Tohatsu gear shift

[Elemental]

The N/F gear shift on my Tohatsu 3.5 2 stroke is very stiff - a two handed job really. I serviced the beast today (gear oil, plug change) and thought I'd take a look. I took enough bits off and sprayed WD40 such that I'm sure the friction isn't local to the gear shift actuator itself, but something further inside. Has anyone encountered this sort of thing before? And, can anyone steer me towards repair/schematics info ...

Cheers, Mark

 

[alastair]

I ve had the same problem, and it turnd out to be the control lever sticking. However, you need to remove it to lubricate it. I tried WD40 first too, with no success
Good luck
Alastair

 

[Elemental]

Thanks - I suspected as much. But how do you get the thing off? I removed the small plate from the front of the engine and then the screw that locks the actuating cam onto the square shaft, but I couldn't remove the control lever, nor could I see how/where to apply any force to encourage it. Any ideas?

 

[Elemental]

Well, fixed my own problem. The gear shift was difficult to remove - requiring a wedge to be driven between the end of the shaft and the case. Once I'd got it out I removed the grit/sand that was providing the friction. A good dollop of waterproof grease and re-assemble, and it's now dead easy/smooth to switch gears...