2002 25hp EH Tiller help

[NLaudy]

Hey all,

i just recently picked up a jon boat I am hoping to use for hunting. It came with a Mercury 2002 25hp EH tiller outboard. The guy told me that his son was using it and he went to put it in reverse right in front of their dock. When he did it shut off and he couldn't restart it. He couldn't get it to crank and the the pull start wouldn't budge.

I bought it and brought it home. I took the video below but since then have learned a little more...

The motor was stuck in gear! Hence the reason he couldn't pull the rope nor would the electric start crank. That is now resolved and I can do both. I haven't started it yet though as I had to leave town right after I figured the issue out.

now my question is... how do I fix it so the motor will shift properly when I turn the handle? If I manually rotate the gears while turning the throttle it will shift from reverse to neutral and forward. But if I don't help push on the gears they won't move alone. It almost seems as if the shifter wire is loose. Can any of you smarter people maybe see what the issue is by watching the video?

[JOE54]

most likely tube in handle stripped look under tiller handle youll see a tube that connects grip end with cable end it has plastic end pieces on it that will strip where tube fits inside them complete disassembly of handle required

[NLaudy]

Thanks Joe. Just wanted to provide a follow up. You are right and the plastic piece on the end was slipping.

[JOE54]

seen it many times reverse loc problems can cause this to break also