engine shuts off when shifting into gear????
 

I just started by new to me 1995 z202 for the 1st time. after a few min of running in neutral I shifted it into forward and it shut right down???? it runs great in neutral but shuts down when I shift into gear. it also has a buzzer sounding all the time. oil psi looked good and temp was good also and the outdrive oil tank is full to the fill line. any help would be great.

Re: engine shuts off when shifting into gear????
 

Sounds like its time to replace the shift cable or check/lube the shift mechanism. It's likely activating the shift interrupt switch that's only supposed to work when going from forward or reverse into neutral.

I heard once upon a time that if you worked the shifter back & forth maybe 20 times it will sometimes loosen things up. Once done start it up and try shifting into gear and see if that works. If not then see above.

Here's an outside link to working on your shift cables. Buzzer is likely sounding because your key is in the 'on' position when it shuts down.

Re: engine shuts off when shifting into gear????
 

Thanks for the Info. I will for sure lube it up and see what happens. where would the shift interrupt switch be? what's it purpose? I have never heard of it before.

Re: engine shuts off when shifting into gear????
 

See my edited post and link. It's time to buy a Mercruiser manual or become a contributing member to our site and gain access to all of the service manuals for less $$$. :yes_grin:

Re: engine shuts off when shifting into gear????
 

The upper gears could be bad in the out drive. Same thing happened to me with my last Larson boat. They are not a cheap fix if that's what it is.

Re: engine shuts off when shifting into gear????
 

I’d put money on it being the interrupter switch like Mikey says.


And if he's right then you have to tell Mrs T :yes_grin:

Re: engine shuts off when shifting into gear????
 

My old alpha 1 used to do the same thing in reverse...it was the shift cable...but check the switch first. Before I fully replaced the cable I used to work the mechanism back and forth with the engine off to loosen it up...as an interim measure. Much much more effective to do this with the outdrive off at the beginning of the season. If the outdrive is on, you can disconnect the shifter cable from the shift plate on the side of the motor and work the shifter plate back and forth with the engine off.

It could also be the bell crank bushings on the outdrive itself (where the shifter mechanism from the lower unit slides into the socket). These bushing are brass and the shaft is stainless. The two dissimilar metals can create a whitish corrosion that can gum up the works. This can usually be worked out by exercising the shifter back and forth from fwd to rev as well.

Re: engine shuts off when shifting into gear????
 

Not quite what i said....its more likely the shift cable is worn out which is causing the shift interrupter to react in both directions (into and out of gear). I suspect that installing a new shift cable will resolve the problem but it wouldn't hurt to move that shifter back & forth as both Steve & I suggested just to see if i will loosen things up enough to work. But doing this will likely only result in a temporary solution.

Re: engine shuts off when shifting into gear????
 

Never understood why Mercruisers have such a complicated and fickle setup???
My old alpha 1 gen 1 was a right PITA to setup even with the lolly pop stick.
Always crashed, hated it TBH.
My Volvo is such a simpler setup. One cable to the gearbox, one cable to the carb and it's such a smooth transition no crashing

Re: engine shuts off when shifting into gear????
 

thanks to all for the advise!!! I tried lube and moving it back and forth a few hundred times. I got it to run in gear if I shift it super slow. I decided to get a new shift cable installed. the local shop can get it done by next week for about $250. I'll let you know how it went after I get it back. I want it right so I guess I'll pay a shop to do it right. I seems like making sure to shift right in and out of gear would be important when kids are in the water.