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stiff shifting

L

LighAir

New member
I just put a 1996 8hp Evinrude on my sailboat. Motor starts and runs great but it is difficult to shift. I took the boat out for a test run and when putting it into her slip, I wanted to shift out of forward and into reverse to slow her down. I ended up having to shut the motor off in forward because it was too difficult to shift it. AS a side note, the next time I went to start it (a few days latter, I found that it has a failsafe in that the starter cord came out but would not retract - I then realized that it was still in forward so I put it in neutral, the cord retracted and it started easily.

I traded for this motor so I know nothing of it's history except that the former owner told me he changed the water pump and tuned it up. It starts on the first or second pull and runs well. It is just difficult to shift - I can force it into both gears but it is very stiff.

I have the shop manual for it but it is of no help.
 
As difficult as it will be, I know that I will have to pull the motor off the boat and check the oil. I will need some help but it really is the right way to at least eliminate that as a cause.
 
There is no dingy at my marina that I can use but I have a Tanzer 16 that I can use. The Tanzer is a sailboat but I can just tow it out to the marina and launch it without the mast, just the electric motor. When I was out at the Catalina the other day, I was able to get the foot totally out of the water so changing the oil while on the boat is possible.
 
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