Yamaha stuck in foward

[JJB747]

Hey Guys wondering if you can help. I have a 2004 Hydra-Sports 26 CC with twin 200 Yamaha HPDI with 650 hours on them. I have never had any issues with these motors. Always done my own maintainance. Changed gearlube after season, always clean. And all other basic maintainance, plugs, gas filters, water seperators, etc. Went out the other day put both engines in gear no problem. Motored for 10 minutes till I reached the channel at about 1000 rpms (no wake zone). All was good did notice that the port lever was a little bit further up than the starboard lever. When I pushed the levers foward equally I noticed the starboard engine running at 4200 rpms and the port was at 3200 rpms. I had to push the port lever almost to full to match the rpms on the other motor. I knew something was wrong. I pulled back both levers and the port wouldn't go back into neutral. I motored back to my slip at about 600 rpms and had to shut the port engine down in order to get back in the slip. The port lever goes foward but does not go into neutral. Checked the linkage seemed ok. Disconnected the linkage at motor and it seems that its not shifting at the motor. The lever is now working fine. A friend of mine told me its probally in the gearcase. Can anyone tell me what I'm up against. Been reading this forum for about year now. Never came across something like this. Any help would be appeciated. Thanks in advance.

[boats.net]

If you are shifting without engine running then will need to turn prop by hand to to align shift dog to gears, if still doesn't engage in gear then have problem shift shaft going to gearcase or problem in gearcase.

[bwconquest21]

Yamaha stuck in foward

i do my own work to and this past season i changed the lower unit oil and remounted the gearcase. lube the shifter splines (male and female) with tacking grease and rematted all parts. i could not shift engine out of N. disassembled/reassembled the unit at least four times and on the last time i discovered the small amount of grease inside at the top of the female side of the shifter spline/shaft prevent the male end from the unit to seat properly. this failure to seat bowed the shifter rod which torqued the leakage at the top of the motor and prevented smooth shifting. for me it was a small amount of grease that prevented and i mean prevented shifting into or out of gear.

[JJB747]

Thanks for responding guys. In response to boats.net I can no longer start the engine because its in foward. I'm afraid to pull back any harder, I don't want to snap anything. And in response to bwconquest21, I did the water pumps in the spring with no grease on the shift rods. They went back together fine and put 126 hours on the engines this summer with no problems. I'm pulling the boat this week and going to drain gear oil and going to drop the lower unit. That should tell me something. Thanks Guys.