No neutral after water pump replacement

[rowdyredneck]

I just finished putting the water pump together in my '96 60 horse Mercury two stroke. I followed the directions in the service manual by placing the shifter in forward gear before removing the lower unit. After replacing the impeller and gaskets, I carefully slid the lower unit back into place making sure the splines on the shafts lined up. Now it seems to be stuck in gear...regardless of where I place the shifter I can't freewheel the prop. If I turn the prop counterclockwise (facing the prop) it will turn the engine over, and if I turn it clockwise it ratchets. What did I do wrong and how do I fix it?

One other thing, when I replaced the impeller, which way do the blades curve? The way I assembled it is with the blades folded back as if the impeller is turning clockwise when viewing it from the top. I lubricated the blades and housing with dishwashing soap and it slid together easily, just not sure if they are pointing the right direction or if it even matters.

 

[emckelvy]

Re: No neutral after water pump replacement

Very common problem, the shift shaft was likely inadvertently moved when the lower unit was off.

A more positive way to ensure everthing is lined up right is to place both the lower unit and control box in neutral. Have a 2nd person turn the flywheel by hand as needed to align driveshaft with crankshaft when you're reinstalling.

You can shift the lower unit by hand with a pair of vise grips or other suitable pliers applied to the shaft. Might be a good idea to cushion with tape or a shop rag to avoid marring the splines on the shift shaft. Rotate the shaft CCW to shift into neutral, from forward gear. Note if you rotate further CCW, it'll be in reverse. If you encounter unusual resistance don't force the shift shaft. Rotate the prop or driveshaft a bit and it should go.

Note if you have issues engaging the lower unit shift shaft with the upper shift rod, you may need to disconnect the control cable from the shifter arm and move the shifter arm ever-so-slightly by hand, to get the perfect alignment. Most of the time it'll just fall in place without doing this.

Re: the impeller, the blades on a new one will naturally realign themselves if installed in the wrong direction (but not a good idea to spin a used one backwards, you run a chance of breaking blades off).

Clockwise as viewed from the top of the driveshaft is the correct rotation so you've got nothing to worry about.

HTH.............ed

 

[rowdyredneck]

Re: No neutral after water pump replacement

Thanks