NO Reverse after removing/installing lower unit Alpha 1 Gen 2

[boat4fun83]

I took the lower unit off in order to have the seals pressure checked. I followed the manual to the t and this isn't the first time i've removed the lower unit. I had it in forward gear during removal and install. I have checked the shift linkage and it appears to be in place when installing. It is facing forward. I had reverse last year when I put it in storage so I think I'm doing something wrong. My brother was helping me and he turned the prop shaft quite a bit to get the splines to line up and I was wondering if that could have anything to do with it. I went to check it after I installed it and it will pull back to neutral but gets tighter close to neutral and I can't go into reverse. It's very tight and I dont' want to force it.

Please help me and hopefully I didn't f*** something up. lol

 

[NHGuy]

Re: NO Reverse after removing/installing lower unit Alpha 1 Gen 2

Are you saying you took the lower off the upper? Or did you take off the entire drive? If you took off just the lower you missed the alignment when you reassembled it, take it apart again & redo it.
If you took off the whole drive you missed the shift arm to shift link connection. There is a little reinstall alignment tool that costs a couple of bucks. Get that thing. It makes reinstalling much easier. Also once you have the drive in forward gear put a bungee on the prop, all it takes is a little bit of counterclockwise tension on the prop to hold the gears in forward for installation.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: NO Reverse after removing/installing lower unit Alpha 1 Gen 2

Look under the front of the mid section to be sure the shift arm went back into the groove of the shift shoe.
You should be able to see it with a flash light without removing the lower again.

 

[boat4fun83]

Re: NO Reverse after removing/installing lower unit Alpha 1 Gen 2

Shift arm is in the shoe anda facing forwArd. The shift linkage slide in okay and the wheel was in the u shape part. How do icheck to make the gears are still in forward sincE we did rotate the prop shaft quite a bit to get it to align?

 

[boat4fun83]

Re: NO Reverse after removing/installing lower unit Alpha 1 Gen 2

I took the entire drive off

 

[Fishermark]

Re: NO Reverse after removing/installing lower unit Alpha 1 Gen 2

I took the entire drive off

Did you separate the halves when you had it off?

About all I could suggest at this point is to remove the entire drive again and see if it will shift manually. And then, based upon what you find then, you will know better how to proceed.

 

[Fishermark]

Re: NO Reverse after removing/installing lower unit Alpha 1 Gen 2

By the way, here's the tool that NHGuy refers to. I went years without it, and recently bought one. It does simplify things greatly when re-installing the drive.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: NO Reverse after removing/installing lower unit Alpha 1 Gen 2

sounds like the wheel is out of the fork and not in it, pull the drive and check.

 

[boat4fun83]

Re: NO Reverse after removing/installing lower unit Alpha 1 Gen 2

By shifting manually do you mean grabbing the shift linkage and moving it back and forth or at the actual shift handle by steering wheel

 

[Fishermark]

Re: NO Reverse after removing/installing lower unit Alpha 1 Gen 2

I mean removing the outdrive and turning the shift shaft on the outdrive by hand.

 

[cr2k]

Re: NO Reverse after removing/installing lower unit Alpha 1 Gen 2

A good blob of grease holds the shift in place and you don't need to remove any tool.

 

[Fishermark]

Re: NO Reverse after removing/installing lower unit Alpha 1 Gen 2

A good blob of grease holds the shift in place and you don't need to remove any tool.

Fair enough, but the tool slides / pops right off once the outdrive has started in place, and it only costs a couple of dollars. Money well spent for me. MUCH easier with the tool.

 

[Knot Waiting]

Re: NO Reverse after removing/installing lower unit Alpha 1 Gen 2

Not to poach this thread.... but where the heck did you (Fishermark) get that lil invention? It looks like a really good idea.

 

[Fishermark]

Re: NO Reverse after removing/installing lower unit Alpha 1 Gen 2

It is an official Mercruiser tool. You can probably buy it here on Iboats. You can also buy / see it here.

 

[boat4fun83]

Re: NO Reverse after removing/installing lower unit Alpha 1 Gen 2

Did not separate the upper and lower. I had an extra set of hands so I just guided the linkage in as we slid it on. The part you are referring to moving manually is the grey with the u shape on the end with the roller ball that slides back and forth correct? Sorry for the technical lingo lol. Do I pull the shifter back to neutral while attempting to move it manually? I guess it that doesn't work then that means my cable is bad? Oh please tell me it's not.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: NO Reverse after removing/installing lower unit Alpha 1 Gen 2

raise the drive and watch the fork ,the pic shows it in fwd, it should move when you shift the control handel. If you were looking from the top, the shoe is 12:00 fwd, 11:00 neutral, 10"00 rev.If it does not move that much you will need to remove the drive and inspect the roller and fork. the pic shows a counter-rotation unit ,so just reverse the F and R