1983 7.5HP Mercury Starts In Gear

[vermilionfox]

I put a new impeller in my BIL's 1983 7.5 HP Mercury. When checking it I found that it will only start in forward gear. When it's in neutral (and reverse) you can't pull the cord. BIL (who inherited the motor) does not know if that was the case before I worked on it. Was this something I caused, and what do I need to do to fix it?

[marine_man]

When the shifter is in neutral, is the gear case in neutral (ie - you can spin the prop freely in either direction)?

marine_man

[vermilionfox]

I'll have him check and let you know.

[vermilionfox]

When the shift lever is in neutral, the prop will not spin, but the recoild starter will pull.

When the shift lever is in reverse. the prop will spin, and the recoil starter will not pull.

When the shift lever is in forward the prop will not spin, and the recoil starter will not pull.

I added more info than you asked for, but wanted to pass all along!

[Castinski]

You may have installed the shift linkage incorrectly. Play with it a little more until you get it aligned so the prop will spin when the shift lever is in neutral.

[marine_man]

Yes.. sounds like the shift linkage in the lower unit is out of synch with the controls. With the gear shifter in neutral you should be able to freely spin the prop.

marine_man

[vermilionfox]

Got it fixed over the weekend!