Will not go into Reverse or Neutral!

[troyandamyparent]

My 1995 90hp Force will not go into neutral or reverse.<br /><br />I checked all the linkage, all the way to the lower unit and it seems fine.<br /><br />I took off the lower unit and pulled off the water pump and etc. I can pull on the linkage rod(connected at the bottom of unit) and it seems like it is not connected to anything(other than the swivel).<br /><br />I have also taken off the prop and unscrewed the housing and circle clip.<br /><br />Can anyone tell me how to pull the prop shaft out OR if their is anything else to look at before I do this.<br /><br />What is the linkage screw/pin for?<br /><br />Also, I had some water in the lower unit when I drained it. When I flipped the lower unit over to drain the remainder out. It went into neutral???

 

[eurolarva]

Re: Will not go into Reverse or Neutral!

Hello TTpflake and welcome to Iboats. The pivot pin or screw is used to hold the pivot for the shift linkage in place. This rocking motion moves the gears forward or back to the clutch in order to reverse the direction of the prop. The main cause for this failure is accidently taking the pivot screw out when doing an oil change instead of the drain and fill screws. Another cause is a poorly running motor which requires you to throw the motor in gear at high rpms so it wont die. You will need a seal kit and a service manual for this project. The entire lower unit has to be taken apart to fix this. A seal kit is about 40 dollars and a clymer manual is around the same. The manual is needed so you can see parts and proper removal and installation procedure. Below should give you and idea of how it works.<br />

 

[troyandamyparent]

Re: Will not go into Reverse or Neutral!

Thanks, this is very helpful. One more question. If the Linkage rod seems loose with no resistance, does this probably mean that the pin was sheared and needs to be replaced? I think that this is what you were implying but wanted to make sure.<br /><br />And yes the shifting seemed harder then normal when this started to happen.<br /><br />Thanks again

 

[eurolarva]

Re: Will not go into Reverse or Neutral!

The pin may have just bent and came loose. That happened to mine. I took the lower unit apart and found the pin in the oil. The parts should still be availible from mercury. Taking the lower unit apart is not real difficult however it is a little scary the first time. Check out your local library for a service manual. It usually takes about a week to get parts once you order them.