Question for Don -- Hard To Shift Out of Gear

[egammon]

Don:

I have fairly new 250 Pro XS (35 hours). It is often (but not always) hard to shift into neutral.

Symptoms:

1. <U>Always </U>shifts easily <U>into</U> gear.

2. When engine is warming up, it idles slightly higher than normal, and is hard to shift <U>out</U> of gear.

3. After engine warms up, it shifts <U>out </U>of gear easily about half the time, and takes a lot of force the rest of the time.


What do I check ? (This is my fourth V-6 Mercury, and I have never had one that gave this problem).

Thanks.

[EuropeanAM]

Some things to look at:

-Look under the shift linkage/relay arm. You're looking for signs that the arm runnng from the cable attachment point "to the arm under the powerhead" has been rubbing the lower cowling. If you note evidence of this, the relay arm MAY be BENT (this commonly occurs when someone attempts to shift the engine while NOT RUNNING.... which is not a good idea).

-Cable/control binding: Disconnect the cable from it's attachement points, and confirm that it moves freely, without binding in both directions when operating the control.

-Cable attachment: When the cable is installed, the RETAINING NUT should be SNUGGED DOWN, and then BACKED OFF 1/2-3/4 of a turn (enough so that the plastic washer rotates freely). Note: This DOES NOT apply to later production models, which utilize a "keeper-pin" to retain the cable (Verado-style gearcase models).

-Shift Position Switch: IF the shift position switch were to become damaged, and hangs in the "in gear" position, it would result in an ELEVATED IDLE, AND DIFFICULTY SHIFTING back into neutral. This is best confirmed with the Computer Diagnostic System, by watching the data output from the switch (it would indicate "in gear" condition, even when in neutral).

[egammon]

Thanks, Don.