Reverse not working

[northbear]

I have a 1977 Ski Nautique with 351 Ford and Velvet Drive Model AS1-710
Serial Number: 413616. The reverse gear has stopped working. We disconnected the throttle linkage and manually moved the transmission to forward gear which worked but moving it to reverse does nothing. When the throttle linkage is hooked up, putting it in reverse only rev's the engine. I have read some other forums and one suggested that if the boat is over rev'd when backing off the trailer (boat isn't in the water far enough), it can cause damage to the reverse plates in the transmission. About the same time we had an intermittant problem of the starter not wanting to turn the engine over but would if we crossed over the contacts on the neutral safety switch. Not sure if both problems are related but would like suggestions as to what might be causing the reverse not to work. Are these transmissions hard to work on with the help of a car transmission specialist?

[DanielC]

RE: Reverse not working

I am not quite sure if you did this, but disconnect the transmission cable from the lever on the transmission, and move the transmission lever without moving the throttle. See if the transmission goes into reverse then.

[TRBenj]

Re: Reverse not working

We disconnected the throttle linkage and manually moved the transmission to forward gear which worked but moving it to reverse does nothing.

Pretty sure he has!

I would recommend you call Eric Lavine from Fantastic Finish Marine: 877-369-6693

He can rebuild your box the right way for a great price. Tell him you got his info from PN or CCF.

[DanielC]

RE: Re: Reverse not working

His post is not the clearest in the world. If the transmission cable is out of adjustment, disconnecting the throttle cable will leave you with a connected transmission cable that is still out of adjustment.

[WakeSlayer]

RE: Re: Reverse not working

I think he mis-stated "throttle linkage" for trans cable. He needs to send his tranny to Eric.

[8122pbrainard]

RE: Re: Reverse not working

Yes on sending it to Eric and NO on a automotive trans shop. Really the only thing the marine and automotive tran's have in common is the fluid in them!!!

[DanielC]

I am not trying to argue here, but I am not 100% convinced that there is a problem internally with the transmission. The original post does have enough detail in it to kind of let me believe Northbear knows the difference between a transmission shift cable, and the throttle cable. He also said he had problems with the neutral safety switch.

Two clues. Boat has no reverse, and will not start unless neutral safety is jumped. I see a very high possibility that the transmission shift cable is going bad, or is out of adjustment.

I stand by my original comment to disconnect the transmission shift cable, at the transmission, and manually shift the transmission lever by hand to see if the boat has reverse. Northbear may have done exactly that, but he does not make it clear from his post. I would hate to see him pull the engine out of the boat, remove the transmission, sent it to Eric, or the shop of his choice, only to be told there is nothing wrong with the transmission.

[AirTool]

I would hate to see him pull the engine out of the boat, remove the transmission, sent it to Eric, or the shop of his choice, only to be told there is nothing wrong with the transmission.

Or worse....they overhaul it for a nice fee and he puts it back in only to find the same situation.

[WakeSlayer]

I agree that the initial post is a bit hard to follow, but after reading it again:
--He disconnected the trans linkage, and manually shifted to reverse with no shift.
--I think the NSS statement was referring to the boat not starting
-- It is a 32 year old boat transmission that needs to be fixed. Your reverse clutch plates are gone.

I would not take this to an auto guy, they are vastly different devices. FFM and Eric are pretty much the go to guys for these transmissions. You need a rebuild or a replacement.

http://www.fantasticfinishmarine.com/

[northbear]

Clarification: With the shift linkage connected to the transmission shift lever on the transmission and moving the throttle forward, the transmission went into forward gear. Moving the throttle lever into reverse position rev'd the engine but no movement in reverse. With the shift linkage disconnected and manually moving the shift lever on the transmission produced the same results, it went into forward gear but nothing in reverse. Also, can someone explain what causes the neutral safety switch to work? Is it transmission fluid pressure or something else pushing on the switch?

[DanielC]

I believe the Neutral safety switch is mechanical. There is probably a dent in the shaft that goes into the transmission, and when the transmission is in neutral, a spring loaded plunger in the switch allows contacts to close, allowing power to go to the starter solenoid.
Unfortunately, it sounds like you do need a transmission repair.