Re: Need to replace gear shift pin
Thanks for your reply eurolarva. I can find a hole in the lower shift rod with a small nail and center it but when I pull out the nail, the rod moves a little torward the boat, so I can't insert the shift pin. I can see just a lttle part of the hole in the shift rod. If the pin were designed with a point on it, I think I would be able to slide the pin back in. I will try to raising the tilt and turning the steering wheel to get different angles on the outboard to see if the lower shift rod will hold still long enough to insert the shift pin.
I suppose another option may be to grind down the last 3/16 in. of the shift pin into a point, but I don't know if that would goof something up inside. My other idea is to epoxy a small piece of soft wood on the end of the shift pin in the shape of a cone so it will find the hole and align the rod as you push the pin in.
I may also try to remove the nut on the top of the lower shift rod to see if I can align the hole. Tearing apart the gearcase would certainly be my last option.