Couldn't shift gear

[potomacbassin]

2B115186

So this weekend after making a three hour trip I launched my boat and couldn't put it into gear. It finally went into reverse after I pulled the shifter all the way back but then I was stuck in reverse (a very scary situation until I shut the motor off after I freaked out). I got it back on the trailer and opened up the cowling to see the attached pictures. The shifter linkage on the side of my motor was detached. How can this happen? Can it happen simply from hitting a pothole or something? I really don't think so. Could it be from my kids playing on the boat inside the garage and trying to slam it into gear without the motor on? I was able to fix this at the ramp by lifting up the linkage and placing it back on the little silver knob and then twisting the silver cap back on so it locks the two pieces together. I'm just worried it will happen again. It ran fine all weekend after I fixed it. Anything that I should be worried about?

[leonreno]

You are not suppose to shift the motor in gear without the motor running or prop spinning. More than likely the kids were the cause. If you shift it into gear and the gears don't align or mesh correctly then you will jam the shifter and if forced it could pop loose.

[potomacbassin]

You are not suppose to shift the motor in gear without the motor running or prop spinning. More than likely the kids were the cause. If you shift it into gear and the gears don't align or mesh correctly then you will jam the shifter and if forced it could pop loose.

Thanks. I know you're not supposed to do that and I would never let my kids do that if I saw them trying. I'm just wondering if this is even possible from that force or if it's something I could expect to happen again if this wasn't the cause.

[gehol]

As Potomac said yes if forced it could happen again. Easiest fix might be to tell kids to stay out of the boat, just a thought.

[OldTimer57]

A gear case with square dog teeth will "not go into gear just fine" if the motor is not running. If the dog does not align with the gears rear face, HOW are you going to get it to mesh up? Old-style gear cases had ramp-type dogs and springs so that the dog could actually "ratchet" into position. They were not as robust as the square dog teeth. So I am missing how you get it into gear if things don't align. If you do this at the ramp before launching, I can see that. If you always kill motor before putting into neutral, I can see that so long as the boat does not move in the water enough to move the prop. Otherwise, I can't see how it works. I've not looked inside any new sporty or TM gear cases. I have looked inside my pro xs 200, and it will NOT go into gear 90% of the time, prop needs to be moved or motor needs to be running. Maybe my 2014 has a one-of-a-kind gear case, but it won't do this.

And, BTW, I would NOT give such advice to normal users. The inexperienced have enough problems to deal with without having the boat jump out from under them when it cranks in gear with the throttle not at idle.

Racers, yes. Did it myself. But not for normal boating usage, even for me.

[potomacbassin]

A gear case with square dog teeth will "not go into gear just fine" if the motor is not running. If the dog does not align with the gears rear face, HOW are you going to get it to mesh up? Old-style gear cases had ramp-type dogs and springs so that the dog could actually "ratchet" into position. They were not as robust as the square dog teeth. So I am missing how you get it into gear if things don't align. If you do this at the ramp before launching, I can see that. If you always kill motor before putting into neutral, I can see that so long as the boat does not move in the water enough to move the prop. Otherwise, I can't see how it works. I've not looked inside any new sporty or TM gear cases. I have looked inside my pro xs 200, and it will NOT go into gear 90% of the time, prop needs to be moved or motor needs to be running. Maybe my 2014 has a one-of-a-kind gear case, but it won't do this.

And, BTW, I would NOT give such advice to normal users. The inexperienced have enough problems to deal with without having the boat jump out from under them when it cranks in gear with the throttle not at idle.

Racers, yes. Did it myself. But not for normal boating usage, even for me.

[psj706]

2B115186

I know this is an old thread but I just had the shift cable pop off the same way. I think that the swivel clamp is loose and needs tightened to prevent this from happening in the future. How tight is too tight for the nut that secures the swivel clamp?

[EuropeanAM]

Once locked over the cable, you need to snug that nut down enough that the retainer cannot be rotated off. Don't overtighten... but definitely snug it up.

Thread cleaned of irrelevant and/or errant info.

DO NOT attempt to shift these gearcases unless the engine is running, or the prop is turning. There is a potential of damage to linkages or gearcase if you do this.