1981 Evinrude 25hp skips neutral when shifting

So as you can tell from the title I have a 1981 25hp Evinrude and it is having trouble shifting. Basically, I can shift it from forward to reverse and back again but it does not slip into or stop at neutral in between.

This problem arose after having the lower unit disassembled to replace the gear-case seals. Last season I replaced the shift rod lever and after putting everything back together it did not shift as smoothly as before my work.(it would only go into neutral from reverse) This time I seem to be having a similar problem but worse.

Here are my thoughts on what I can think might be the problem. Maybe one of you will have some suggestions or can give me some feedback on my basic understanding of what might be going on. I am dreading taking the gear-case apart again. I just want to go fishing!!

I think that the pivot pin is seated in the shift lever correctly. Otherwise the motor would be stuck in one gear or the other and I would be unable to shift... right?? Also it doesn't seem as though anything is loose and rattling around.

While putting everything back together I took time and care in making sure that the little balls and spring(forgive my lack of correct terminology) were loaded in the prop shaft and lined up correctly with the corresponding slots in the clutch dog. I am about 99% sure they are lined up... but maybe not. Though, the slots seems to be there for the sole purpose of stopping the clutch dog in neutral, so maybe that is my problem.

Every time I drop the lower unit I have trouble getting the shift linkage reconnected. For whatever reason the shift rod has trouble sliding into the linkage. I usually end up having to grip the shift rod with pliers to keep everything lined up and to keep from pushing the shift rod down and into reverse and therefore out of reach of the upper shift rod. Maybe not having the linkage hooked up in exactly the correct way could cause the motor to skip neutral?

Anyway that is my problem... well one of them anyway. Thanks in advance for your replies.

At the brass connector you MUST line up the notch in the shift rod with the hole in the connector BEFORE you put the bolt in.

racerone said:

At the brass connector you MUST line up the notch in the shift rod with the hole in the connector BEFORE you put the bolt in.

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I removed the bolt in the connector and it look like the notch is lined up correctly. Would the bolt go in if it wasn't?

kimcrwbr1 said:

Pull the gearbox and see how well it shifts. You should hear the click into neutral. Did you snap the saddle into the shift fork? Put the coupler on the lower shift shaft and make sure the bolt hole is center of the groove on the shaft and tighten it down good so the upper bolt can be put in easy after you install the gearbox. I just pry up on the coupler and at the same time push the shift lever to line up the upper shaft groove center on the hole in the coupler then tighten the bolt. The shift handle should be straight up in neutral.

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That it s good idea bout having the connector on the lower shift shaft. I will do that the next time I remove/install the lower unit.

I guess it was what you are calling the shift fork and the clutch dog saddle that I replaced last year.(not the "shift rod lever") The shift for didn't exactly "snap" into position but it is kind of sitting in position. If I held the shift fork in my hand and shook it around the saddle would definitely not stay in place. Should it have snapped in there?

kimcrwbr1 said:

To test the shift rod lever up top just grab the coupler with a pair of needlenose and wiggle the shift handle it needs to be nice and tight.

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The shift rod seems pretty tight when I grab it with pliers from the little window on the side of the leg. There is quite a bit of play in the shift handle though. Could the problem be somehow related to the shift handle assembly? I have done nothing with that.

OK I got it shifting into neutral from reverse as it was all last year. Its not ideal but it works. I dropped the lower unit and made sure the shift rod linkage was lined up properly with the grooves on the upper and lower shift rods. The lower unit shifted fine by hand when I had it removed. I adjusted the shift control cable. Maybe one of both of these were part of the problem.

I still don't understand why the motor has trouble shifting into neutral from forward. Maybe it is related to the clutch dog cradle not snapping onto the shift fork and fitting snugly. The engine does shift out of forward rather roughly. Maybe the fact that it doesn't like to come out of forwards means it just skips past neutral when the clutch dog moves that direction. I will investigate that in the fall when I have the energy to disassemble the gear case again. Any other ideas would be appreciated.