66' Merc 650- Prop locked in reverse

[KingFritz]

Hey guys-
I'll try to keep this short but give you as much info as I can. When I initally got this motor, the prop would spin free in both directions regardless of which gear it was in. I am a new boat owner so was unsure if this was correct but it ran just fine. I started to drop the L/U to replace seals/impeller but was unable to disconnect shift shaft(very corroded/rusted)so decided to hold off so I don't screw something up and spend all fishing season trying to fix. After prop was put back on, it spins CW when in FWD gear, both directions when in N, but it is "locked" when shifted to Reverse; It will not spin either CW or CCW. Not sure what I did as I never dropped the L/U, just loosened before I decided to hold off.

The only thing I can think of is something with the control levers up by the console. I noticed it was shifting from N to R kind of hard and I gave it a little extra but this was a few days ago and I couldn't say for sure if this Reverse issue started before or after I did that. I have tried to trace back my steps as to how I may have caused this but I really don't know what I did or when I did it. Any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions?

 

[merc850]

Re: 66' Merc 650- Prop locked in reverse

Yeah - don't shift into reverse when engine isn't running or someone turns the prop that's the way it's designed. Hope it still works.

 

[KingFritz]

Re: 66' Merc 650- Prop locked in reverse

Thanks for the input. Can honestly say I had no idea about not shifting into reverse when engine is off. What exactly did you mean with this, "....or someone turns the prop that's the way it's designed."?

 

[merc850]

Re: 66' Merc 650- Prop locked in reverse

You can shift it if someone turns the prop at the same time allowing the shift dog to seat.

 

[KingFritz]

Re: 66' Merc 650- Prop locked in reverse

I see, thanks. From what I was able to find on another thread (of course, I found it after I posted) it is normal on Mercury for the prop to not spin/ratchet in Reverse, like it does in Forward? I suppose we'll see what happens when I get it on the water sometime this week.