Not possible to have shift cables on a Merc 25XE outboard?

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Smccarthy

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Mar 8, 2010
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I just purchased a mid-1980s Mercury outboard that's in excellent condition. But it has one problem that i didn't realize when I bought it. A mechanic told me that it's not possible to hook a remote shift/accelerator up to this unit.

Call me silly, but i though you could attach shift controls to most engines these days. but he said since this has a tiller handle with a forward, backward accelerator (meaning the tiller handle twists, and goes either forward/back to center or reverse/back to center) that he can't attach cables.

That's a bummer, considering my little boat has a steering wheel up front.

The unit is a mercury 25XE with electric start. Probably a 1985 or 1986.

Anyone know of a work-around or an adapter kit?
 
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Smccarthy

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Joined
Mar 8, 2010
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Re: Not possible to have shift cables on a Merc 25XE outboard?

Thanks for the replies, some of which were emailed to me directly. It looks like there's both good news and bad news on this conversion question.

The good news: It IS possible to convert the tiller shift/accelerator on this unit over to cable controls.

But the bad news: It's costly and complicated - to the point where I'll probably just sell this engine and start over. (Hate to do that, since it does seem to be an excellent engine.)

Adrian & Rose responded by emailing me some specs that showed I'd need over 30 parts at a cost of nearly $700. Some of those parts are no longer made, so it would mean finding a donor engine. This complicated conversion process probably applies to other mid-180s Mercury tiller outboards as well. unfortunately I can't upload the specs here because it's a Web page. but i'll send it to others who may want the specs.

of course, I'd love to know if there are any other alternatives. But for now, a conversion is looking too iffy and too costly. Bummer.
 
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