1988 - 25 hp Evinrude will not go in gear

[mgreggs]

Stranded on the Potomac River the other day. After boating to favorite fishing hole (and all but one fish decided to go elsewhere), my buddy and I decided to try another spot. I started the motor and put it in forward gear, only to have motor rev up...but no motion. I tried reverse and likewise, same reaction. With limited knowledge, all I could think of was a shear pin had failed, with no way to check in deep water. After being towed in and removing the engine cover, I checked the movement of the forward/reverse lever and all the parts outside the engine block seemed to move as one would expect. I pulled the propeller off, but it connects to the shaft using groves, so I couldn't find a shear pin.
Any suggestions on what might be the cause of this problem?

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[moved to equipment forum.]

[This message has been edited by Rick (edited 07-08-2004).]

[Joe Harty]

My guess is that the propeller is spun, meaning, the hub area is slipping when you apply throttle. If that is the case, you need a new prop.

[Surface Tension]

Could be a spun hub.
Pull the spark plug wires. Shift it into forward and by hand turn the prop. Tell me what resistance you feel.
What year is the motor and when was the last time the lower unit was drained and refilled.

[IFallsRon]

Could be the shift yolk and the dogs on the drive gear in the lower unit are worn.

I had a bought a used 1986 with this problem. Someone had tried to mill the edges of the dogs to make the gear work but that was only a short-term fix. Can't recall for sure, but was around $200-250 to fix