shifting problem,please help.

[bass-action]

2001 evinrude ficht 225. Just had the water pump replaced. put it in the water today,shifted into forward went to first spot, fished for a few hours went to move to a different spot,went to put it in gear(fwd) would not go,went back to neutral,put it in reverse,had reverse, put it back in neutral but stayed in reverse,shut motor off. ried the same thing with same results. Pulled the cowel and had buddy shift into forward and nothing,pushed on the linkage where the cable hooks to to get into forward and went into gear no problem, but would not shift back to neutral.
Is this a cable problem? Is there any reason the dealer would touch this for a water pump repalcement? Did something break? When I shift it into forward the cable does move a little at the motor.
Any help would be great. Thanks

[Cclutter1]

Check the linkage under the carbs on the port side that is the only linkage that gets undone to change your water pump. It's a little silver triangle looking piece has a 3/8 bolt in it. The bolt is what holds the shifter to the linkage

[noelm]

you say it shifts OK by hand, but no movement via the control, sort of points to either a broken cable , seems to be a rather large coincidence that it broke right now though, if the component under the carbs was broken, the cable would still move the lever, but the lever would not move the shift shaft.

[bass-action]

What puzzles me is that it will shift into reverse everytime,but will not shift back into neutral,nor forward. I had my buddy shift it forward and I pushed the lever at the engine to get it to shift into forward, he did say he felt it through the shift lever.

[SEAHORSE]

Could be a number of things, some related to the previous gearcase removal.

Remove the shift cable from the motor. Look at the engine shift lever where the shift cable attaches - make sure the control box and the gearcase is in neutral - spin the prop. That engine shift lever should be parallel to the crankshaft centerline of the motor, if not, then the shift rod adjustment in the gearcase is off or there is slop or a broken weld in the linkage under the carbs.

Inspect the silver rod and bracket - which holds the shift interrupter switch - to make sure the shaft and bracket weld is not loose.

Also check the shift control in the boat - hold the shift cable end and measure how far it travels from full fwd. to reverse. I should be about 2 3/4" inches.

[bass-action]

When shifting into forward, the lever barely moves at all. Shifting into reverse it shifts no problem, but will not pull the lever forward to get back into neutral. Is the cable a push pull type action, to where if the cable was broke it would only push backwards into reverse.

[ChampioNman]

Correct it is a push pull type.