'94 Force 120 - stuck in forward

[mvandijken]

Hi,<br /><br /> My Boat: <br /><br />'94 Force (Mercury) 120 hp outboard with 17' Bayliner Capri.<br /><br /><br /> Symptons: <br /><br />- Transmission seems to be stuck in forward<br />- Engine speed responds to input from throttle control<br />- Moving throttle control to neutral leaves transmission engaged in forward at idle<br />- Moving throttle control to reverse and accelerating leaves transmission engaged in forward and engine speed responds accordingly<br /><br /><br /> Further into:<br /><br />- Took cover off engine, throttle and tranmission linkages appear to be connected and moving with input from throttle control<br />- Boat will start with throttle in neutral position; however, forward is engaged<br /><br /><br /> Cause?? <br /><br />When I took the boat out this morning, throttle worked fine. I could engage reverse and neutral.<br /><br />Upon returning to dock, I tried to engage reverse and found the boat remained engaged in forward.<br /><br />No "event" occurred at all during the outing to cause the problem.<br /><br />Please help if you can. <br /><br />Thank you<br />- Michael

 

[eurolarva]

Re: '94 Force 120 - stuck in forward

When you last drained your lower unit for the winter did one of the drain plugs have a long screw? The pivot screw located on the front of the lower unit sometimes gets removed instead of the drain screws. When this happens the shift linkage pivot point no longer exsists and the shifter will stay in what ever gear it was in when it was pulled or might even slip into neutral. Just a guess here. If the shift linkages look good on top you are going to have to remove the lower unit and verify it is shifting down there