Problems shifting into gear. Merc 150 xr6

[sublimez]

Good Morning guys,

I was out fishing at Stockton yesterday and I'd pulled up a slight bit crooked on my trailer on the ramp so I went to put my boat into reverse and realized that while it revved up completely normal it would not jump into gear.. I pushed off and then tried forward gear and found that it did not work either. This is an older engine, but I had been using it pretty well for the past few days and the last few years pretty regularly. Thinking back, lately I have had a bit a problem getting into gear from neutral but I would always just bring it back to neutral then move back forward and it would always click into gear and take off.

I pulled the cowling off the motor and hooked up the muffs and notice my shift stick moving fairly freely from max forward to max reverse, look on motor and notice the shift cable isn't doing jack squat on motor so I'm initially thinking it might just be the shift cable..

Started up boat, and had son work the shift stick forward and then I push the shifter on motor manually to forward and it goes and then have him put in reverse and push it to reverse and it works.

It seems very hard by hand to move the lever on engine to forward gear and to reverse gear.

Question is: Should it be really hard to move into Forward gear and Reverse gear by hand on the side of your motor??

It started making me wonder that the reason it was so hard to shift was that maybe something was bound in my lower unit which put too much stress on my cable causing it to break.

Thank you guys very much for your input! I really need to get it to the Marina, but the Crappie getting hot on Stockton and it will probably take a few weeks to get this repaired at the shop right now.

[fishinwrench]

Sounds like it's time for fresh control cables.

Shouldn't take anyone "weeks" to replace them, just a couple hours at most, depending on what kinda boat it is.

[sublimez]

Yeah, I'm hoping it's just the cables because that I can afford! I just meant weeks because I figured a lot of them are booked up because of all the spring fisherman coming out. Called today and it will be a week before I can get in

[fishinwrench]

I'm not sure where you call home but if you dropped it off here (Gravois Mills) in the next 48 hours I could have it done before Friday.

[sublimez]

Dang, I'm down in very bottom sw corner of Missouri (Joplin) and back to work tomorrow. I appreciate the offer though Sir! I popped the hood and found that it definitely is the cable and that I could easily shift it by hand on the motor from Forward to Reverse, just get no movement at all from my cable.. Hoping that I don't miss out on too much crappie this weekend!

[fishinwrench]

No prob. I find it hard to believe that none of the shops down there will slip you in for a quickie cable swap.

Peckerheads!