Bravo 2 outdrive not engaging when in gear

[dlogvine]

I promised my friend to help him replace the impeller in his water pump on Mercruiser 7.4 engine with Bravo 2 outdrive. Told him not to do anything until i come, but when i arrived, the driveway was knee deep in gear lube and the lower unit was for some reason unbolted and laying in a puddle of gear lube. I am not very familiar with the Bravo 2 outdrives and knowing that impeller and gear lube replacement do not require disassembly of the drive, i did not even bother to check out the disassembly/ assembly procedures. So after asking if there were any loose parts scattered in the pool of gear lube and getting negative answer we just slid the lower units shaft in the right hole and moved it all the way up and then tightened the nuts. Changed the impeller, pumped in all the needed new gear lube, i tried to check out if the shaft with propeller is getting locked in gear and realized that it does not. My friend turned on the engine and tried to put it in gear, again with no engagement. So im thinking that we either missed the gear on the top end or my friend lost any top end connecting coupler or parts in his mess.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[alldodge]

As the Bravo is installed the cable needs to be latched into the keeper before moving it the rest of the way into the bell housing. Grab the latch with pliers to pull it out if its inside. Latch cable and push in

 

[dlogvine]

As the Bravo is installed the cable needs to be latched into the keeper before moving it the rest of the way into the bell housing. Grab the latch with pliers to pull it out if its inside. Latch cable and push in

View attachment 334912

My friend did not remove the whole outdrive, he just took off the lower unit, so im pretty sure this cable was not disattached. Is there anything that he and his drunk buddy could have moved/lost/misplaced when they dropped down the lower unit? Thank you

 

[alldodge]

All shifting is done in the top half, its just gears in the lower. Check to see if its in throttle only. Otherwise I would pull the rear cap off to see if the shift mech is moving when shifted

 

[Fun Times]

If for sure only the lower gear case housing was removed then maybe the coupling assembly was forgotten that generally rests on top of the drive shaft that meets the upper drive shaft housing...,item number 23, https://www.mercruiserparts.com/bam/subassembly/30977/1943/230

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Also in order to shift the Bravo drives, it best that the shafts are turning while trying to "Shift" into any gear including carefully turning the props by hand only if the engine is off and the person at the helm shifter isn't going to try starting the engine with the ignition key while the other person tries turning by hand....Have the key in your pocket

 

[alldodge]

Oh yes, forgot about that little thing
But if that coupling is attached your not going to be able to turn the prop

 

[dlogvine]

If for sure only the lower gear case housing was removed then maybe the coupling assembly was forgotten that generally rests on top of the drive shaft that meets the upper drive shaft housing...,item number 23, https://www.mercruiserparts.com/bam/subassembly/30977/1943/230

Mercruiser Bravo 1 2 3 I II III Coupler 88243A3, Mercury Quicksilver | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Mercruiser Bravo 1 2 3 I II III Coupler 88243A3, Mercury Quicksilver at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

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Also in order to shift the Bravo drives, it best that the shafts are turning while trying to "Shift" into any gear including carefully turning the props by hand only if the engine is off and the person at the helm shifter isn't going to try starting the engine with the ignition key while the other person tries turning by hand....Have the key in your pocket

Unless the coupler was in the upper unit, there was none on the shaft. And i was kinda surprised that it did not take any alignment of the shaft with the coupler when connecting the lower unit with the upper unit. Or possibly the shaft was misaligned with the coupler, which is pretty much unlikely considering there is not this much space in the upper unit housing and the fact that the lower unit was fully connected and bolted down

 

[Fun Times]

What year is the boat? Drive serial number handy?

It's rarer that coupler stays up in the upper unit but not impossible either or maybe it rolled down the driveway, in the tool bag or used it to open a bottle of beer near the refrigerator area?

No shaft to shaft alignment needed when reinstalling with these units.

Are you able to easily turn the prop shaft both ways while having the shifter be put the F_N_R positions?

 

[dlogvine]

What year is the boat? Drive serial number handy?

It's rarer that coupler stays up in the upper unit but not impossible either or maybe it rolled down the driveway, in the tool bag or used it to open a bottle of beer near the refrigerator area?

No shaft to shaft alignment needed when reinstalling with these units.

Are you able to easily turn the prop shaft both ways while having the shifter be put the F_N_R positions?

The prop is not getting locked and spins in every shifter position. As for the loose coupler, that was my first question when i saw the lower unit in a pool of gear lube, if there are any missing parts. The answer was none, but since these two happy campers were already seriously filled with beer, i would not doubt that some parts were in the bucket with gear lube or somewhere under the boat on the driveway. I will ask my friend to look around for the missing coupler. Also i found that there was a torn water hose that i think was from speedometer pickup in the outdrive but i was not able to find any connector on the outdrive where this hose could be going.

 

[Fun Times]

Item # 15 will be a Yellow adaptor for the speedometer system,

 

[tpenfield]

Yes, you/he needs to check for missing parts. I assume he never found the impeller in the lower unit.

I would also think you may want to take the outdrive apart again and put it back together with the aid of the service manual.

Does your friend wish he waited until you got there?

 

[dlogvine]

I think my buddy is now looking for a coupler in his driveway or in the front yard. I told him to look at the 30 gal trash tank filled up with beer cans and liquor bottles first. I hate when drunk people are trying to do stuff that they have no clue about and being helpful. It took me two hours to change the impeller, replace his drive belts and change oil. By the way i really felt like killing somebody when after removing the water pump and inspecting the belt i saw a good chunk of it, about 1/2 inch long and 1/4 inch wide all chewed up. Apparently they found an easier way to install the water pump belt without removing one of the pulleys, by just squeezing the belt between them and then turning over the engine. That immediately chewed up the belt and i was really impressed that the belt lasted all of the last season.
In other words natural born mechanics.
Now i will have to take apart the outdrive and check what is missing. Drain all the gear lube first and all the fun stuff.

 

[alldodge]

Drain all the gear lube first and all the fun stuff.

What, no oil slick drive again

 

[dlogvine]

What, no oil slick drive again

Maybe i should just remove the lower unit without draining the gear lube. Let him learn the consequences of his dumb a$$ actions