Lost Forward and Reverse

[jmadisonbiii]

I have a 1998 Mercruiser Bravo 7.4. Launched the boat yesterday, idled in gear about 10 minutes to the end of the no wake zone, gave it throttle and it acted like it was in neutral. Move shifter to reverse, same thing. The shifter has acted a little stiff lately, and I have not heard any strange noises, no noise when this happened. Boat has 220 hours. Any idea what this could be? I'm hoping it's the shift cable. I am able to turn the prop by hand with the shifter in forward or reverse with some resistance, and the prop shaft turns with the prop (not a bad hub). Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[alldodge]

Look at the shift plate and see if the cables are moving as the throttle is moved FWD/REV. If it is, remove the lower shift cable from the shift plate and move it by hand. If you can move it by hand (motor OFF) with little effort something has com loose or broken in the top of the drive.

If so remove the drive and investigate

 

[jmadisonbiii]

Thanks for the reply. Everything looks normal at the shift plate. I removed the lower cable and it seems pretty stiff/hard to move. Cannot get the drive to lock in gear with the cable (prop turns with little resistance).

 

[alldodge]

The Bravo does not shift easy with the motor not running so that's good, but it not engaging is an issue. Remove the drive and disconnect the cable from the shift mechanism. Drain the lube and remove the rear cover to look an shifter. Rotate the drive shaft by hand and move shifter to see if sliding clutch engages

 

[jmadisonbiii]

Thanks for the info. I did as recommended and the shifter moved properly and locked tight in both directions. The propshaft rotated when the driveshaft was turned so it looks like everything is working as it should. The oil was clean and had no water and practically no metal on the magnet. So I need to replace the lower shift cable now, right?

 

[alldodge]

So I need to replace the lower shift cable now, right?

Most likely, the only issue is you lost FWD/REV at one time which is unusual. If you were having trouble with one or the other off and on, then it was leading to this point. Having it go out at once is different. Check to see if you have 3 inches as shown below.

The good thing about the bravo is it can be adjusted as the motor is running on muffs. You can grab hold of the shift cable and cause it to shift back n forth just with slight changes in you hand