Very hard shift to F and R - Mercury Outboard

[jmarshall8]

My 2000 Mercury 90 Hp 4 stroke shifts very hard into F and R. I just purchased this motor and was told by the original owner it has always done this. Any info????

 

[109jb]

Re: Very hard shift to F and R - Mercury Outboard

First of all, this should go in the mercury engine forum and not the prop forum. A mod will move it I'm sure.

As for the shifting, have you checked the cables to see if the operate freely? Do the cables make sharp bends? Are the cables simply worn out?

My Sea Ray has surface mount controls where the person that installed them routed the cable so that it makes 2 sharp bends just aft of the throttle controls and hence it is also very stiff. This winter I am going to eliminate the bends to free it up.

 

[Jeff Walkowiak]

Re: Very hard shift to F and R - Mercury Outboard

try unhooking the cable and shift it by hand see if it moves easily,, then try the controls and see if it still binds up unhooked,, that tells you if the cable is the problem

 

[jmarshall8]

Re: Very hard shift to F and R - Mercury Outboard

I have posted this same question in Merc. Outboards and didn't get much response so I am trying it here.

I will check the cable but from what I recall it moves freely.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Very hard shift to F and R - Mercury Outboard

My evinrude would do this, so i made the bar longer (or shorter, i forget) by twisting the screw at the end of the cable. It is a plastic black dial that i turned to makie it longer or shorter. You want the turn the one on the shift cable, and not on the throttle cable. If you turn it one way, it will be impossible to shift out of nutral, the other way will make it easy to shift out of N. does it kind of slam into gear when it goes? Mine did that.

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Very hard shift to F and R - Mercury Outboard

My 2000 Mercury 90 Hp 4 stroke shifts very hard into F and R. I just purchased this motor and was told by the original owner it has always done this. Any info????

Define "Hard shifting"!

 

[jaymz101]

Re: Very hard shift to F and R - Mercury Outboard

Id look at the cables first before messing with the engine.

 

[mthieme]

Re: Very hard shift to F and R - Mercury Outboard

By hard shifting, do you mean the lever is hard to operate or when you shift the motor "bangs" when going into gear?