Mariner 4hp outboard gear shift trouble

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jpay

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Hello, first post, and a bit of a story to tell.

Today I took a dinghy sailing friend to my new gallion 22, I've just got a new inflatable tender and so we inflated and put in...

The problem came when we changed turns to drive home and I watched my friend accidentally pull the lever so far forward into gear that it wont go back through to neutral or reverse... engine still runs so we got home and I didn't have to tell him of his mistake (cant put off fellow sailors on their first try)

What is my problem and I dont suppose I just need to replace a pin inside the cowling???

Thanks for the help
 
jpay said:
Hello, first post, and a bit of a story to tell.

Today I took a dinghy sailing friend to my new gallion 22, I've just got a new inflatable tender and so we inflated and put in...

The problem came when we changed turns to drive home and I watched my friend accidentally pull the lever so far forward into gear that it wont go back through to neutral or reverse... engine still runs so we got home and I didn't have to tell him of his mistake (cant put off fellow sailors on their first try)

What is my problem and I dont suppose I just need to replace a pin inside the cowling???

Thanks for the help
Click to expand...


You don't give any model details eg year and or serial number so a bit of a guess

Nor do you say if the lever still moves back through its correct positions or not

If the lever does not go back:

Id think the clamp that clamps the two halves of the shift rod ( accessible by removing a rubber plug in the side of the leg) has slipped , allowing the lever to move too far.

It may not go back simply because it has gone "over centre" or because it has gone beyond the spring and ball that gives the positive feel to the different positions and that that is now preventing it from going back.

If the lever goes back then perhaps just the joint clamp loose or something broken or adrift at the top

Possibly something come adrift at the bottom


Armed with the full model details you should be able to find an exploded diagram at http://www.boats.net/parts/search/Merc2/Mariner/parts.html which will help you figure out the cause and rectify it
 
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Hello I have found the date and serial number to be an ongoing necessity, but I'm away from the boat now and so will find that out tomorrow.

The lever slides through all the positions easily without problem and sits in the upright position even when the engine is running forward.

Some sort of hyper levering sounds possible as I had an extension on top of the lever which would give more force in the leverage, I have this because I normally have it hanging on the back of the yacht itself.

I'll have to remove the cowling and investigate further, maybe I'll photograph what I see and if I cant work it out some pictures might help me.

Thanks for the link!
 
With these Mariners there is not a lot of difference between the various models/ages. In the detail really.

take the plug out of the leg and see if the shift rod down there is moving up and down Ok and that the clamp is tight

if it is then the problem is probably going to be down in the gearbox. :mad:

If no movement down there then its something broken or adrift at the top.
You'll have to remove the power head to get at anything wrong up there I think :mad::mad:

If you are lucky its the clamp between the two parts of the shift rod

If you have to drop the gear box change the pump impeller while you can.
 
Thats great advice, thank you. Think I can manage the primary checks to find out but may need to go to a service center if im delving any deeper.
How much do i need to expect to pay?
 
I think Vics has got it right. You will probably find the clamp has slipped inside the rubber bung. Easy DIY job rather than being shafted at a service place.
 
Yes I had / have one of these engines; another gearshift snag is that the actual plastic shift lever can become very stiff, the cure to which is drilling a hole to administer lubrication oil.

However in this case it sounds exactly as VicS suggests.
 
I think it's a bit harsh blaming your friend for this - he pushes it firmly into gear and then something slips. I think it would have happened no matter who pushed it into gear - it's just one of those things.
 
I only blame my friend because I watched him 'accidentally' do it, he doesn't know and it doesn't bother me who did it... Just telling the story.

I agree it's one of those things and I'm as cool as a cat about it, thanks for all the helpful responses everyone else :)
 
My gear lever broke a couple of years ago. My only contribution to your woes is that if you need to take the power head off, it's really not very difficult. I bought the new lever and the gasket and did the whole job in the cockpit of our boat whilst at anchor.

I do have a comprehensive 1/4" 3/8" & 1/2" drive socket sets on board, and I suppose you can argue that having the right tools makes almost any job much easier...
 
I had a similar problem: the plastic shaft had seized and snapped. Easy enough to replace but, as already mentioned, you have to split the thing apart. Lots of grease when you put it back together!
 
ostell said:
I had a similar problem: the plastic shaft had seized and snapped. Easy enough to replace but, as already mentioned, you have to split the thing apart. Lots of grease when you put it back together!
Click to expand...

Ostell,

I think you're talking about the common problem I alluded to earlier, not the selector shafts slipping or coming apart as seems to have happened in the OP's case.

When my Yam 4 gearshift became unreasonably stiff my Father ( then owner ) carefully drilled a hole in the upper alloy casing of the horizontal part of the shift, creating an oiling point; works well.
 
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