Just bought this boat, a previous owner didn't winterize it and cracked the block. It still ran so was able to check the out drive which appeared to work fine and go in and out of both gears. I fixed the engine and took it out on the lake and it work fine to get out in the middle of the lake. A couple of hours later we went tip come back in and it would not go into forward gear. Had to begin going back to dock (1/2 mile away) in reverse. I decided to try forward again after a few minutes and it went in gear.
I took the boat home and pulled the lower unit off and found only a little corrosion that I cleaned up, took shifter lever off but did not mess with adjustment on the cable since I do not have the tool to readjust it. I moved the shift rod up and down and it seemed to go into gear fine there. After cleaning and lubricating everything with water proof grease I lubricated the shift cables and the shift/ throttle lever assembly. I could not see any visible wear anywhere, all the cables seem tight, the shift/ throttle lever assembly seems to be tight and moving both cables fine and as intended. I really need help. After fixing the engine I am out of money. I just want to enjoy myself on the water. Please help me.
Also, I did not take the gearing apart so I do not know the condition of the gears. But when I shift manually - even in the water it goes into gear fine. So what I mean by manually is, with the hood off the engine I physically move the shift lever on the top of the engine back or forward to go into gear. In the case of going into forward gear I push the shift lever at the top towards the rear of the boat and it goes into gear.
I took the boat home and pulled the lower unit off and found only a little corrosion that I cleaned up, took shifter lever off but did not mess with adjustment on the cable since I do not have the tool to readjust it. I moved the shift rod up and down and it seemed to go into gear fine there. After cleaning and lubricating everything with water proof grease I lubricated the shift cables and the shift/ throttle lever assembly. I could not see any visible wear anywhere, all the cables seem tight, the shift/ throttle lever assembly seems to be tight and moving both cables fine and as intended. I really need help. After fixing the engine I am out of money. I just want to enjoy myself on the water. Please help me.
Also, I did not take the gearing apart so I do not know the condition of the gears. But when I shift manually - even in the water it goes into gear fine. So what I mean by manually is, with the hood off the engine I physically move the shift lever on the top of the engine back or forward to go into gear. In the case of going into forward gear I push the shift lever at the top towards the rear of the boat and it goes into gear.
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