Gearcase and lower unit problems?

[Brandon13]

I recently replaced the throttle and control cables because the old ones were rusted. Anyways, I spent hours adjusting the cables and I still cannot get the motor to go in reverse as easy as forward. It seems like it does get into reverse but with some grinding. However, when I give it more throttle in reverse, the motor just revs up.

The next problem I noticed after taking the boat out of the water. Oil was seeping from the drain holes next to the lower unit bolts. The oil appears to be dark like lower unit oil, but I'm not 100% on that. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[catfishcarl99]

Re: Gearcase and lower unit problems?

your gonna need to give more info. motor make, model, hp. year.

 

[Brandon13]

Re: Gearcase and lower unit problems?

Can't believe I forgot to write that. 87 force 125

 

[Jiggz]

Re: Gearcase and lower unit problems?

You need to verify the shifting is centered between Fwd and Rev by looking at the shift rod located on top of the gear box front. You can do measurement if you want but you need to mark it with chalk to make sure you get the deadcenter neutral and then the full travel for forward (shift rod moves down) and reverse (shift rod moves up). If it is not centered, you need to make adjustment either with the cabling or with the upper shift rod. There are two nuts for adjusting the upper shift rod and they are located right under the carbs. You can test the shifting without having to start the engine. Place it in neutral, rotate the prop and it should rotate freely. Put in fwd gear and try rotating the prop clockwise (facing the prop) and it should not rotate. Go back to neutral and it should be free again. Now go in reverse and try rotating the prop counterclockwise and it should not rotate. If it rotates, then you need to adjust more. If there is no more adjustment and it still would not engage in reverse, it's time to open and inspect the clutch dogs. Its pertinent you follow the normal rotation of the prop to prevent damaging the water impeller. Need to verify the oil seeping from the vent holes to make sure it is not gear oil. There is a probability this is oil sludge from the crankshaft which is normal after long storage but should be only very little.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: Gearcase and lower unit problems?

Unhook the cables.
Start the motor.KEEP AWAY FROM THE PROP!!!!!
Then shift the gears by hand.
See if it shifts ok.
If the shift shaft has any corrosion it can stop it from shifting.
You assemble the cables/controller right.
The red/black connectors in the shifter have to be on the right side.
My friend helped me replace the cables and I didn't watch him and he installed the red on the black.
Wouldn't shift right.
Red connector is for throttle.

Hey Jiggz,good info but take a breath between sentences.VERY hard to read.

 

[Jiggz]

Re: Gearcase and lower unit problems?

Noted.

 

[Brandon13]

Re: Gearcase and lower unit problems?

Ok so the oil smelled like gas rather than gear oil. I should be safe on that.

 

[Jiggz]

Re: Gearcase and lower unit problems?

That is correct. It tells you that it is not gear oil. any luck on adjusting the shift rods? Or cabling yet?

 

[Brandon13]

Re: Gearcase and lower unit problems?

Was not able to adjust the rod yet, but I did the test that you recommended. When I shifted it to forward, the prop did not spin freely, it spun but it felt like something was engaging. When in reverse, the prop would not spin at all.

 

[Jiggz]

Re: Gearcase and lower unit problems?

Good, so it looks like it is engaging both in fwd and rev. Now it's time to do a dry run. Before you do, make sure your idle is not too high. Idle RPM when NOT ENGAGED IN GEAR should be around 1100-1200 RPM. Anything higher it would jerk the clutch dogs during shifting. You can do the test on muffs.

Start the engine and let it warm up. Shift throttle control to fwd without increasing RPM and you should see the prop spinning. Shift back to neutral and the prop should stop. Listen for any grinding noise but there should not be any. Now shift to rev and the prop should start spinning backwards.

If the shifting does not provide a full travel on the shift rod you will hear grinding noise, instead of returning to neutral move the throttle control a little bit more in the direction of either fwd if you are trying to shift fwd or rev if you are testing in the reverse position.

The grinding noise tells you that the shift rod travel was not enough to fully engage the clutch dogs or the clutch dogs are already too worn out. If the grinding stops and the gear fully engages ( either in fwd or rev) after moving the throttle control a little bit more then an adjustment is required to make the throttle control allow the shift rod to travel fully and fully engage the clutch dogs.

I had the same problem with my fwd shift wherein after I move the throttle control in fwd position, I can hear the clutch dogs grinding but pushing the control a little bit more and the dogs fully engages. So I adjusted the upper shift rod about 1/4" and it fixed the problem.

 

[Brandon13]

Re: Gearcase and lower unit problems?

When I tested it before, I did feel like it go Into reverse. It wasn't easy but it definitely went into reverse. I was just not able to get it to increase in speed. All it did was rev up.

Also, what would cause the shifter to be difficult to shift? As far as I can tell, fhe cables are not binding. When disconnected at the motor, the shifter and cables move easily.

 

[Jiggz]

Re: Gearcase and lower unit problems?

The shift rod is two section straight from the bottom of the carbs (check where you connect the cable to the motor and you will the the mechanism how it works from the cable end in the motor. And upper shift rod connects to the lower shift rod with a tiny clevis pin and cotter pin located on top of the lower unit.

With the control cable disconnected you can move the entire rod very easily unless there is a problem. To isolate the problem disconnect the upper shift rod from the lower one. Test both and it should tell you where the bind is. If there is no binding, reconnect the control cable only (keep the lower unit disconnected) and test movement again. It should not bind. If it binds go back and check.

If it doesn't bind reconnect the lower shift rod. If the system use to work perfectly before you change control cables, I recommend double check the control cable from the control shifter all the way to the engine. Make sure you did not switch the red and black cable in the shifter. You might want to post some pics of the shifter and also the connections on the engine.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: Gearcase and lower unit problems?

The lower unit,the shift shaft(you in salt/fresh) will sometimes sieze or bind and make shifting real tough.Dirt and crud on the shaft can build up and cause it to sieze.
You sure the drive is going into gear?
Unhook the cable and get out with a friend or a foot and shift.
It should go into both gears with a clunk.
My neighbors Everude was doing the same.
It needed pliers to move.
The aluminum around the seal was corroded and squeezing the shaft.
The seal on the force is different than his but can have the same problem.

 

[Brandon13]

Re: Gearcase and lower unit problems?

Well I did the adjustment. Forward goes into gear with a clunk. Reverse still sounds like its grinding. The shift rod moves up and down. I did get it to shift into reverse once while in the water, but that was the only time.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: Gearcase and lower unit problems?

Under the bottom carb is the top of the shift rod.
Is it loose or binding on the gas line?
Does it shift when the connector is unhooked?
If so then the cable could be the problem.Any cracks on the cable?
Profile location? You might be close to someone who can help.

 

[Brandon13]

Re: Gearcase and lower unit problems?

It has never worked very well over the years. I've never used the boat enough to worry about it until now. When the cables are disconnected, the motor appears to shift by hand. I do not know exactly how to tell. The prop will not spin once in gear correct? That's what it does.