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New Mercury Owner Questionp
I got my first Mercury motor. It is a 2017 115 Mercury Pro XS 4 stroke with CT on a Ranger RT188C. I have always had Yamaha motors in the past. Wanted to try Mercury. I have found that there is a big difference in shifting in the new Mercury that I want to make sure is correct. If I push the gear shifter slowly from neutral to run (in gear) the Mercury feels like it wants to die. Coughs a bit. Is that normal for a Mercury? My dealer says it is. My last Yamaha was not like that. I could finesse it around in between neutral and in gear when I wanted to go slow around docks or that type of situation. Can't do that easily with this new Mercury. Dealer says you have to shift quickly in to gear with new Mercury to keep it from acting like it wants to shut down. So Mercury guys, is this correct? Thanks
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Member
Mine doesn't act like that...2017 merc pro xs 4s 115 hp non ct.
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No matter what, you should always shift firmly into gear. Never ease it into gear. Shift it with "authority" or you could damage the gears/clutch in the lower unit. As far as it wanting to die, that would be another issue that should be looked into. As a side note. Mercury's are not known to be smooth shifters anyway compared to other brands.
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Member
Shift it quickly into gear, don't let it ratchet. But it should not skip or sputter when shifted. I can shift mine in and out as you say without any stumble.
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I have the same exact motor on pretty much the same boat - non crappie version though. My motor doesn't act the way yours does though. I usually shift it quite quickly/firmly into gear. The few times that I have eased it into gear, My Merc has never felt like it was sputtering.
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Mercury 3L/4 Stroke/Verado Moderator
Engine is equipped with a Shift Position Switch, like all larger Mercury engines. PCM uses this switch to determine either "IN GEAR" or "IN NEUTRAL".
Change in position results in a momentary stumble to assist in disengaging the current gear, or entering another.
"Hovering and finessing" the shifter is a no-no on any current Outboard Gearcase. ALL are intended to be shifted directly and intentionally: Into Gear, or Out of Gear.
Failure to follow this procedure will result in premature gearcase component wear, and potentially failures.
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This is a good thread and a good answer. I could have swore that my engine stumbled a little but I always thought it was before the clutch engaged and the engine was under load.