115 hp "tower of power"

[bently]

I have an early 80's Mercury 115 hp outboard and I just recently replaced the water pump. I ran it on the hose and everything looked like it was working fine until I put it in the lake. It is stuck in forward gear, not matter where I adjust the throttle it is in forward. did I miss something when I reassembled the lower unit?

thanks

 

[AMD Rules]

Re: 115 hp "tower of power"

Common issue, so don't feel too bad. The shft shaft on the gearbox and the splined shift shaft on the mid-section are either no connected to each other, or are mis-positioned.

Only route to take is to remove the gearbox again. Be sure that the helm controls and the lower unit are both in the same gear position. Manual recommends forward gear, but it really doesn't matter. Just make sure they are both the same.

With the gearbox removed, grab the driveshaft with one hand to prevent it from turning then spin the prop shaft with the other hand to determine what gear position it is in. This is what you will find:

- in neutral, propshaft will spin freely in either direction
- in reverse, propshaft won't spin in either direction
- in forward, propshaft won't spin ccw and will ratchet as it spins cw

Small changes in shift shaft rotary position will cause it to shift gears. You should be able to feel the nuetral detent as it engages. Once you're happy with the gear selection position.... re-install the gearbox.

Good luck.