Help with manually sifting 90 hp Mercury

[challenger88]

Hello...I was hoping someone could help me with a shifting question. I was on the lake Sunday and went to engage th engine. The engine revved but it did not engage in forward drive. I went to nuetral and then tried reverse. It did not engage right away either. I then tried forward one more time and it started to engage then stalled the engine when it engaged. I initially thought I was stuck in reverse but things happened so quickly I was actually in forward gear.
The control box would not let me shift into nuetral. When I got home I removed the shift cable from the shift pin. I thought I might be able to manually slide the shift pin into nuetral. I was able to set the control box back to nuetral and can see where the shift pin needs to line up.

This where I am stuck. I am not sure how to manual shift the motor. At the prop, I can spin the prop clockwisewith 1 finger. It makes a slight clicking noise kind of like it sounds when it is trying to engage. It does not spin counter clockwise. At the power head I can turn the flywheel clockwise with 2 hands and the prop spins clockwise. It is kind of hard to turn but I figure that's normal? Usually the starter or the rope is needed to spin the flywheel. I can't seem to get the shift pin to slide back to the nuetral position. I tried spinning the flywheel with my hand while trying to jiggle the shift pin towards the rear of the guide block but it doesn't seem to want to move. The shift pin attaches to a lever that is attached to the drive shaft ( I think). I wasn't sure if I should try to crank the engine and then try to slide the shift pin ?? Thanks for any tips or ideas.

 

[Yepblaze]

Re: Help with manually sifting 90 hp Mercury

Hook the cable back up and watch that mechanism while someone works the lever. (You may have to wiggle the prop while you select gears)

If the mechanism is moving back and forth, but propeller not engaging when wiggled start looking at the lower unit.

If the mechanism isn't moving start looking towards the controller for the problem.

 

[challenger88]

Re: Help with manually sifting 90 hp Mercury

Thanks for the replys I appreciate everyones responses.

I was able to get the shift mechanism to go into nuetral, fwd , and reverse. your tips worked. Once I reconnected the shifter cable, it was easier to work with the shifter. I started the engine in nuetral but did not want to shift gears while the engine was running just in case.

I changed the lower unit lubricant and about a 1/4 cup of water came out along with the lube. The lube looked in good shape, ie was not milky. I removed the prop down to the carrier bearing and shot it full of grease as well as replaced the lubricant. I thnik I must have a bad seal on the bearing carrier and there is a little corrosion going on. I was going to try and remove the foot and check the bearings and grears but there are just too many small parts and special tools needed. I was going to have the water pump replaced this summer....so I went ahead and scheduled a service for that and will also add checking the gear case and adding new seals. I did not notice any excessive shavings or grit in the lube when I drained it so hopefully there isn't anything too bad down there.

I was given a quote of 125-150 to replace/repair the pump. The mechanic said he would need to look at the gear box before he commented on the cost. He said he would have to remove those pieces to replace the pump anyway and if nothing else was in bad shape I could expect to add another 50-75 to replace all the seals and gaskets. Does this sound about right? I haven't had this kind of service before or used this mechanic. He seems like a trust worthy guy I just don't have any idea what this type of work should cost and didn't want to be "surpised" with a huge bill.