Shifter control maybe not the problem

Ok guys here's whats been goin on. When we launch the boat it grinds/slips/strips and won't go into reverse. It will go into forward and after running a bit it acts just fine in reverse for the rest of the day. I thought it may have something to do with raising the motor at the end of the day and then when returning back to the lake something maybe binding but that doesn't appear to be the case. I trim it up and down and the cables don't seem to be moving a bit ! While looking at the shifter ball in it's slide on the motor there is a small arrow that is the neutral position ....pay close attention here ....when shifting from forward to neutral it does not come all the way to the arrow..bout a quarter inch short !! when shifting from reverse back to neutral it lines up with the arrow perfectly ! if i grab the ball and rock it in the slide it has about a 1/4 of slop of which i thought was in the shifter. I have the shifter apart and really don't see anything wrong there !

Do i have an adjustment problem.....lower unit problem. The boat worked just fine a month ago so the adjustment is most likely correct ! any thoughts ?

By the way it's a 2000 225efi !

I'd disconnect the shift cable at the motor, then keeping the boat on the trailer, back it in the water and see if it shifts gears properly without the shift cable connected. If it does, maybe the shift cable is coming apart in it's housing. Re-reading your post, could there be heavy old grease in the shifter housing inside the motor cover? Perhaps when it's cold it's stopping the shifter from going all the way into reverse. Once you warm the motor up, maybe the grease softens and allows it to shift properly. Not sure what your set up looks like under the hood. My Merc 90HP 4 stroke had a trough that the shift mechanism slid in with white grease. That stuff gets hard after time.

Are you useing Merc Hi-Performance gear oil if it is a Merc ? If for what it's worth you put generic gear oil in a lower unit it may be to thick to allow the clutch dog in the lower unit to engage reverse gear which is going against what the motor wants to do. Forward is where it goes easy, and has to work to get into reverse. If your oil is old and cold it will do the same. I would put new gear oil in and if the water is cold, give the lower unit a few extra mins to warm up before shifting. Tom

shellback...mine has the trough as well and I love ur idea on unhooking the cable and giving it a try. I will do that as soon as the kid and I can get to the water,maybe I'll even back it in my pond and try that. The shifter slide thing glides through the trough easily !

Archer...you made me think about the oil...I had to go out to the shop and look to see if I had merc bottles and I do so Yes it has the merc oil in it...when you have as many tractors ,combines,dump trucks and boats and pick-ups as I do it is hard to remember it all...lol. I bought the boat last Jan. and changed the waterpump and lower unit oil as soon as I got it.

The only real slop that I have been able to find is in the shifter mechanism it self !! I would assume that there has to be some slop in there and that the little slop that is there wouldn't hurt.....the shift cable blowing apart inside it's housing would certainly make sense. Yall keep watching this post . were gonna figure it out...the kid and I fish till the ice keeps us out so we still have lots of fishin time left and I need the boat to work properly ! Thanks for the input !!

Well we backed the boat in the pond and with the shifter cable unhooked fired her up and worked the shift mechanism with my hands ! It went into reverse and stayed that way until i shifted it back to neutral just as it should. After doing that I decided to go ahead and just try and adjustment with the cable and see what I have from there. Ran it back in the shop and turned that ball 6 turns to make it go into rev. better/farther ! It was not going as far as it should have been with the previous or initial setting . It still seems to be shifting fine into forward also. I suppose the true test will be next time at the lake. I will make it a point to jump back on here and post the results then. Hope to be going soon. Thanks !

PS I still have some slop in the shifter mechanism...not sure why. The boats only 11 years old ! I can see the rotating assembly inside the mechanism rocking back and forth as I operate the handle or grab the cable with my hand and move it back and forth. Surely that thing would last longer than 11 yrs ?? It's a merc remote. Not severe but enough to loose some throw at the motor !

Be carefull adjusting cable to far into reverse, there is not as much presure and tourque on reverse as there is in forward, if you get it to far in reverse the next time you go to take off it may jump out of gear which is really jumping over a clutch dog / forward gear lug, do this once or twice while turning 5000 rpms and you will be spending a fortune for new gear set and clutch dog plus labor to rebuild the lower unit. I would try maybe 2-2 1/2 turns and go from there, it is better to have a slight grind in reverse than a large clunk while trying to plane out in forward. Tom

good idea Archer

Well I suppose that took care of it . Took archers advice and backed back to 4 turns and hit the lake with it yesterday. Went right into reverse and stayed there as well as forward. Was very careful with it in forward as we slowly brought her up to speed I was ready to git off it in case it jumped outta gear . I could tell after it went into forward that I still had a little cable/throw left so that it was definatly "in gear" . !

Sure appreciate all the help. Guess after things wear some it needs an adjustment here and there ! Thanks again.