TOPIC: 950ss gear selector adjustment

Can't seem to get my '67 950 ss to go into neutral. With the throttle/gear control in N position, shouldn't the prop spin freely in either direction on land? Is there a procedure to adjust the gear selector/shift shaft?

The first thing to do is to tilt the Merc up, and set the tilt lock.
Then see if you can shift the controller into Neutral. (to continue into Reverse,...Have someone slowly rotate the propeller as you attempt to shift into Reverse)
If the Beast shifts into Neutral in the tilted up position, shift the control box in to Forward gear, tilt the Beast down, and then see if you can successfully shift into Neutral.
If everything works correctly following these instructions, just remember to always shift into Forward gear before attempting to lower the Beast down after traveling, etc.
doc

Hi Doc!
Thanks for the info regarding the shift/gear selector. I purchased the Seloc manual you referenced and have spent a considerable amount of time trying to familiarize myself with the info pertaining to my 950ss powerhead. I was able to get the gear box and shift lever to match up with virtually no trouble; prop spins freely in either direction when the selector is in neutral. Is it normal for the reverse lock to only "release" when the shift lever is in "F"? As it is now, the powerhead will not tilt in either reverse or neutral. Not really finding much info in the manual re: reverse lock setup. Aside from that.......i stuck a set of muffs on the LU, mixed up some fuel, primed er til the bulb was solid and hit the key. Admittedly, i forgot to choke (which functions perfectly,btw) and after a few cycles on the starter she rolled to life. The Beast, as you call her, ran famously on the warm up lever. Immediately i noticed water coming out ot the "flush" hole adjacent to the VENT screw on the upper LU. Also notice no water from either the "tell tale" or the exhaust diffuser at back of prop. Prior to startup and as a primary step in this resurrection, i replaced the water pump impeller and inspected the plate above it.
A) is there supposed to be a plug in the flush hole
any thoughts on my lack of water circulation .??
Mike

" Is it normal for the reverse lock to only "release" when the shift lever is in "F"?"
Yes
"Immediately i noticed water coming out of the "flush" hole adjacent to the VENT screw on the upper LU."
You must put the proper screw (plug & gasket) in the "Flush" port, or water will not be able to go up into the powerhead and subsequently out the tell-tail & exhaust.
Great observations and critically important questions!!!
doc

Got it! Thanks, Doc. Ordered a full set of screws/plugs/gaskets/washers for fill/drain/vent /flush ports.
As long as the water was on the LU via the muffs, was water making it at least as far as the impeller/pump housing? I didn't run it for long but i cant imagine it needs to run for long with a dry pump for it to smoke an impeller. Just making sure i haven't done that.

Hi, Doc.
Finally found the time to replace the seals in the lower unit and get the boat on the water (first run since 2007). After a little priming she fired right up. Shifts great, seems to run well and after an initial "burn off" stage there was very little smoke. I'm running Amsoil Dominator oil in rec fuel at 50:1? Hopefully that is ok.... when I replaced the fuel lines I noticed that the new fittings I used to replace all of the factory fittings seemed to have smaller orifices than the factory fittings....also used 1/4" fuel line. now am wondering if I should have used 5/16" fuel line and larger corresponding fittings? I put an inline filter in just prior to the primer bulb to catch any stray debris and have changed it twice but still get cut-out to idle at higher rpm......acts as though it's starving for fuel. If I use primer bulb while this occurs, I get no change in engine performance and a collapsed primer bulb. If I squeeze the fuel line ,vigorously, between the bulb and the fuel tank while this occurs I get recovery of engine performance. I'm thinking debris on in tank filter of some kind? Strainer on siphon tube perhaps? Speedo is inoperable so no way of knowing ROS but tach works and she clips along at 5K RPM smoothly.....until she starves.
Mike

Doc,
other observations.....questions
there is no power tilt option on this boat and manually tilting is a BEAR. Are the little rams on either side of the motor supposed to be aiding in this process at all or are they merely dampeners? Also wondering how to run the motor at "half tilt" through shallow water without a power tilt setup. seems unlikely to have to reset the tilt limit pin? on the fly. also, the first few outings produced no visible oil/fuel/water sludge mix on exhaust ports on prop....after raising the motor after the last outing, I DID notice some light brown sludge on the interior of the prop. This was also and outing where I was experimenting with the "squeezing the fuel line" scenario to recover from fuel starvation. Is it possible that it is just excess/unburned fuel exiting the system due to my "flooding" the unit during operation?
mike

dampening effect only. take them off and lube the pivot points will help

update on the '67 950 SS resurrection. acquired a boat two years ago with a 950SS motor on it that had been sitting in a garage since 2007. estimated total run time 200 hours. pulled the plugs, sprayed with deep creep, let sit for a bit, turned over on starter w/no coil hooked up, spun eagerly. pressurized fuel system with bulb.....leaked everywhere. rebuilt fuel pumps, replaced fuel lines with new 1/4" line under the cowling. new inline filter between tank and bulb. replaced pump impeller, replaced seals in LU. motor started right up on land with muffs. ran the boat on the lake.....I run 90-92 octane rec fuel only....got 4k+ rpm out of it for a bit then started cutting out to full stall. suspected fuel starvation/dirty filters in tank etc. replaced fuel line from tank to motor with 5/16" in line, cleaned out tank and pick up tube screen. new inline filter also. boat ran well on lake at higher rpm but did not like to idle and was hard to start after it died. did not cut out at wot and was up around 4k+ or better. am running the stock 2 blade prop specd' for that motor/boat combo. put the boat away for the winter.....the only prep was fuel stabilizer in tank, drain and refill LU and deep creep in cylinders in a climate that gets sub zero in the winter. couldn't find any info as to running antifreeze through the system as a precaution. Put the boat on the water this spring and was somewhat difficult to start and could not get more than a stumbling 3500 rpm out of motor. was hard to start (need choke and warm up lever) suspected dirty/worn carbs and did partial rebuilds. my lazy/impatient self only cleaned filters (HUGE amount of "coffee grounds" in filters in carbs but the screens themselves and bowls etc were in amazing shape.....very little, if any, "corrosion". also did new float needles and seats but not idle screws, primary jets or any other repairs/inspection. kicking myself now......its the "not knowing" that eats me.....cant believe I let that stuff slide. also, at this time I increased the fuel diameter under the cowling to 5/16" with all new larger fittings. Also repaired any and all rotted/cracked wiring for ignition system under the cowling. pulled the plugs, they were pretty heavily fouled/wet and I could see caked carbon on the piston faces. checked the compression and got 130 on all cylinders with the motor in neutral/idle positon on the gear selector.......not sure how to get wot without engaging the prop with the selector?? help on that? wire brushed the plugs reinstalled. dropped the lower unit to inspect the pump/impeller (the previous season I had observed LARGE amount of slimy brown sludge exiting the prop/exhaust area smelling heavily of fuel and oil rather than gear oil. reinstalled the lower unit and fired the motor on the muffs. no water from tell tale. was not satisfied that the muffs provided a good source of water so dunked the unit in a barrel and fired......positive tell tale stream. motor ran well at low rpm. was able to shut off and restart with just a touch of the key. observed a lot of smoke and considerable gunky oily discharge coming to the surface of the barrel. felt the surface temp of various locations on the block while running in the barrel and all seemed cool to cold depending of where I was on the block. the cylinder walls all felt the same top to bottom.....was more a left side/right side difference. 2 stroke eco terrorism..... ran the boat on the lake after that and am able to get 4k rpm. removed the cowling on the water to do idle adjustments according to seloc manual.....not quite satisfied with the way that ended up and, indeed, the motor still stalls periodically at idle and is hard to start. runs far better without cowling on although is deafening. since acquiring the motor ive noticed a dried "tar like" substance running down the block at the seam of the crank case and the block. I assumed it was lacquered fuel from sitting that had oozed or decomposed gasket cement or something. when I run the motor without the cowling, I can now see fuel hissing and seeping at this joint on the starboard side of the block. not "spraying" out but definitely leaking at this joint. manual does not show a gasket here....???? seems crazy. I would like to pull carbs again and do idle needles and a full rebuild and am wondering if I can remove the crankcase cover from the block and clean/glue it back on without further disassembly or removal of the powerhead from the driveshaft housing; can I just unbolt the 20 some odd bolts and get the cover off with out disturbing the end caps or is it all pinned together by something other than the case cover fastening bolts?......manual is unclear on this. do not seem to be getting any excess fuel leaking from carbs as previously and ran my finger around the inside of the carb throats to "see" what I got. I noticed a slight silver/grey color to the fuel residue there; almost anti seize like.....as if aluminum was being worn somewhere and showing up in the fuel in carb throats. most evident on carb 2 (center). not sure what thats about. when I reinstalled the carbs on the crank case I used a very light, thin (surgical amount) of permatex on the gaskets to hold in place etc.....as I have on many engine overhauls/rebuilds and was very careful not to contaminate the interior edges of the case/carb area. I can't imagine its grey permatex im seeing in the fuel......has more of a metallic sheen to it which alarms me. also noticed really dirty/sloppy machining/casting work between carbs and case......would LOVE to gasket match, port and polish!!!!
Really sorry about the rambling, multi subject post......any and all thoughts and suggestions/criticisms are taken positively and appreciated. The motor and boat are in fantastic condition and am just trying not to do any un necessary damage through negligence.
also......would it be worth removing the balance tubes and check valves on the crankcase to clean/inspect? Replaced hoses and fittings?? what exactly does that system do.....??? I've posted a photo of the stripped case cover......does anything look suspicious? im a little concerned with the difference in the surface appearance of the upper vs lower crankcase cover. To me, the upper portions of the case cover looked "stressed" , while the lower portions of the cover look, as we used to say, "sano"