Black stack shifting problems!!

[BellBoyBob]

Hi All:

This evening for no real reason, I was checking the travel of my throttle on the Merc 1350. I have the Mercontrol box and, with the engine off, as I shifted into reverse, there was more resistance than usual. When I try to shift into neutral, the control arm stops at 1:00 and I can't get the thing straight up. It seems I jammed the shifter (I believe) on the engine side. Strangely, the prop spins freely in both directions even though the shift arm at the control box shows that I am in reverse... I did not force anything but somehow the linkage either at the box or at the engine has locked up
PLEASE so not tell me screwed up too badly!!

Any help would be most appreciated!
Bob

[Captain Jack]

Still shiftless after all these years...

Hi All:

This evening for no real reason, I was checking the travel of my throttle on the Merc 1350. I have the Mercontrol box and, with the engine off, as I shifted into reverse, there was more resistance than usual. When I try to shift into neutral, the control arm stops at 1:00 and I can't get the thing straight up. It seems I jammed the shifter (I believe) on the engine side. Strangely, the prop spins freely in both directions even though the shift arm at the control box shows that I am in reverse... I did not force anything but somehow the linkage either at the box or at the engine has locked up
PLEASE so not tell me screwed up to badly!!

Any help would be most appreciated!
Bob

Bob:

Can't tell for sure from that description, but I'd almost bet the shift cam in the lower unit got rotated past it's normal travel somehow. It's fixable, and maybe w/o a lot of trouble. The one to ask is "Dr Frankenmerc". Send me a private message and I'll pass you his email address. OR, you can try to catch him on the Fiberglassics site in the G3 group.

The Cap'n

[BellBoyBob]

All's well

Guided by the Merc mechanic on my cell phone, I was able to determine that the lock problem was not emanating from the cam shifter on the Merc but from the control box. There is a little steel "puck" that holds the throttle plate at top dead center. It had slipped out and jammed the gears. Everything works perfectly as it had before, thank goodness!

Best,
Bob