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Bf90ax shift shaft wont go back into case

Alan,
Thank you so much for getting back to me. I have now got the shift shaft cam back into the slot. I buttoned it up filled it with gear oil and put the upper portion of the engine in neutral and then used the shift shaft on the lower unit to put it into neutral. Now I have forward movement in Forward, Neutral and Reverse!!

I have checked the problem motor over with the adjacent bf90a(twin engine cat). The upper portion; cables, detent and upper shift shaft all coincide with the adjacent motor. Any advice or help is again greatly appreciated on getting the lower unit back in sync with the rest of the motor.
 
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Pull it down again and turn the shift shaft to put the gear case in neutral. Confirm neutral by turning the prop shaft. If the shift shaft is not facing forward, you'll need to lift it up (carefully, you know why) and re-index the shaft. Put the gear case in neutral again to confirm the lower gear shift shaft will align with the upper.

Turning the shift shaft should not be difficult. Don't force it. Lightly gripping it with a pair of pliers should be all that's necessary to turn it. You'll feel the forward, neutral, and revers detents.
 
Alan,

Just wanted to say thanks again for getting back to me. Update! lower unit is shifting smoothly. Seal and shift shaft cap does have a leak. The part is coming tomorrow.
 
First, I humbly submit my application to be a part of this most exclusive shift shaft cam club.
Stang - thank you for posting this as I did exactly what you and the rest of this club have done.
Alan - your tip was a lifesaver! I'll add my experience just to share what I saw and did and end with questions to make sure my cam is in the correct position.

Two people would have made this much easier, but I was determined. As Alan shared, positioning the lower unit with the prop shaft pointed down makes the splined cam come into position. What I found, however, is that mine would fall with gravity from one side to the other. I ended up cutting the middle out of a metal coat hanger and used it to "catch" the cam as it rotated from one side to the other. I missed a few times, but finally was able to balance the lower unit so the cam stayed where I caught it. I then pulled the coat hangar wire back ever so slightly and then was able to position it into the center of the cam. I held it there while placing the lower unit back on the 2x4 rack (again would be much easier with two people) and then used the coat hangar so center the cam in the hole. At that point I was able to put the shift shaft down the hole and engage the splines.

My questions are:
Should the cam have fallen back and forth like that? It seemed so disconnected from anything.
How will I know if it's shifting through forward to revers properly? With the shaft just dropping in without a reference it seems like it could have gone in any position.

Thanks for all the comments above too - helped me know you all had the same make/model (and problem).
 
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