Merc 650 reverse lock again

[ShoestringMariner]

Hey guys, you helped me correct the reverse lock my shadetree mechanic botched. Was great last year.
This year, I had the motor off to rebuild the transom. Upon reassembly, reverse lock does not engage. Motor bobs up. The curved shift lever was hard to align and fasten to the the cable end like it was under tension (Wanted to spring back)

I'm sure that I put it all back exactly the same as it was (cable controls.) The tilt pin or rod is in place. But something not right

The only thing that is different is that the motor is on a CMC tilt now.

I found this elsewhere;

You must not shift that motor from neutral to reverse without the propshaft turning or the motor running !

But of course I did to make sure eveything looked good before I ran the motor.
What might I have messed up?

 

[ShoestringMariner]

Does this look right? I still can’t figure it out.
i checked to be sure the cables weren’t reversed.
Surely the motor sitting 7” further back would not make a difference??

 

[GA_Boater]

Did reverse lock work before the CMC? Have you changed the impeller or dropped the lower unit for any reason?

 

[ShoestringMariner]

Did reverse lock work before the CMC? Have you changed the impeller or dropped the lower unit for any reason?

Thanks GA

yes, it worked perfectly. I did not drop the lower unit at all. Impeller was replaced last year.
I had a shade tree outboard mechanic change the whole lower unit. He goofed on the lock cam. I had to drop the unit and rotate the cam several times before it worked.

Come to to think of it, the cam looked a little worn. I wonder if something changed enough that when coupled with a worn cam, caused it to stop working. The lock mech is also not jammed. It operates freely

is there an adjustment setting?

 

[ShoestringMariner]

I did not have the controls off for any reason at the helm. The controls at the back were not adjusted, only just disconnected. The shift lever and the control cable and was hard to connect because I had to pull the control lever forward considerably to get it to engage with the cable end. It feels like it’s on a spring. I wonder if I bent the lock rod or mashed the plastic lock cam somehow.

 

[ShoestringMariner]

I really don’t think my cables are swapped. The first thing happens is it changes gears. Further push on the throttle control opens up the throttle.

 

[GA_Boater]

Take off the shift cable on the motor and manually shift through F-N-R, checking if the reverse lock works in any of the three.

 

[ShoestringMariner]

Take off the shift cable on the motor and manually shift through F-N-R, checking if the reverse lock works in any of the three.

Does not work in any of them. M

I Disconnected the controls and manually changed the gears. I was spinning the prop until it locked up and would not rotate. The reverse lock did not engage. No movement on the actuator rod at all. The clamps were free to move while it was in reverse gear.

I dropped the lower unit and the cam doesn’t look too bad. What else can I check from here ?

Could I have damaged something inside the lower unit somehow?

Totally frustrated with this motor. Yesterday it died right as I’m coming into the launch. Boats in the other lane...In the wind. Not fun

I can’t wait to slap a 70 OMC on this thing

 

[GA_Boater]

There is a lower and an upper cam. Serial Number?

 

[ShoestringMariner]

Thanks GA

Yes, the lower cam looks it has some slight wear. Upper cam, or what I think is the Cam looks to be in good shape. It fell out when I dropped the unit this morning. There’s absolutely nothing about it in the seloc manual. That manual is going on the fire pit. I have no idea if I have installed the upper cam correctly...

Serial number 4261307

 

[GA_Boater]

Since you have the upper cam, SN not needed, but thanks.

I think the upper cam is referenced in the driveshaft section for some reason.

But I do think the SELOC manual does say something about the orientation of the lower cam. I can't read the ashes and didn't cover a '75 3 cylinder 650 anyway.


Is the lower cam cracked? About 4 o'clock.

PN is Quicksilver 43308T 1. Look for a metal cam, the reverse lock rod rides on the cam and I can see wear on the cam lift surface. Amazon has metal cams.

 

[ShoestringMariner]

Since you have the upper cam, SN not needed, but thanks.

I think the upper cam is referenced in the driveshaft section for some reason.

But I do think the SELOC manual does say something about the orientation of the lower cam. I can't read the ashes and didn't cover a '75 3 cylinder 650 anyway.


Is the lower cam cracked? About 4 o'clock.

PN is Quicksilver 43308T 1. Look for a metal cam, the reverse lock rod rides on the cam and I can see wear on the cam lift surface. Amazon has metal cams.

Know how on earth did I miss that!??
The camera must have a much better eye than I do.
I did not notice it until I saw it in the photo. I wonder if that crack is opening not allowing the cam to turn properly. I’m definitely going to change it. Thanks for your eagle eye GA

 

[GA_Boater]

See if the crack is from top to bottom. The top of the reverse lock had a couple of stout springs, mine does. With the ramp looking kinda ragged, it could be hanging up and open the crack to slip on the shift shaft.

The metal Amazon cam and 10 bucks cheaper than other sellers - https://www.amazon.com/Mercury-Mercruiser-Quicksilver-Part-43308T/dp/B0039040YU

 

[ShoestringMariner]

Great thank you GA. Unfortunately I cannot use Amazon.com. Only.ca. What’s available to you and what’s available to us are two different product lines. I will definitely check.ca to see it as available up here.

 

[GA_Boater]

:blue:

 

[GA_Boater]

Ebay.ca - https://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=Quicksilver+43308T+1&_sacat=0

 

[ShoestringMariner]

Indeed.

 

[ShoestringMariner]

Ebay.ca - https://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=Quicksilver+43308T+1&_sacat=0

Excellent, thanks a million. You’ve been exceptionally helpful and I really appreciate it.

 

[GA_Boater]

Can't let you dump a Merc for an OMC. :lol:

 

[ShoestringMariner]

Well I hope to keep the 650 for a few years yet. I’ve got more in it than what it’s worth and just addressed a bunch of wiring issues and replaced all the fuel lines. I worry about the trigger and it’s eventual demise. Hoping it will see me through the restoration period and then some. It runs great, most of the time lol