Bravo III stuck in reverse, steering problem as well.

[van-man]

I was letting a friend drive the boat and he needed to stop quickly so he went strait from forward into reverse. There was a audible 'clunk' and the boat would not go back into neutral.
The engine would start (while in reverse gear) but the main belt was not turning because the impeller pump is not turning.

For the steering problem, Last season I noticed that the boat was not turning left as well as it was turning right, the first few times I went out this season it got a little worse, and there is a lot of play in the drive.

Please advise if you could help me figure out either or both. Thank you, - Jordan.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Bravo III stuck in reverse, steering problem as well.

The gear issue is due to the shift ball in the back of the upper unit having slipped out of/past its detent. Take the rear cover of the upper unit, and it should make sense. Howeverm someone will be along with the link to the manual. Or you could just look at the "Adults Only" posts at the top of this section.
The impeller pump being stuck means the motor rocked backwards for a bit and the vanes in the pump "flopped" over the wrong way. If the belt is properly tightened, and it can't turn the pump back over, you're going to have to remove the pump, disassemble it and put it back together with the vanes going the right direction. It happens sometimes.
Your steering issues could be a few things. the thing you REALLY want to check for is the steering shaft pin. If it gets worn out, replacing it requires the motor to be removed!
Search on here for "steering pin" and you should get a pretty good idea.

 

[van-man]

Re: Bravo III stuck in reverse, steering problem as well.

TilliamWe,
I got the water pump fixed, thanks. Now I am ready to takle the gear problem. I could not find anything in the manual about the shift ball, are you talking about the cone clutch? thanks for getting back to me. Another thing to help figure it out is that the throttle is very hard to move and will not stop in the nuetral detent. I have read a lot of post that say they have a I/O stuck in gear but most of there's have a throttle that is moving freely.

 

[Don S]

Re: Bravo III stuck in reverse, steering problem as well.

With the engine OFF. Have someone turn the props by hand while you put the control into neutral.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Bravo III stuck in reverse, steering problem as well.

Do as Don says. If the drive is still stuck, take the rear cover off and the problem should be visible. My dad actually had this happen and had to complete the repair in the WATER! So I know it's obvious to see and get to.

 

[van-man]

Re: Bravo III stuck in reverse, steering problem as well.

Thanks for the help, I tried moving the prop, it wont budge at all, and the throttle will not go into nuetral. I am going to take it into a shop, I would love to take it apart but do not have the facilities here to do it. Thanks for all the help.