lower unit

[kenstoy]

newbie here,need help with 86 force ob , on a capri, me and family were out sunday in the delaware river, and hit a log . the motor will still go into forward but i have no reverse,any suggestions, tips ,ideas why or what is wrong i would appreciate it very much. sorry the motor is a 125 hp.i will be setting my profile up soon with pics of my boat . thanks ken

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: lower unit

Welcome to the forum Ken. You will find some very knowledgeable people here to help you through your boat and motor issues.
With respect to your problem, if you are lucky you may have just damaged the exposed shifter rod on the front of your lower unit. Tilt the motor up and inspect it all the way up to see if it is intact. If you hit a log it may have bent or jammed it.
It should shift freely through all (3) positions...forward, neutral and reverse.
Give it a look and a try and keep us posted.
...oh, and post a few pics of your motor set up.
BP

 

[kenstoy]

Re: lower unit

thanks BP , I will check that tomorrow and post some pics.this site is awsome and the people that help , much appreciated, ttys . ps i think u have everything lol

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: lower unit

How hard did you hit it? If you hit hard enough to break the lower motor mount, you could be jamming the linkage. To check, grab the exhaust snout and pull. If the midleg moves easily and hits the bottom of the rear shroud, the motor mount is broken. The motor mount is behind the four bolts below the engine mounting clamps.

Also check the pin where the two shift rods are connected. If it forced the shift when the log hit, It may have broken the pin or bent the upper shift rod.

 

[kenstoy]

Re: lower unit

it hit pretty hard,the motor jumped into neutral,and when i stopped i lifted the motor to check no visual problem,then restarted it went into forward with no problem when pulling back into dock and needed reverse it was not there no noise,grinding anything.forward and neutral is fine.thanks any info is much appreciated thank you. i will let you know what i fine, ken

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: lower unit

I believe I saw Delran in your post. That's about an hour or so away from me. If you have major problems and need help, send me a private message for directions and drive over.

 

[kenstoy]

Re: lower unit

thanks for all your help, i just got done pulling the mount out,it was broke and just putting enough tension on the linkage.the lower link seems fine i can engage it with my fingers neutral,forward and reverse no problems. i really appreciate you guys . i am ordering a new one tomorrow. hopefully back on the water saturday. yes im right on the delaware and the rancocas creek , all my life. when i get more time i will post some pics. i mean literally on them all day too im in maintenance at the tacony,palmyra bridge and burlington,bristol bridge.thanks again i will let you know how i makeout, ken

 

[kenstoy]

Re: lower unit

need more help lol, i just got back in the water and still have no reverse.after putting in the new lower mount, when i tested it in the driveway with the muffs on i got forward,neutral,reverse.everything seems fine.but in the water no reverse.please any suggestions, ideas would be appreciated

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: lower unit

I still think you bent one of the shift rods OR possibly something inside the engine. If you are not getting full throw on forward and reverse, the engine will go into gear with no load but will pop out under load. With the engine off, try putting it in reverse then turn the prop forward to see if it pops out. If it does, then you know for sure that the linkage has shifted.

You need to check the throw of the lower shift rod where it enters the midleg-below the engine mount. It should be equal travel both up and down from neutral position. Funny--since forward is down, and since the engine was forced out of forward, I would expect trouble going into forward gear. At any rate, if the travel up is less than the travel down, then you have found the reason it will not go into reverse. Now check the rest of the linkage including the shift cable where it attaches to the shift arm and the mount on the bypass cover with the ball attachment--it may have been bent.

Curious--how much was the lower engine mount? I have heard that they are expensive.

 

[kenstoy]

Re: lower unit

hey frank,thanks for getting back so soon , im not having trouble in forward at all, full throttle speed 42 mph.do u think i could be out on the ajustment,by hand on the lower rod it engages ok , are u on now i hope ,and do you think there is enough ajustment to make up if the upper link is bent. ken

 

[kenstoy]

Re: lower unit

im sorry,i paid 105.00 for the mount the only good thing is me and a good friend are in 50/50 0n the boat.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: lower unit

Below and behind the lower carb you will see where the upper shift rod enters the engine. There are two nuts on it which enable you to adjust it up and down. Before you do adjust, check the ball mount and cable, and check the throw on the lower rod when attached. Since you are getting full travel on the lower rod by hand, the problem most likely is not in the lower unit or with the lower shift rod.

By the way: you did not spin or unscrew the lower rod, did you? It is threaded into the shift yoke inside the lower unit and should be threaded all the way in, then backed out only enough to align with the holes in the upper rod --1/2 turn or less.

 

[kenstoy]

Re: lower unit

thanks , you are a life saver. as far as i know i did not turn that rod.i did engage it when i was done the install and it locks in and i can not turn it in reverse rotation.that would be normal right

 

[kenstoy]

Re: lower unit

getting back to let you know last night i went down to my boat and tried to ajust that upper shift rod . no matter what way i adjusted it up or down i still could not get reverse but forward no problen.the rod looks a little bent from what i can see at the top . im kinda lost at this point , or do you think it is in the lower gear possibly? any thoughts or ideas what i should do,thanks much appreciated.or maybe i am over looking something i dont know what to do next.

 

[JoeCrow]

Re: lower unit

With the shift cable disconnected, try putting the motor in reverse by hand,
then with the controller in reverse, hook it up
Then see if you have neutral and forward
You may bent the rod
There's also a cotter pin that connects the shift rods just above the lower unit if that bent, it could get snagged when it goes through the hole it's supposed to pass through into the lower end
I'm on the Delaware and Rancocas Creek almost every weekend
The Delaware is risky traveling at best

 

[kenstoy]

Re: lower unit

thanks,for the info. if that upper shift rod is bent bad is it difficult to get out and replace.any info is appreciated,or sites to show details or leads on any threads that show how. anything is helpful.im going to the boat tomorrow to try some more about what you said disconnecting the cable and try to get reverse manually i will let you know what i get thank you, ken

 

[kenstoy]

Re: lower unit

hi joe or frank,i pulled my boat out tonight,and did some more investigating in the driveway,im sorry i gave you some wrong info,and this is what i found so far,on the lower rod disconnected.i can not get it to move into reverse it seems like it tries because the prop tries to lock in but seems like it just tightens a little bit but does not fully lock in and i think this would be in the up position,on the rod, then moving the rod down into neutral no problem and then one more notch down to forward no problem so im thinking the lower rod will not go all the way up to engage in reverse. any thoughts on this would help very much . can you guys stear me in the right direction on what to do.i also marked the distance on the lower rod where it connects to the upper rod and the throw is not the same at all with it hooked up or disconnected , thank you , ken

 

[kenstoy]

Re: lower unit

hey, joe sorry to be a pain,but im still having trouble just wondering if you read my last post,if you get time to read it i would appreciate it and see what you think ,and maybe help me get on track ,my family is wanting to get back in the boat on water lol,this weekend weather looks good ,any ideas or things to try i would much appreciate it thank you , ken