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1988 Merc 100 OB Shift Shaft Tough to move

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BillBoost37

New member
Hello and thank you for welcoming me to this extremely informative forum!

Short version of the long story: 1988 Sea Ray Seville 16ft OB with it's original Merc 100 out back, boat sat for 14+ years. As I'm going through to get it back on the water, one item that I noticed is the shifting into forward was a little stiff, but reverse is very tough. Unhooked the throttle/shifter cables at the motor and they move freely. Trying to move the piece the shifter attaches to at the motor is very difficult (running or not are equally tough to move the shifter).

I do know the original owner well (parents neighbor) and know that when he last used the boat everything was working great. Plus I think he put a total of 10 hours on the boat. :cool:

Found this thread http://www.marineengine.com/boat-fo...age-reverse-shift&highlight=mercury+shift+rod
And was wondering if anyone has a picture of the spring that Graham is talking about. I will be changing the gear lube as 28 years is likely past its expected service life :rolleyes:. Beyond that, I know the motor/LU has never been apart. This puppy is wearing it's original propeller and the fin under it still has it's original paint.

Any ideas, tests or suggestions are greatly welcomed. I may not be up to speed on boat terminology yet, am more than capable under the hood of a car to the point of rebuilding a transmission or engine etc.

Thanks
Bill
 
Clean everything electrical to shiny.Clean and rebuild carbs and fuel pumps,and as ethanol is hard on old fuel lines,you should change them as well.
You say you have it running,so drop lower unit and change impeller and gear lube.The old stuff may have solidified with dirt and causing the stiffness,plus with the unit out you'll see if the shift shaft in the unit moves any easier.
Grease all the nipples and you should be good to go.
 
Thanks for the info, carbs have been cleaned/rebuilt, all electrical was cleaned up, it needed a stator, fuel lines arrived yesterday, new zip ties to hold the fuel lines (200lb break strength), ran it off an external tank premixed until I know the oil pump is working. Drained the boats fuel tank and flushed, next up is changing out the line and prime ball etc.

Sounds like you suggest doing the impeller as maintenace, still do it even though it's peeing a great stream?

As for the motor itself, I am partially here because it's one of the only sites that was able to do a serial number search successfully. B292295. The original owner said the motor was a 115hp being a transition year. Everything is labeled 100/115 when I'm buying parts. Is there any way to know for sure if it's a 100 or 115? Not that it matters, just interested.
 
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There's a guy,boat_tech,if he's about he will be able to help.4or 6 cyl? Going by the number, 4cyl is 100HP,6 cyl will be 115HP
 
Reason for recommending replacing impeller is the rubber hardens over time and can break down.It's good practice to replace impeller every two years.
 
The clutch dog has a very strong spring acting on it.--------It takes some effort to shift this motor.-----------Prop should be turned while shifting from nuetral to reverse.
 
haventaclue said:
Reason for recommending replacing impeller is the rubber hardens over time and can break down.It's good practice to replace impeller every two years.
Click to expand...

Thank you for that. It's always good to hear the preventive. I'll hop on it before it hits the water.

As for the stiffness shifting. Nearly 100% gone with the fresh fluid in the lower unit. Last night after replacing the trim motor, I ran it again for another 20-30 minutes and it shifted great. Fairly sure I had some buildup from the fluid sitting so long. I'll be doing the oil at least once or twice more before hitting water and that will be a good time to do the impeller.

Thanks again for the replies, I'm calling this one fixed. :cool:
 
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