Yamaha 25hp problem with gears

"Good evening .

I have a St

"Good evening .

I have a Stuart Stevens 19ft river cabin cruiser with a Yamaha 25hp engine. The engine is not too old and is in very good condition but this weekend while travelling gently up the river I put the boat into reverse and unfortunately when trying to throttle forward afterwards the boat just revved and would not go into forward gear . After going very slowly up the river backwards I lifted the engine out and noticed a piece of plastic band ( like you get round a box of oranges ) wrapped tightly around, after cutting this off with a Stanley knife and taking the top off the engine for a look I kept trying to throttle forward . Occasionally It would kick in and work but then as soon as I put back into neutral and tried again it would not work . In reverse everything is fine .

Looking in the engine I cannot see anything broken but can only imagine that due to the strain around the propeller it has adjusted something which will not allow the engine to slip[ into gear .

Can you recommend anything .

Many thanks

Rhys ( [email protected] )"

"Rhys,

When debris becomes

"Rhys,

When debris becomes tangled in the prop it can cause lots of trouble. I would advise you to remove the prop and see if any remnants of the plastic managed to become wedged between the prop shaft and the shaft seal. There may even be some wrapped around the shaft which could be causing the shaft to be slightly out of position.

Debris can actually get past the seal and into the gear case in extreme cases.

Check the gearcase oil for signs of water. This can cause hard shifting and serious damage to the components.

If everything seems normal, check the freeplay in the prop shaft. If there is excessive movement here it could indicate damage to a thrust bearing. This could result from having the plastic wrapped around the prop and prop shaft. If you notice much movement when you try to move the prop shaft in and out you will probably have to take the gearcase apart to solve the problem.

"