Re: '99 NS5B shift linkage prob./?
Just went through similar episode with my 5 hp. If you haven't done it before it seems to take 3 hands! Make sure that the shift linkage rod went through the small rubber gromet on the front edge of middle housing as it is supposed to. You will see the end poke through. I have had to fight with mine a little since it makes a little bend. It can be tricky for me to line up the driveshaft, the water pickup tube and the shift rod at the same time. If the shift rod were to not go through that rubber seal and end up inside the housing somehow, it would limit the shift movement and create problems as you described. Once that is in place, the shift rod from the upper housing will lie alongside it. The clamp holding the two together can be tricky to tighten without it falling off one or the other of the shift rods. When the two are threaded in the clamp and tightened, if the motor doesn't shift easily, a very slight twist of the lower shift shaft (that is accessable at the top since you can see the end) may help it to shift more easily. If it is not in the right gear as shown by the lever, the lower shift lever can be moved up or down as needed to correct the problem. Hope that helps.
