Won?t reverse!

[SeaVue]

Hello everyone,

I turned on my boat (1976 Sea Ray SRV 220; Engine: Mericruser 888) to see if it would turn on again after two weeks. Second time I turn this thing on since I fixed it. Anyway, it runs good. The engine is not loud and it runs nicely. BUT when I put it into reverse, the propeller does not spin. You can hear the engine revving and working but the propeller does not spin. Only on full power in reverse does the propeller spin very very slowly and not constantly . Forward works properly. Any suggestions or ideas? Please post them.


P.S. When the engine is in neutral (idle) the propeller makes a clicking sound. My neighbor told me that it?s normal. Is that true?

 

[ziggy]

Re: Won?t reverse!

with the engine off
remote in fwd. = prop is locked ccw, ratchets cw
remote in neu. = prop freewheels both directions, no sounds, no ratchet
remote in rev. = prop is locked cw, ratchets ccw.

so any gear noise you here in neu. is not normal.

do you have a service manual?

have you changed your lower shift cable lately?

have you tried removing the lower shift cable at the shift plate inside the boat? if you remove it. you should be able to move this cable with your fingers and obtain the results above. if not further investigation will be needed..

 

[trolie]

Re: Won?t reverse!

Did you pull the drive?
If you pulled the drive and didn't make sure the shifter was in forward when you put it back on you will not have reverse and it will click. Only know this cause I always forget about the shifter!

 

[SeaVue]

Re: Won?t reverse!

I don't understand what shifter you mean? Can you please explain your post in greater detail. Thank you, im new at this.

 

[Euro95]

Re: Won?t reverse!

He means that before you took the drive off, you put it in forward gear. Did you make sure that when you put the drive back on that the shift shafts lined up straight (fwd gear) and that the prop was locked (like in Ziggy's description)? Plus you might have a slight misadjustment in one of your cables.

 

[ziggy]

Re: Won?t reverse!

im new at this

then you've come to the right place. not many problems i've not seen addressed here on this forum.. the best place to find info out when your new is the mercrusier service manual. it has the facts about your engine drive system in it. along with proper terminology so we can all speak the same language. boats. go here. http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=288430 go to #9 for the manuals. you need #2 (confirm proper s/m by serial number), same one i use.. it's a real large file so give it time to download it. but when you have it, it will be the best tool in the toolbox..

Second time I turn this thing on since I fixed it

so what did you fix?

 

[SeaVue]

Re: Won?t reverse!

Hey ziggy thank you for your the help and thanks to everyone else too. I downloaded the service manual the other day? it?s long.
When I first got this boat it wasn?t in the best of shape. It had old carpeting that was falling apart, a dozen of different animals living inside it, and a lot of junk pilled up into it. The wood was rotting away. The only thing that looked ?clean? was the engine and the hull. So I decided to buy it. Wasn?t much.

I started by throwing everything out of the. I took out the old wood, cut new wood, sanded the ones that I could reuse and painted them with high gloss. I cleaned out the cabin from the old carpet and the nasty toilet. When it comes to the engine, I did a tune up. Changed certain parts in the distributor, changed the wires, coil, oil and gas filters, and the fuel pump. I fixed the buldge pump and the vacuum. Fixed the VHS radio and the stereo. I sand blasted the trailer myself (made a mess in my lawn) but it came out nice. Painted the trailer dark blue and rims chrome I bought new wood to replace the floor on the boat but decided that I want to at least take it out for a two minute spin around the water.

All that?s preventing me from going out with is the reverse issue and the trim motor problem which is in a different post. I haven?t gotten a chance to work on it since I?m busy with work and school. I?m actually writing this now at work. But tomorrow I should have the day free to my boat.

Ziggy,
1. I haven?t changed my lower shift cable nor do I know what that is or where it is.
2. To do the steps that you explained in your first post do I have to take the propeller off or leave it on?
3. I talked to another boat owner today and he said that the ?clicking? sound is normal when the engine is in neutral; is this 100 percent true? Or 100 percent falls ?
3. Also, if you guys could explain the steps that Euro and trolie are talking about I would appreciate it. *I never took my stern drive off*

 

[Bondo]

Re: Won?t reverse!

Ayuh,.... I'm not Ziggy, but I'll give it a Shot...

#1,.. It's explained in the Manual... It's the cable from the shift-plate to the drive...

#2,.. It don't matter...

#3,.. That's 100% False... In Neutal it should be Silent...

#3,.. It's in the Manual under removing the drive...

 

[SeaVue]

Re: Won?t reverse!

Thank you Bond.

So 100% no clicking sound from the propeller when in neutral... Intersting. So my neighbor has no idea what hes talking about.

 

[CharlieB]

Re: Won?t reverse!

The throttle control box contains two cables, one that controls the throttle and the second shifts the drive.

The throttle cable connects to the carburator.

The shift cable connects to a shift mechanism on the motor that links the primary shift cable to an intermediate shift control cable that then goes on to connect to the outdrive.

Either cable can stretch to the point that shifting does not work properly.

Disconnecting the cables and manually moving the intermediate cable will let you determine if the outdrive shifts correctly, thus you can rule out a problem with the outdrive and concentrate on the cables.

It is not necessary to remove the prop.

'Clicking' in neutral occurs when the intermediate cable is adjusted 'off-center'. Very careful attention to the procedure specified in the service manual will ensure correct adjustment.

Very rarely does it become necessary to readjust shift cables, except during installation of a new cable.

 

[SeaVue]

Re: Won?t reverse!

Thank you charlie,

I believe that the cables are fine. When i put it into reverse the engine response, but the propeller does not.
Only on full power, when the engine is giving it everything it has, only then, does the propeller spin very slowly. Forward works fine.

So, are you saying that the clicking sound in neutral is not a big deal?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Won?t reverse!

I believe that the cables are fine. When i put it into reverse the engine response, but the propeller does not.
Only on full power when the engine is giving it everything it has, only then does the propeller spin very slowly. Forward works fine.

So, are you saying that the clicking sound in neutral is not a big deal?

The Clicking you're hearing is the shift-dogs Grinding themselfs into Dust.....

Your Cables are NOT Fine....
My best guess is,.. The Lower Shift Cable is JUNK...

 

[SeaVue]

Re: Won?t reverse!

Thank you Bond.

1. When i look for this cable, is it running from the remote to the carbunator or?

2. How do i know if its junk or not?


Thank you so much, all of you, for the great help


Cant wait to actually get to work.

 

[incrediblened]

Re: Won?t reverse!

Alright. I had the same problem last year. I determined that it could only be the lower shift cable. Unfortunately this is a major pain in the butt job and requires special tools.

Sometimes your belows leak. Several websites (and I believe the Clymer Merc Manual) says that when water leaks, it gets into your cable and then you start getting shifting problems.

I bought a lower shift cable repair kit on eBay. $50 or so. It came with all the outdrive gaskets, shift bellows, cable, etc. Nice little kit. But once I got into the project I realized that I was in over my head. I won't tell you how to do it because the manual spells it out well, but it's a pretty involved project for sure. By the way, you'll need a extra deep, thinwall 9/16 socket to remove the old and install the new cable. This is a special mercruiser tool that I didn't have and adds to the cost of the project.

Anyway, I ended up just replacing my entire gimbal housing with one from a parts boat that I had. This was much easier... but not everyone has a parts boat laying around.

(By the way, you can easily find the LSC by looking at the bottom of your engine below the exhaust manifold where it comes in through the transom. There's a cable that goes through the transom and connects your carb to your outdrive. THIS is the cable that's probably bad. It is entirely a seperate cable than your forward/reverse shift cables attached to your throttle. )

 

[SeaVue]

Re: Won?t reverse!

ziggy i managed to check this out

(how it SHOULD work)
with the engine off
remote in fwd. = prop is locked ccw, ratchets cw
remote in neu. = prop freewheels both directions, no sounds, no ratchet
remote in rev. = prop is locked cw, ratchets ccw.

(how MINE works)
with the engine off
remote in fwd. = prop is locked ccw, ratchets cw
remote in neu. = prop freewheels both directions, clicking noise in ccw.
remote in rev. = prop freewheels both directions, clicking noise in ccw and minor clicking in cw.