Re: Mercury Mark 5, first run, first problem

[Buccaneer]

Steve, I too am learning that these Mercs can be frustrating!
Could you have shortened the tang on the neutral spring
to make it work instead of reusing the deformed one?
I messed around with mine half the day. The determination was
that the prop "was" slipping, and that the neutral spring "was not"
releasing! I took the gear case off (but was able to leave the "shoe piece"
and water pump in place!) and put the stub drive shaft in the vice
and was able to slip the prop fairly easy. Ended up making a shim
out of aluminum flashing and put it under the prop nut cone spring.
It would still slip, but with much more effort. While the gear case was
off I played with the shift cable while watching the neutral spring
and the finger that’s suppose to catch said spring…. it was not engaging.
The only way I could get it to do so was remove the plug from the shoe
and push the cable (and catch finger) up further and tighten the cable
up on the top side.

I can now run wide open with no prop slippage and I have neutral (just barely),
but can’t seem to get the shift handle adjusted within the service bulletin
specs.
Perhaps I need a new spring with a longer tang!!! 🙁

It idles beautifully and most times sounds good wide open, but it did load
up a couple of times.
Murphy’s law says all the exhaust must blow the wrong direction, so
perhaps it was lacking proper oxygen to run correctly at times.
I’m thinking my 16:1 fuel mixture might have been a little rich as well.
Oh well, there’s hope for it!

Prepare to be boarded!