280 kicks up in reverse

I have a AQ225D with 280 Drive that I have owned many years. It kicks up in reverse, even with a very low idle. Began doing it infrequently about three years ago, and now it happens almost every time. Boat is only used a few times per year, parked dry, used in lake water only (Lake Powell).

The retaining collar and hooks move freely. I have adjusted the retaining pawl per the service manual; all of the springs have been replaced with no improvement. The faces of the pawls do not appear to be worn. I measured the force required to "break free" the pawls with the outdrive down and locked by using a spring gauge attached to the prop hub, and pulling horizontally aft. It takes a static pull of between 180 and 220 lbs to cause the pawls to release.

When reading both the Seloc and the Volvo Service manual, both talk about an L-shaped rod (Volvo part number 814397) that goes from the shift mechanism to press against the collar on the retaining pawl when shifted into reverse which would lock the over-center spring pawls to prevent pop-up in reverse.

My 280 is missing that rod. There is factory paint inside the hole on the shift lever which to me appears that it was NEVER installed at the factory??? No wear on the collar, either.

Any body here heard of this?

Since I have tried everything else I can think of, should I buy and install this rod?

MarineEngine.com doesn't stock this part. Where can I get it?

mike mladjovsky said:

1. I have a AQ225D with 280 Drive that I have owned many years. It kicks up in reverse, even with a very low idle. Began doing it infrequently about three years ago, and now it happens almost every time. Boat is only used a few times per year, parked dry, used in lake water only (Lake Powell).

2. The retaining collar and hooks move freely. I have adjusted the retaining pawl per the service manual; all of the springs have been replaced with no improvement. The faces of the pawls do not appear to be worn.

3. I measured the force required to "break free" the pawls with the outdrive down and locked by using a spring gauge attached to the prop hub, and pulling horizontally aft. It takes a static pull of between 180 and 220 lbs to cause the pawls to release.

4. When reading both the Seloc and the Volvo Service manual, both talk about an L-shaped rod (Volvo part number 814397) that goes from the shift mechanism to press against the collar on the retaining pawl when shifted into reverse which would lock the over-center spring pawls to prevent pop-up in reverse.
My 280 is missing that rod. There is factory paint inside the hole on the shift lever which to me appears that it was NEVER installed at the factory??? No wear on the collar, either.

Click to expand...

1. If your Lift-Out unit "Vice Rod" is not fully retracting, the pressure plate will continue to hold force against seq #44 & #43, of which releases the latch hooks from the set pin. Start by seeing if your unit is fully retracting.
If not, you can safely place a piece of soft wood between the main suspension fork "arm" and the pressure plate. Gently push down on the drive. If all is OK, this should push the vice rod up into the lift unit.
There is a clutch inside of this unit that allows for this..... with enough pressure, the clutch releases!

2. I assume that you are referring to the lock brace (seq #45) and latch hooks (seq #50 & #52)!
Latch hooks must be in pristine condition..... see below for the lock brace.

3. Seems to me that we could easily create 220 lb static pulling force with a reversing manuever where we give, let's say a quick/short 1,000 rpm increase. I do this occasionally when docking.
Keep in mind, this device is primarily for Impact Protection should we strike a submerged object.
Just curious....... where did you get those numbers?


4. p/n 814397 is a coupling rod, and is actually an unnecessary part. It does not do what many of us think it does by depressing the "lock brace".
If your return spring (seq #47) is good, you should be able to reverse with no issues.
However, if Hell Bent on having the coupling rod...., I do have these here! I have never sold one before!

Here is a link to a schematic that includes p/n's.

Hello again, Rick.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. You also helped me about a year ago with the bearings inside the flywheel cover. I pulled the engine, and replaced those bearings and seals; that cured the noise inside the flywheel cover.

Referring to the figure you posted, the missing coupling rod is #3; no evidence that it was ever there. I pushed a rod down the hole it fits into, and the coupling rod #3 would push on lock brace #45, which prevents the two spring hooks #50 from releasing. Since coupling rod #3 is missing, only the over-center toggling action of the two spring hooks provides the hold-down force to overcome the thrust in reverse gear.

I have checked the electric lift mechanism, and have had it out of the boat. I replaced one of the relays inside it. I checked the limit switch adjustment. When fully retracted (outdrive down in running position, dash light off), the clearance from the lift pressure plate #8 to the thrust sleeve #44 is about 1/4" with the warning light off.

The warning light comes on after the lift is moved far enough to push the thrust sleeve #44 and push rod #43 to disengage the pawls so that the outdrive can be lifted by hand. When the outdrive pops up in reverse, there is no contact between the lift pressure plate #8 and the thrust sleeve #44. When the lift is operated long enough to just turn on the warning light, the outdrive can be freely lifted by hand.

When I used the spring scale to measure the force required to "break-free" the down lock, I had no pre-conceived notion of what it should be. I used a "come-a-long" to slowly increase the pressure on the down lock. Obviously, the 180-220 lbs is not sufficient to hold against the reverse thrust of the propeller. It is sufficient to hold down the outdrive when suddenly cutting throttle while on plane.

The down-lock mechanism seems to be working. With the boat on the trailer, the skeg is clear of the ground. If I pull backwards on the lower part of the outdrive, I cannot exert enough force by hand to overcome the down lock. If I pull down on shaft #48 with my finger, the outdrive swings freely. If I lower the outdrive back down by hand, I hear a loud click as the down-lock re-engages.

The questionable aspects of the entire operation are two: the missing coupling rod #3, and there is some play when pulling up the outdrive by hand before the down-lock prevents further movement. This play is the result of the outdrive resting on adjuster pin #34 when fully down, and the down-lock pawls hooking onto the adjuster pin #34 when pulling up on the outdrive. The play would give the outdrive a "running start" when shifting into reverse; where the down lock would be subjected to a shock instead of just a steady pull like I induced with the spring scale. When lifting the outdrive by hand, there would be a firm "clunk" as the pawls make contact with adjuster pin #34.

To minimize the play, I machined some spacers which I put right where the outdrive rests against the adjuster pin #34, which took out most of the play. This helped a little by reducing the probability that the outdrive will pop up on any given shift into reverse, but didn't eliminate the problem. This leaves only the missing coupling rod #3? What is your objection to installing it?

Update on the missing reverse-lock coupling rod:

I obtained a new one and installed it this weekend. Completely stopped the problem of the outdrive kicking up in reverse. No noticeable drag as the rear-shift lever is moved from idle to reverse.

One happy boater...

hi, i am having the same problem you did. my 280 kicks up when i engage the reverse gear. when the boat is on the trailer and shifted into reverse it does lock, and i try to pull the drive up and out and the pawls lock onto the lock pin very tightly. there is no way even with all my force that it will release. on the other hand in the water it kicks up immediately, i sense the locks pawls try to get grab the pin but slipping off and i can hear a bang when they do> i am aware of the aprox 1 inch play the drive has sort of a jump start when the pawls come try to grab pin. i have changed all the springs and pawls and push rod and have adjusted the adjuster screw on the push rod, the problem continues. i read your post with similar problem and you resolved it with a coupling rod? what is a coupling rod and where should it be? this is the third year with same problem and 3 mechanics have already taken my money without resolving the problem, they all say "its impossible everything is new and adjusted" any help would be great as i am frustrated