I assume that what you are talking about is the shift shaft, to which I
pointed out as the rod that went down to the lower unit before. I've
read elsewhere that this rod is supposed to go down in forwared and go
up in neutral and reverse. I'm not seeing the rod go up and down, just
clockwise and counterclockwise. I don't see any rust at all on the rod.
It appears to be an aluminum rod. Maybe you're talking about a different
part that I don't know about. Anyways, is there something that would
prevent the shift shaft from going up and down?


"Trond Solem" wrote in
k:

The gear shift axle is known to rust. Remove the gear, and check if
the shifting works directly on the gear. If it does, your shift axle
is the culprit.


"Mark Wynkoop" wrote in message
7...
First, the background info:

I recently bought a 1968 Mercury 650 (red 65HP). The guy I bought it
from had the motor laying on its side. When I brought it home, I put
it on a stand.The next morning, I found oil leaking from the water
vents and exhaust. Not sure if that is normal from laying on its
side. This last weekend I put the lower unit in a tub of water and
fired it up. Thus I discovered the problem of the motor stuck in
forward.

The problem:
No matter where the shifter position was, it stays in forward.I could
not get it out of gear. So, under inspection, the slider that the
shifter cable connects to in under the cowl moves freely along the
rails. That is connected to a lever, which is connected to a rod
which goes directly down to the lower unit. The rod moves freely
counterclockwise and clockwise. Also, I was able to move the slider
by hand. I don't know if one should be able to move this by hand with
only a slight amount of force.

My thought is that something came loose since the motor was laying on
its side, or something happened when the guy disconnected the cables.
I don't know if maybe this rod slipped out of something in the lower
unit.I haven't taken it apart to find out. The guy said it was
shifting fine this summer when he sold it to me.

If this is something major, I'm just going to take it back to the guy
and get my money back. But, I'm willing to for go that if it is just
something simple.

Thanks,
Mark