Having trouble getting a 1990 115hp in reverse.

[Creepin_D]

First off, this post may get a bit winded while I try to explain my situation..so sorry in advance.

I have a 1990 Yamaha 115hp outboard and a Yamaha 703 Remote Control Box. Sometimes the motor will go in reverse and most times it will not.

When it will not go in reverse it makes a "grinding" noise because the "teeth" are not meshing. When I turn off my motor and put my control arm on my control box full forward and full reverse, then put it back in netureal and start the motor, it sometimes will go in reverse, but not all the time.

Also, when I shut the motor off and turn the prop with my hand, you can feel a "click", like the motor is not fully in netureal. This problem is solved by moving the control arm back towards the reverse postion maybe an inch.

I am thinking that it make be a linkage issue or maybe the control cable has to be adjusted. Can anyone tell me if indeed this is my problem, and if so where and how do I make the adjustments.

Thanks

[royal navy mechanic]

i bet my wages its the dog clutch if you can get forward gear but not reverse or keeps jumping out its the dog clutch easy repair not too pricey hope this helps

[Creepin_D]

thanks, so is "dog clutch" the actual name? just incase I need to order one. Thanks

[rodbolt17]

while you may have damaged the clutch thats NOT your problem.
carefully inspect the shift shaft for corrosion.
carefully check the shift bracket, mounted on the port side of the engine just fwd and below the fuel pump, for cracks.
last clutch I bought was about 135 and that repair wont last long as the dogs on the reverse gear were rounded and the gear was about 350 dollars.
guy only wanted the clutch in the hopes of finnishing out the season.

[royal navy mechanic]

ok when your driving fwd all is fine???
when you put her into reverse does it engage or does it pop out when driving in reverse i still think its the clutch what does it sound like when trying to engage reverse

[Creepin_D]

ok when your driving fwd all is fine???
when you put her into reverse does it engage or does it pop out when driving in reverse i still think its the clutch what does it sound like when trying to engage reverse

Motor works perfect in forward and works perfectly in reverse, once I get it in reverse. It's getting it in reverse is where I have trouble. It makes a "grinding" noise when I try to engage reverse. I know that if i keep trying to get it in reverse that I will damage something serious. So I don't plan on using my boat until I get this problem fixed.

Thanks

[200090tlry]

Pull the lower unit and do impeller

While there checkout the shifter. Put gear selector in neutral, then drop try and make sure it's adjusted for neutral in lower half. The manual shows tool needed but I would think just cloth over half shaft and locking plyers dont damage the splines gentle. Maybe who ever did your last impeller change moved the lower units position. Just a guess, once you find FWD,NEUTRAL,REVERSE do static test that's spinning the prop with your hand while going through different positions. Once mounted back up check agian do static test ( by hand non running turn prop or have a helper turn correct direction) Move your shift selector make sure neutral is correct,fwd then reverse. If still messed up look under the motor cover maybe lube up where cable slides, look for binding. I didnt dare move shifter shaft when I did impeller change but im sure it would be fine. When's the last time you did impeller and drain out gear oil

[rodbolt17]

do as you wish but take these parting words.
your upper and lower splines are NOT misaligned .
your shift clutch is NOT and NEVER will be the cause of failure to engage occasionally.
trust me its NOT an adjustment issue.
its ALL mechanical if it needs adjusting something wore out and needs replacing.
if it worked fine for years and suddenly wont? adjusting aint what ya need.

[royal navy mechanic]

do as you wish but take these parting words.
your upper and lower splines are NOT misaligned .
your shift clutch is NOT and NEVER will be the cause of failure to engage occasionally.
trust me its NOT an adjustment issue.
its ALL mechanical if it needs adjusting something wore out and needs replacing.
if it worked fine for years and suddenly wont? adjusting aint what ya need.

this is what i mean too there is only so far you can adjust you engine bits i think clutch/reverse gear cog also have you had any work done on it we should know about?????

[Creepin_D]

this is what i mean too there is only so far you can adjust you engine bits i think clutch/reverse gear cog also have you had any work done on it we should know about?????

Nope, no work of any type done on this motor. Besides PM stuff. I guess fixing this problem is going to be a bigger deal than I expected

[royal navy mechanic]

hold the motor still and rattle the prop to see if there is loads of play if so i would strip the gearing down and take a look at the thrus washer- reverse cog -dog clutch also look at the prop face near the gearing housing for signs of wear as the washer between the prop and gear housing may be worn or missing hope this helps

[130mckee]

Listen to Rodbolt he knows more than most!!! He is the professional here and he is correct. Your motor has a regular steel shift shaft not a stainless and this is what happens when they are about to break. Stop looking for another reason and check the obvious. Listen to tha one who knows.. I have an 89 130 yami and this is what happens. CHECK THE SHIFT SHAFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UNLESS YOU HAVE SMASHED THE LOWER UNIT INTO THE BOTTOM OR HAD HIT A SUBMERGED LOG SKIP ALL YOUR OTHER THOUGHTS! SORRY ABOUT THE CAPS BUT TRYING TO GET A POINT ACROSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Creepin_D]

Listen to Rodbolt he knows more than most!!! He is the professional here and he is correct. Your motor has a regular steel shift shaft not a stainless and this is what happens when they are about to break. Stop looking for another reason and check the obvious. Listen to tha one who knows.. I have an 89 130 yami and this is what happens. CHECK THE SHIFT SHAFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UNLESS YOU HAVE SMASHED THE LOWER UNIT INTO THE BOTTOM OR HAD HIT A SUBMERGED LOG SKIP ALL YOUR OTHER THOUGHTS! SORRY ABOUT THE CAPS BUT TRYING TO GET A POINT ACROSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lol..no worries on the caps.....the motor has never been knocked or submerged. As soon as I get a chance I will check the shift shaft. I have a cd ordered that tells me how to change every part on this motor. So I am going to wait until the cd shows up before I start taking things apart.

Thanks for the help, and I will let everyone know what I find. thanks

[99yam40]

Seems like I read something on replacing shift shafts on some of the older Yamahas without pulling the power head like the manual says. So if you do have a problem with the shaft rusting and fixing to break, then do some forum searching on shift shaft replacing on the web and see if yours is one that can be done that way. It could save you lots of time and trouble

[rodbolt17]

not an expert.
I did pass the yamaha master technician exam in 2006 and have done drive train school 3 times.
the 4th time will be from the 23rd to the 27 of next week.
this year they added the F350 case.
however I have done this the better part of the past 35 years or so.
dang I am old .
typically on a V yamaha of that vintage failure to select a gear,OCCASIONALLY, is going to be a broken shift bracket, a bad shift cable or the shift shaft.
thrust washer behind the prop wont affect shifting.
if missing it may allow the prop to destroy the beaing carrier and the aft end of the case.
if the reverse gear propshaft thrust washer was missing,defective or damaged it may allow the propshaft to move aft enough to not allow correct dog engagement in rev.
easy to check, simply measure propshaft fore and aft end play.
no real specification on the 115 and no way to adjust it.
but more than about .05" of play may make me have a look.
I dont reseal many of the older cases nor replace gears and such anymore.
if you wish to know why price the seals, a clutch and rev gear and a water pump and a claw nut.
toss in about 4-5 hours labor(depends on corrosion) then check Stern Drive Enginnering(SEI).