Neutral or reverse? Help please!!!!!!!!!

[pmoreel]

I have for some of us maybe a strange question but considering this is al new for me i am going to ask it so.

How do i now when my motor (merc 500 thunderbolt) is in neutral? This because when i turn the prop by hand and move the lever in front or backwise the prop cant spin freely in both directions at both times. It is eather backwise or frontwise. There is no point that i can spin it in both directions freely. Is this ok or is there something wrong. Or does this change when i hook up the cables?

This motor is totally new for me so that is why i ask.

Sorry for my bad english

Greetings Patrick

 

[Yepblaze]

Re: Neutral or reverse? Help please!!!!!!!!!

In forward, the propeller should be hard one way and ratchet or click almost free in the other direction.

That shoud be opposite for reverse.

If it is in neutral it should be real free both ways.


If someone has removed the lower unit, like to service the water pump they could mix this up. But that usually ends up in forward gear.

 

[pmoreel]

Re: Neutral or reverse? Help please!!!!!!!!!

Am i doing something wrong then when i want to put it in neutral by hand? Is the lever supose to hold stil in the middle?

How should i supose to do this.

Greetings, Patrick

 

[Laddies]

Re: Neutral or reverse? Help please!!!!!!!!!

Disconnect the shift cable from the engine and side the connector on the engine to the center of it's travel, you should feel a slight detente at that point and that is neutral. the go to the shift bock and shift it there should be a hard detente in the neutral position. If there is not then you need to find out why not and fix it, if you have both detentes you need to adjust the shift cable.

 

[pmoreel]

Re: Neutral or reverse? Help please!!!!!!!!!

When i slide it to the center (lever on motor) i can spin the prop in both ways but when i let it loose it gose in gear again, forward or reverse that depends on how it stands (it doesn't hold place in the midle)

Maybe this is ok but i don't now for sure.

 

[Laddies]

Re: Neutral or reverse? Help please!!!!!!!!!

Does the shift box have detente if so it should hold it in neutral, as you can see fwd is the. default gear

 

[pmoreel]

Re: Neutral or reverse? Help please!!!!!!!!!

I am sorry but what is detente? And what is a default gear?

I am from Holland so my technical english isn't that great. My engine is a 64-65 model.

Thanks a lot for your help.

 

[Laddies]

Re: Neutral or reverse? Help please!!!!!!!!!

A detente is a place in a mechanism which retains, it's action to that place by means of a notch and spring loaded ball in this case. Default gear is when a gear is automatically selected mechanically in this case, in some case it's selected electrically.

 

[pmoreel]

Re: Neutral or reverse? Help please!!!!!!!!!

Ok thats makes sense to me.

Is it possible that i am doing something wrong when trying to put it in neutral by hand? And is it possible when i fire up the engine that i can only put it in neutral when it is running.

What steps should i supose to do to put it in neutral?

Greetings, Patrick

 

[Laddies]

Re: Neutral or reverse? Help please!!!!!!!!!

It shoulds shaft easily at idle to any gear, do you have the shift cable and throttle cable hooked to the right function? What type of shift box do you have Mercury or aftermarket, 1 or 2 levers?

 

[pmoreel]

Re: Neutral or reverse? Help please!!!!!!!!!

I got a one lever shift box from quicksilver. I don't have any of the cables hooked up on it. I am trying to get it in neutral by hand, just on the side of the motor.

What are the right steps to do this.

 

[Laddies]

Re: Neutral or reverse? Help please!!!!!!!!!

You must hook the cables in the box first and then hook them to the engine.

 

[pmoreel]

Re: Neutral or reverse? Help please!!!!!!!!!

Isn't it possible to do this without putting the cables on the motor, just by moving the lever on the motor?

If it isn't then that explains all of it.

 

[Laddies]

Re: Neutral or reverse? Help please!!!!!!!!!

If the detent for neutral is worn in the engine where it won't stay in neutral no.

 

[pmoreel]

Re: Neutral or reverse? Help please!!!!!!!!!

OK can you specify your last reply for the last time for me. I think i understand what you mean but don't now it for sure. You mean if it broken or damaged or am i wrong?

Is there anyway to fix this?

Thanks you really helped me a lot!!!!!!

 

[Laddies]

Re: Neutral or reverse? Help please!!!!!!!!!

The lower unit detent was not meant to hold the unit in rev or neutral with the engine running only to find the gears for assembly of the lower unit. I don't understand what you mean when you speak about the shift lever on the engine the only lever I have ever seen on a 50HP designed to shift gears and hold the engine in gear while running was on a tiller handle kit.

 

[pmoreel]

Re: Neutral or reverse? Help please!!!!!!!!!

Here's a picture of the motor the thing where they arrow points at is the one that i am moving to put it in gear ar neutral.

 

[Laddies]

Re: Neutral or reverse? Help please!!!!!!!!!

Thats about a 1965 engine and it won't stay in any gear except fwd with out a control box when running.

 

[pmoreel]

Re: Neutral or reverse? Help please!!!!!!!!!

So thats why i can't get it in neutral you say?

Is it possible the start the engine now, even when it is in gear? Or do i have the hook up the control box and is there a special way to hook up the cables.

You really helped me a lot with your answers, it is so confussing when it is al new for someone.

 

[Laddies]

Re: Neutral or reverse? Help please!!!!!!!!!

Yes, you may start the engine without a control box and in forward, just use care as the prop will be turning on startup.