Really annoyed .... Mariner 20 2str fwd gear not engaging ... arm wont move

[Refueler]

So I ruin my back getting the 20 back on my ex Soviet speedboat .....

She fires up ... coughs and splutters a bit ... needs a lot of pulls to clear the winter cobwebs out ... (has anyone designed a cord handle that doesn't damage the hands ?).

So out into river to give her a run ...... about 7 - 8mins of decent run ... she suddenly stops .... knock her to neutral ... start her up again .... but cannot get gear lever to engage FWD .... but neutral and astern work fine ... its like gear selector is against a hard stop - it just will not click fwd at all ....
Disconnected remotes .... its the actual gear actuator on the motor itself ... somethings stopping it ... but I can easily as before do neutral and astern ...

Local service guy cannot deal with it till after Easter.

 

[VicS]

Might try disconnecting the shift rod to determine if the trouble is in the gear case or in the shift /interlock linkages

Exploded diagrams on Boats.net might be useful

You can probably find a Service manual on Boatinfo - The library, containing manuals, brochures and other technical documents from the last hundred years!

Maybe worth posting on the Mercury & Mariner board of the iBoats forums Engine Repair and Maintenance Page: 1 - iboats Boating Forums | 15

and/or the MarineEngine forums Outboard Motors Forum

If you ask for help on either of these forums post the full engine identification details

 

[lw395]

I had something very similar happen on my 'ancient mariner', which was a 4HP rebadged Yamaha.
Had to take the leg and engine off the base plate to free the gear lever in the base plate casting.
Just evil corrosion of cast alloy crushing the bush IIRC. I remember bodging a new bush from plastic tube and getting years more out of that motor, then selling it for more than it cost.

 

[Refueler]

I have the service and Repair manual for the series of engines this is part of ...

Will also look at VicS links ...

To be honest - price local guy here charges for repair work its hardly worth me having a go !

I have an Evinrude Fast Twin 18 that I can swap with ... so all is not lost - but my backs just not up for it at moment !! Or I can just throw my 4.5hp Johnson Twin on for light work till the 20's fixed. The 4.5 actually gives 8kts ..... more than enough

 

[Refueler]

Waiting for ship arrival info Singapore - decided while quiet to have another look at the Mariner 20.

Yesterday - the angle of sun and boat - made it difficult to see all inside the lower casing ... but with sun different direction this morning ... I could see the problem.

The gear selector arm inside the casing has a safety stop on it to prevent you opening throttle more than fast idle in neutral and for starting. The alloy casting had snapped off with the adjustment screw ... and lodged down blocking the lever from engaging FWD. I couldn't figure how it moved easily to Astern but not FWD ...

Took a real effort to get the piece out of the casing ... you know what its like ... item falls easily through hole - but when you try to lift out - its a mm too big !

Anyway .. got it out and fired up engine ... had a good 10mins blast on the river.

Engine is mid 1980's so I can live with that piece missing ... it only stops you having too high a throttle at neutral.