead and attach LU to driveshaft housing with control in N.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: 1987 Mercury Classic firty Reverse issues (please help me)

View attachment 193893It is spring loaded to shift into FWD without pressure on the cable, neutral has pressure and reverse has the most
I

I don't know what you mean in this sentence. The shifter cam has 3 detents, each a different distance from the pivot pin. The front end of the prop shaft has a hollow conical nosed tube that fits into these detents as required. This tube contains a spring, 3 ball bearings on my sized engine ( for setting spring pressure) and an adapter, which keep the tube against the cam and pressure on the clutch dog (the thing that slides back and forth on the prop shaft).

The shift shuttle on the prop shaft moves up and down the prop shaft slightly to connect with F gear, neither, or R gear. There is pressure against it all the time. In the front of the spring is an adapter with a pin hole in it where the clutch dog is pinned to the adapter and the adapter is jammed against the ball bearings which push against the conical nose of the tube forcing it to stay in the cam groves.

There is no magic in the F gear shift point. If you put the engine in N it stays there. Same with F and R. The (spring) pressure on the shifter cam is mild as compared to the pressure exerted (by the spring) when the cone comes out of a detent to be moved to another gear. This is deliberate to keep you from jumping gears, or popping out of gear.

Agree the spring is the most compressed in R, less in N, and less in F. But F is still locked in place by spring pressure against the cam/cone. Kind of nit picking but when I read this I got the impression you were implying that the shifter just flopped into F and that's not the case. Others could come away with the same impression.

Mark

 

[mikeymike76]

Re: 1987 Mercury Classic firty Reverse issues (please help me)

Sorry guys i have not been on my computer for a few days and my phone has not been giving me updates on your reply's.
So if i did shift this a few times into forward or reverse without turning the prop at the same time. what have i tore up? :-(

 

[mikeymike76]

Re: 1987 Mercury Classic firty Reverse issues (please help me)

1. Thanks guys. I have not been on for awhile and figured that i would give a update. I just rebuilt the carbs and got them back on because it was not wanting to run very good after taking it to the shop in ElDorado so i figured i had better get it running good again. Well it runs great now! Yeah!! I started it up and shifted it into reverse and forward and it seams to shift fine, so i started in on the linkage to the shifter. I am wondering if the guy i bought it from had just put these on or something because it looks like he has the cables backwards. It seams to me one of them is longer and the other is shorter. I am hoping to get back out there this evening and hammer it out. I switched them around at the motor and now i will switch them around at the control i think. wish me luck

 

[mikeymike76]

Re: 1987 Mercury Classic firty Reverse issues (please help me)

Okay fellas, I finally got the boat to run pretty good with ear muffs on at the house. When I took it out yesterday it started up fine and idled like it is supposed to. I got out past the buoys and gave it some more gas and started to go pretty good so I just set it at a low cruising speed and just kept an eye on it. I went out a little ways and then shut it off and made sure it wanted to start back up. Looks like everything is going good until, I did the same thing a few more times. After a while when I would give it more throttle just like before, but this time it acts like it is losing power and I also hear a grinding noise when I try and hammer the throttle down.
Does anyone know what this might be?
Thanks for all of your guys help getting me this far. I am learning a lot more about outboards along the way, but I would like to enjoy some time on the lake instead of time in the driveway.

Thanks
Mike

 

[mikeymike76]

Re: 1987 Mercury Classic firty Reverse issues (please help me)

I think I am very close to getting a decent running motor now. I have changed the float needles in the carbs and did a good cleaning to them. I have also replaced all the fuel lines and took it out this weekend and it run great up to about 4000 to 4200 rpm and if I give it more throttle it kind of falls on its face. Once I get this fixed I think I will be on my way to some summer time fun. The prop has this number on it. 48-73132-10