Re: Identifying Nissan Outboard
Good that you have what was represented. The previous owner likely did not understand the shifter issue, so either he "told himself" that it was normal, or just said what he needed to in order to complete the sale.
Now, the next thing will be to address that shifter issue. If the shifter wedge (inside the LU) is not being moved all the way into reverse, the LU might jump back to neutral, especially under significant load. I have seen that issue a lot more in forward, but I suppose it could happen in reverse.
Did you test the motor by running it with muffs on? Keep in mind that the LU will not go into gear properly if the shaft is not turning, so there may be nothing wrong at all. A tank test, or better yet, an on-the-water test will tell you a lot.
Given the age of your motor, it's likely time to go through the water pump, so that would be a good time to check the indexing and adjustment of the shift rod. I have seen the rod bent (up near the shift handle), throwing the whole indexing off. Was done by an overly-enthusiastic teenager. If that's the case, it can sometimes be straightened, or you can get a new rod from any Tohatsu/Nissan dealer.
If you're going to do the service yourself, I would recommend getting a Factory service manual from any Tohatsu/Nissan dealer. The water pump's not a difficult job, but is made easier with the Factory manual. Also get the parts catalog -- either a free download from TG's website at
http://www.internetoutboards.com/PartsCatalogMenu.htm
or you can buy one from a dealer. The reason I suggest having both books is that once you have the LU down, you can pull out the prop housing and verify that everything is assembled correctly, with no missing parts, etc. It's possible that a previous mechanic botched something, causing your reverse issue.
On your model, you will need a punch to drive out the roll pin from the brass shift rod coupler in order to drop the LU. Do that carefully, so you don't mangle the coupler. The factory sells a very nice set of tools for installing and removing the pin, but it's rather pricey for the set, say $50 or so. Many mechanics use a good drift punch successfully, rather than shell out for the factory tools. If in doubt, get it to a dealer for the job.
