Hey New Guy here!!
Joined because I was given a 1971 Cruisers Charger 17 foot 120 hp boat for free; just had to drag it out of the barn where its been parked since 1998. I was able to get the engine running fairly well; idles around 1400-1500. When I attempt to shift the drive into forward or reverse, I hear a knocking noise like the gears aren't fully engaging. Maybe like the "dogs" on the gears are hitting against each other??? No noises in neutral. With engine off, I can shift the control to forward, and the prop will not turn in one direction , but is locked in the opposite direction; and vice versa for reverse. So with engine off, it feels like it is engaging, but with engine running, I get no engagement, just the knocking noise.
I am under the hopeful idea, that maybe the shift mechanism is maybe a little tight due to extended storage, and hoping the drive unit is not toast! I drained the lower unit oil, it looked a little green/gray olive colored. I didn't notice any sparkley flakes like metal in the oil. The previous owner says he did winterize the motor when he stored it and said everything worked OK before it put it away 13-14 years ago.
Is there a way to check to see if the shift linkage is moving the appropriate distance at the drive unit as opposed to the linkage at the engine?
Thanks for your thought and comments...
That's all I know for now...
Steve in Flat Rock, MI
Joined because I was given a 1971 Cruisers Charger 17 foot 120 hp boat for free; just had to drag it out of the barn where its been parked since 1998. I was able to get the engine running fairly well; idles around 1400-1500. When I attempt to shift the drive into forward or reverse, I hear a knocking noise like the gears aren't fully engaging. Maybe like the "dogs" on the gears are hitting against each other??? No noises in neutral. With engine off, I can shift the control to forward, and the prop will not turn in one direction , but is locked in the opposite direction; and vice versa for reverse. So with engine off, it feels like it is engaging, but with engine running, I get no engagement, just the knocking noise.
I am under the hopeful idea, that maybe the shift mechanism is maybe a little tight due to extended storage, and hoping the drive unit is not toast! I drained the lower unit oil, it looked a little green/gray olive colored. I didn't notice any sparkley flakes like metal in the oil. The previous owner says he did winterize the motor when he stored it and said everything worked OK before it put it away 13-14 years ago.
Is there a way to check to see if the shift linkage is moving the appropriate distance at the drive unit as opposed to the linkage at the engine?
Thanks for your thought and comments...
That's all I know for now...
Steve in Flat Rock, MI
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