Tohatsu 40C shift linkage locked

[fredm2654]

Hi, new to this forum - thanks for the opportunity!

I dropped my LU to inspect / replace clutch dog, and when I did the shift rod moved easily. Somewhere after disassembly of the prop and junk in the LU, the shift rod is stuck. From the top of the shift rod I used a long thin screwdriver and removed all the crud at the top. Looking into the LU, I can see the cam follower is in the reverse position - the shiny tell-tale wear marks show it it all the way down. I don't want to be too rough on it but I cant get it to move up and down. I tried with the bushing retaining screw out - still no movement.

I put a vice grip just below the linkage coupler and tapped it with no luck. elsewhere in this forum i saw once the bushing retaining screw is out only friction hold it in - so how do I free a stuck rod at the bottom of its travel? Technically, the movement i'm trying to get I shouldn't even have to remove the retaining screw. I just want it to move the cam follower up and down / reverse to forward!

Thanks in advance.

 

[pvanv]

Re: Tohatsu 40C shift linkage locked

Pull the prop shaft housing again, and verify that everything is assembled correctly. Odds are you have a lot of pressure on the cam -- maybe because the push rod is too far out of the prop shaft... possibly the clutch dog is in N, and the cam rod all the way down in R, causing a lot of compression.

 

[fredm2654]

Re: Tohatsu 40C shift linkage locked

Cap'n - I havent reassembled yet! After pulling the propshaft housing the shift linkage wont move. I looked at it again today and confirmed the shift rod appears to be down below the normal reverse position. I took a pic and can upload if needed, but basically the shiny spot where the cam follower contacts the shift linkage cam is below the centerline of the prop shaft roller bearing.

Knowing I will need to relube everything anyways, I sprayed WD40 down there thinking maybe that may free a bound cam but that didn't help.

I tried to very gently push the cam upward with a long screwdriver, but because I haven removed the dive pinion gear or forward gear, I didn't want to use the forward gear roller bearing as a fulcrum to drive the cam upwards. What can be holding this cam and shift linkage in place? As I mentioned originally - after removing the LU it moved freely. After pulling the bearing carrier / prop shaft / etc it seemed to drop and bind.

Will heat help?

 

[pvanv]

Re: Tohatsu 40C shift linkage locked

Heat is typically a bad idea... hard to control, rough on seals and paint, and you need a fair amount of BTU's, but not too many degrees. The cam is probably jammed in the bottom of the bore. Can you clamp the cam rod in a vise, and tug the housing down firmly, maybe with a rubber mallet?

 

[fredm2654]

Re: Tohatsu 40C shift linkage locked

Thanks, you're basically confirming there is no designed mechanical part I've overlooked so I will increase the force I've been exerting. The last thing I wanted to do was increase the force only to later find out some pin had to be removed first.

As I havent yet done the rebuild (for the clutch dog), I will eventually replace every seal in the unit - and being in CT I have a while to do it (winter).

If you care to chuckle, the image is a vice grip on the shift linkage (left), with a wood worker's clamp slung behind the vice grip, and 'gently' stationed against the top of the drive shaft (shown with a rag and plastic bag on the top). I used this contraption to put a bit of pressue on the shift linkage, while tapping, to see if it would free up.

I'm about to wack the crap out of it, now.

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Tohatsu 40C shift linkage locked

"wack the crap out of it"

That is an engineering term used by everyone who has actually ever worked on something mechanical