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1958 Evinrude 18hp wont shift

O

ORDon

New member
Finally got the motor running after some no-spark issues.

Now it wont go into forward gear. Still tank testing, so remote shift not hooked up and yes the throttle is on shift and the shift inhibitor under the flywheel is out of the way.

When I shift to neutral, the shift detent lever is in the forward slot. When in reverse, the detent lever is in the neutral slot. The detent lever I am referring to is the one under the motor housing. Its like every position moved up one notch.

The 2 screws on the shift rods are tight. I've tried shifting to forward while pulling the starter rope slowly. No luck. Will probably need to pull the lower unit, but thought I would ask here first.

Ps. it shifted fine last time i used it.
 
It sounds like you are trying to shift it while the motor is not running. If that is a good guess, simply spin the prop as you shift and it will slide right into gear. All is normal.
 
Are the notches lined up with the holes in the brass connecter.----They must be before you put the screws in.----And have you adjusted the shift up at the shift handle.
 
I disconnected the upper shift rod and moved it out of the way. Then while turning the prop by hand pried up on the lower shift rod and was able to shift into forward. Went back and fourth a few times. It seemed stiff (hard to move) but it worked. Put it back together and moved thru the gears while manually cranking and it seemed to work. I'll replace the gear lube tomorrow and tank test it.

Thanks for the ideas. I'll let you know if it works under load.
 
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