# Mercury Shift Link / Gear Issue



## KeepingItSimple

On mine (disclaimer: I have an older 25 hp without the nut style shift rod linkage but would imagine the orientation of things would be the same) moving the shift rod upwards puts it in forward gear, downwards into reverse.

Alex


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## Bluwave

I talked with a mechanic a few days ago and he said I did everything right, but it could be a bad dog clutch. I got an appointment but they can't get to it until next week.

It really sucks, because I just purchased this boat from someone on the forum who told me the motor was fully serviced, but that doesn't seem to be the case after replacing gear lube, water pump, thermostat... etc


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## Creek Runner

Where  are you located? It's not the clutch dog take it to a technician not a mechanic. 

If it worked before you took it off and now it doesn't its not the clutch dog.


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## Dillusion

I did this on my last impeller change.

When you removed the LU the shift should have been in neutral. When you re-installed the LU you may have had the shift rod slightly in FWD or R instead of in the neutral position when you screwed the doubl-ended nut back on.

Put the throttle back in neutral, remove the double-nut from the lower shift rod, shift the rod by hand back into N and then re-thread on the double-nut.

That order of operations was able to fix it for me.


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