Grinding while shifting gear into reverse - Honda BF 25

[Stradic]

Hello everyone.
A friend of mine has a Honda BF 30 hp, 4 stroke (carburetor) outboard. (The engine is a BF 30, 30 HP not 25 like I mistakenly said in the title)
The s/n is BAUJ-1000327.

The engine is running fine, but does a grinding/screeching noise when shifting into reverse.
It is also possible to feel that gears are kind of "under load" when setting into reverse.

Do you have any idea of what might be causing this issue? Could it be the cables that go from the command box to the engine?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Deanmck]

I believe most if not all older honda's grind while shifting into reverse if done slowly. The trick is to engage the gears quickly with a quick snap of the lever to get it to engage and regulate the power once it has engaged. You should have no problems once you get the feel of it.

 

[jgmo]

I agree with Deanmck about the aggressive action on the shift lever. That keeps the clutch dog teeth from "bouncing" off of one another and rounding off the square edges of the teeth. "Lazy" gear selecting causes premature transmission wear.

However, what you describe sounds as if the shift rod could need to be adjusted and or checked to ensure that it hasn't been bent. If it were the clutch, the complaint would likely be the same for both forward and reverse. But since it only seems to happen with reverse, I suspect a shift rod adjustment is in order.

Good luck.