91 XR4 150 No Forward

[kkelley]

91 XR150 ser# oc267202. So i lost forward but reverse works great. HAHAHA. The good thing is that it happened at the end of our fishing trip right before we got back to the boat ramp. We stopped to look at something in the lily pads and when i put her back in gear just a slipping noise where the motor was trying to engage but never would. We tried reverse and it worked like a champ so we eased in backwards and i do mean eased in. So is this gonna be a pain or something doable with the right tools? Looking at the service manual you need special tool xxxxx and special tool xxxxx. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[123trentm]

Check your linkage at the motor.

[potomacbassin]

x2 on your linkage. I had mine pop off before and could only go in reverse. Talk about scary at the ramp when you can't get it in neutral.

[kkelley]

I believe the linkage is fine. In neutral the prop spins freely. Shift it in reverse and the prop locks can not move by hand. Shift it in forward the prop will spin and click on each rotation but only one way. I am thinking something is going on inside the gear housing.

[luvdmymerc]

If it is a gear case problem and not just a linkage problem you will probably have to that it to the shop. Even just replacing the clutch dog on one of these babies is a major pain in the butt. Good luck.

[JOE54]

need lots spec tools, if its got the original case on it recommend change it to 1:87 200 case , youll love it may need diff prop , but these have much better prop selection , also early xr4 had lot problems with lower drive shaft bearings

[123trentm]

pull the drain plug and see if you have metal flake.

[123trentm]

It doesn't take much adjustment to stop it from fully engaging into gear. unhook your shift cable from your slider on side of motor. see if you can get it to lock into forward manually.

[hense29]

I had the exact same issue 2 mths ago on my '01 200 EFI. Just didn't shift into forward but reverse worked just fine. I am NOT a mechanic, so hopefully I tell the story right. The shift linkage engages perfectly. In the lower unit, it is connected to a cylinder that pushes/pulls and engages the clutch dog (Forward-push/Reverse-pull). Mine snapped - I lost forward, but reverse worked. The mechanic showed it to me where it snapped and how it connected. It has been sitting on his bench for 2 months now as Mercury's parts department is jacked up, an the part was seriously backordered. It may not be your issue, but there is hope its fixable.

[kkelley]

Well tonight i unhooked the shift cable and manually shifted the engine into gear both ways. I manually rotated the engine and shifted the engine into gear and the prop turned like it is supposed to. I then hooked the shift cable back to the engine and i had the same result manually turning the flywheel, the prop turned forward and reverse when i shifted. Right now it seems to be working but my question is will it act different in the water, when there is pressure on the prop. I guess my next step is to put it in the water and see. If it works what the heck happened. If it doesn't then i know i got some serious issues. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks for all the input so far. You gentlemen have helped me so much.

[JOE54]

yes will be diff with load on prop ,have you got original small gear case still on it ?????

[kkelley]

The gear case looks original to me and it does look small. Is there a way to check to see if it is the original?

[123trentm]

xr4 is 4.125" in diameter
xr6 is 4.75" in diameter

[hulapopr]

the outer shift cable housing may be broken loose so you aren't getting
full movement to forward.In reverse the housing will not slip so you still
get reverse.usually the black outer casing is slipping out where
it is crimped on one end or the other.

[kkelley]

I have drained the gear casing at this time and found no metal in the oil. It was clear i mean non milky. In the video i am turning the flywheel manually while in forward gear. I am gonna post another video and maybe one of you gurus can shed some light on this. Once again thanks.

[kkelley]

I am turning the prop by hand while in forward gear as you can see the prop slips is this right. Now while in reverse the prop will not slip. Like i said before there were no metal in the gear oil when i drained it.

[123trentm]

the outer shift cable housing may be broken loose so you aren't getting
full movement to forward.In reverse the housing will not slip so you still
get reverse.usually the black outer casing is slipping out where
it is crimped on one end or the other.

What he said

[JOE54]

suppose to do exactly that/ check linkage and control cables

[kkelley]

Thank You will do. So I might just have a cable that went bad since there was no metal in the gear casing ?

[JOE54]