197 8- 1980 8 hp 8m Mariner dies when put in to gear...

Not only does she die when put into gear, but also doesnt seem to wanna go out of gear after she dies. i have to fiddle with the gear selector to get her into nuetral. also the engine seem to run great but at a lower RPM at full throttle. i just inherinted this engine and i havnt really started repairing anything yet. any advice i could get on where to start would be GREATLY appreciated! thank you!

Re: 78-80 8m Mariner dies when put in to gear...

Sounds like you have inherited the proverbial "can of worms".

The stalling is most certainly attributed to a clogged carb (and other components may not be totally functioning as they should).

The sticky gears could be anything from mildly seized linkage under the cowl to water in the gearcase that may or may not have caused damage to the components.

Since you figure this in a late 70's/early 80's model it must be one of the Yamaha built Mariners.

So, before you spend even a buck on parts, spend 35 bucks on a Seloc's manual - get the "Mariner Outboard, 1&2 cylinder, 1977-1989" book.

It may not take much to get this up and running again, but without the manual it could turn into a multi-year project...