reverse on a Merc 1350 "71"

[asr2001]

Hello All,

I have a 1971 Mercury 1350 that runs great in forward but i seem to have a small issue in reverse. When she is out of the water and i am flushing it the prop will run in forward, neutral and reverse and lock into place on the forward and reverse and spin when in neutral, However when she is in the water it seems i have a different story.

when i place her in reverse no matter how much power i give her she will race and sound just like a car would in neutral but she will just barely move in reverse. When i go forward i can open her up and she will run like a champ and move like the dickens. Can anyone assist me in why when she is in reverse she will barely move but the engine will run and race but i do not seem to go anywhere. I would like to fix this before i have to deploy again as my daughter and i like to spend time on the water when i am at home and i do not want to replace the engine, She might be very old but other than this bit of an issue she is a powerhouse and starts everytime

Thanks
Adam

 

[jebeebe]

Re: reverse on a Merc 1350 "71"

Hi,
I posted a reply but don't know where it went. Here goes again. It sounds like you're one spline off on the upper shift rod. Have you had the lower unit off lately? Maybe to change the impeller? It sounds like it isn't going all the way back into reverse. There is some adjustment on the cable where it hooks on to the shifting mechenism. If that doesn't do it you will have to loosen the lower unit and drop it far enough to disconect the shift rod and rotate it one spline and reconect. move it toward the forward gear. Good luck.............Jerry

 

[jddenham]

Re: reverse on a Merc 1350 "71"

Also check the linkage where it locks the motor from tilting in reverse. It might be pulling itself out of the water and over revving.

 

[asr2001]

Re: reverse on a Merc 1350 "71"

Thanks folks....Jebeebe, yes the water pump had just recently been changed. Now that you mention it the reverse worked fine before it was changed. i will have to try this out this weekend and post the results thanks to all for the suggestions

 

[asr2001]

Re: reverse on a Merc 1350 "71"

Oh Yes, I must admit that i have very little experience with outboards if any at all. If there is anyone in the VA area that would have some time to assist with this it would be great. I would do all the work but it would just be nice to have someone that knew exactly what to do guiding me on the process. i have no issues getting dirty but do not want to make a bad situation even worse.
I would be more than happy to swap my PC Networking and repair skills for the assistance
Thanks

 

[asr2001]

Re: reverse on a Merc 1350 "71"

Oh Yes, I must admit that i have very little experience with outboards if any at all. If there is anyone in the VA area that would have some time to assist with this it would be great. I would do all the work but it would just be nice to have someone that knew exactly what to do guiding me on the process. i have no issues getting dirty but do not want to make a bad situation even worse.
I would be more than happy to swap my PC Networking and repair skills for the assistance
Thanks

Just a thought. Someone at a dealership told me the following but i find it a bit hard to digest as it worked fine before changing the water impeller...What do you guys think,,I

t sounds to me like you have simply spun the hub of your prop. Reverse today and it probably will start slipping in forward soon. Send it to get re-hubbed (we can do that for you) or just buy a new one. We will be glad to help..just bring us the prop. ,,,,

 

[diaric]

Re: reverse on a Merc 1350 "71"

more likelly you just off a spline as you just did impellor. you would probably get some reverse before it slipped. put it in gear and turn prop by hand. feel what it's doing. reverse should be locked both ways.MAKE SURE KEY IS OFF

 

[Chris1956]

Re: reverse on a Merc 1350 "71"

ASR. That lower unit will "click" and stay in neutral. I therefore recommend you drop the LU, set the LU to neutral, put the MerControl into Neutral as well, and adjust the shift cable until the upper and lower shift shafts mate.

I do not believe that the prop would slip in reverse, and not forward.

 

[asr2001]

Re: reverse on a Merc 1350 "71"

more likelly you just off a spline as you just did impellor. you would probably get some reverse before it slipped. put it in gear and turn prop by hand. feel what it's doing. reverse should be locked both ways.MAKE SURE KEY IS OFF

It is locked both ways that is why i do not understand why i am not getting any reverse thrust and which also makes me believe that she is not slipping.
Thanks again to everyone for all the great advice, Now i just have to find someone near me to help me drop the L/U and do the correction, as i have never done anything like this and the person who did my water pump has just passed away, its funny he questioned this the day after he did the water pump and now he is no longer available to assist me but at least i have all your good knowledge so i know what i am asking someone to do, just hope i can get it done before I have to leave again

Thanks to all

 

[asr2001]

Re: reverse on a Merc 1350 "71"

Ok Update on my reverse, What do you guys think...All advice is always appreciated from you guys.......

By the way guys, For my resverse problem as far as the engine raced but i did not seem to go anywhere this is what happened today....After I got back in after a day of not so good fishing and being boarded by Marine Patrol to make sure I was all good ( Which I was..Same guy oards me every week and asks me the same questions an he must love to see my Blue thro pillow..Lol)
Anyway back to the issue....
I dropped the lower unit and low and behold I tried to move the Lower unit Control shaft a spline or to to make sure that it aligned since the reverse was an issue since i had the Impeller changed and sure enuff I found neutral and forward but no reverse.Could not get the prop to lock in place so to say....I found forward and neutral but no reverse.....I think either it jumped out of the dog being it was never aligned right or it broke but i do not have the tool to get the bolt over the seal off. I spoke to a buddy that repairs outboards for the coast guard and he will bring the tool home on Monday,( Wanted to make a tool to get it off as I really wanted to go out tomm but no sense in possibly turning a 40 dollar job into a whole new lower unit) Does anyone know where I can get a blown up diagram of a Merc 1350 Lower unit??? He knows what he is doin But I would like to have a reference and my manual will never be here in time. Also now I see where the H2O impeller goes and its not as bad as I thought...Any help and all advice would be apreciated guys

 

[OldMercsRule]

Re: reverse on a Merc 1350 "71"

Hey ASR2001, I'm not a outboard mechanic, (just a back yard type). You should be able to shift the lower unit into reverse with the LU droped off the engine. Never dryshift your engine into reverse (not running) with your control in the boat. One out of three times or so you will ruin your shift control cam inside the control box, and need to repair it. There are drawings of your 1350 on www.usboatsupply.com I think you are over my head on this one. If I were physically there with you I might be able to help, but it is hard to follow your problems online, (at least it is for me). Hope the linc helps with the drawing you are looking for. Sorry I could not be of more service here. Hopefully one of the big guns will help you. JR

 

[ricksrster]

Re: reverse on a Merc 1350 "71"

http://www.mercruiserparts.com/selectModels3.asp?type_id=MERC

 

[asr2001]

Re: reverse on a Merc 1350 "71"

OldMercs,

Thanks I appreciate the honesty....I never dry shifted anything from the controller. I had already dropped the Lower unit and was trying to turn the shift rod in the lower unit to define where For, Neu, And Reverse were. I found forward and Neutral but was unable to find reverse. I guess I will have to wait for the tool to remove the nut that holds it in..Looks like a round circle with two notches in it and from what i understand there is a tool to remove it..... After it is removed we will see why we can not find reverse....I wish i knew exactly what the part I am looking for is called but from what I understand it is in the L/U under the shift rod or for all I know it may be the shift rod but i do know that i tried to mve the small peice that has the splines in the lower unit and it moved way to easy and did not feel like it was nmoving anything but itself, from what i understand when this rod moves it moves a part that dictates what positin you are in whether it is For, rev, or Neutr........Finally found the serial number it is 3037451

Thanks agiain everyone you all are a great bunch and a welth of knowledge that you do not mind sharing....Anyone here from Virginia....Lol

Sorry for the rampling I just learbed a very Important lesson on outboards...What you think is goin to be easy ( In my case ajust the splines) it very well may take you down a diffrent road and to expect the unexpected
I think I am looking for the lower dog and fork assembly for the lower unit shift shaft...anyone know where I may be able to find these parts...can not see them on any diagrram