Mercruiser Apha 1 Leg lifts up in Reverse

[Ismael]

I am a new registered user on iboats. I recently bought a project 1976 Fiber Form 22.5' Cruiser with a 351W engine and Alpha 1 Mercruiser Leg. The Leg is well painted over covering any serial or model numbers. The leg tilts up and lowers okay with no problem.
My problem is when I am the water and shift in reverse and applying little more than idle power, the leg lifts up. On dry land I can lift the leg up with some exerted effort, is it normal?
I really appreciate any troubleshooting techniques I could do before I contact my local repair shop. I am located on the island of Kauai in Hawaii where resources are limited.

 

[achris]

Re: Mercruiser Apha 1 Leg lifts up in Reverse

Hello Ismael and welcome to iBoats.

Leg lifting up is definitely not normal.

Given that you have an MC-1 drive (not an Alpha One) it's likely you have a series 1 pump and plumbing. That said, there is a reverse lock valve in the system designed to stop that happening. If the valve goes out of adjustment, the leg lifts up in reverse....

Here's the good bit.... The adjustment is easy...

 

[Ismael]

Re: Mercruiser Apha 1 Leg lifts up in Reverse

Hello Ismael and welcome to iBoats.

Leg lifting up is definitely not normal.

Given that you have an MC-1 drive (not an Alpha One) it's likely you have a series 1 pump and plumbing. That said, there is a reverse lock valve in the system designed to stop that happening. If the valve goes out of adjustment, the leg lifts up in reverse....

Here's the good bit.... The adjustment is easy...

Aloha achris, Thank you for your response and greeting. Okay I have a MC-1 drive, thanks for the correction. Your photo helps me a lot on what to look for and your detail info seems easy enough to follow. I will let you know what I find and how it goes.
Also if you get a chance to check out my other thread regarding my hydraulic steering growling and groaning, I would really appreciate it.
Mahalo, Sam aka Ismael