1975 merc OB 115hp lost reverse

prop rotates in forward gear but does not rotate in reverse. the motor run fine in both gears any ideas what could cause this

That's correct! Took me decades to figure that out.

Jeff

fastjeff said:

That's correct! Took me decades to figure that out.

Jeff

Click to expand...

figure what out

That the prop doesn't move either way in reverse.

Jeff

With the motor in forward gear you should be able to turn (by hand) the prop in one direction (and hear a clicking or ratcheting sound) but it will stop dead in the other direction.

With the motor in neutral you can freely spin the prop in either direction (no clicking sounds).

With the motor in reverse it will be "locked" in place and will not freely spin in either direction (unless you use so much force that you overcome the engine compression).

That's just the way it works because of the way the gears interact with the clutch dog, propshaft, driveshaft etc.

That is normal on pretty much every Merc out there that has forward, neutral and reverse gear options.

no when I'm driving the boat I put in forward gear and I go forward when I put it in reverse I go nowhere I was wondering what might cause this
because it just happened the other day

Ooooohhh! That sounds like a bad shift cable adjustment.

Jeff

that is what I was thinking but didn't know if that was possible for it to work in forward but not reverse and be the cable
Thanks

Remove the cable and shift it without it. The motor might need to be running to engage reverse.

Jeff