Mariner Outboard Astern gear selection

[phil57]

I am using a Mariner Bigfoot 60 on a Safety boat at a Sailing Club with prop guard fitted. Although the motor is serviced by a registered dealer, it has just started to become noisy in astern gear selection - almost like it cannot completely engage, and has to be gently coaxed at low speed. Full astern is impossible. Before I start delving under the engine cover, can anyone point to the source of expensive sounding crunches?
Is it too much play in the stern selection control cables, or has a selector worn in the gearbox? The engine is about 6 years old with about 800 hours
Ahead gear selection is perfectly normal throughout the power range
Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated before a trip back to the dealer!

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[Talbot]

the noise you are hearing is the dog clutch not engaging properly. You need to fix this soon before you damage the clutch, but should be a very simple fix. I have had the same problem, and it is a very simple adjustment. I suspect that you have had the bottom of the engine off (probably for impellor change or something similar). There is a female connector for the gear change cable located at the forward end of the bottom of the shaft (by the cavitation plates) that enables the gear change selector to be disconnected when removing the bottom of the shaft to get at the impellor etc. This has been connected incorrectly during reassembly. It will need to be adjusted. What I did was disconnect mine completely and then operate the remote gear shift (at the helm position) to check where the gear shift thought it ought to be, and then operate the bottom end of the gear shift cable on the engine itself to check out the correct position. line the two together and re-connect the cable. Easy job when the boat is out of the water. I did mine while floating under the boat in my dry suit.

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