Re: 1959 Evinrude 5.5 no neutral?

[tworivers]

Don
Thanks for your response.
First, I didn’t have the problem before I took it apart to change the seals.
Now, the sift rod is in neutral when centered into the detent inside the gear case.
What was happening was that when over tightening the nut on top of the shift rod in forward I was lifting the shift rod slightly more than necessary, moving it out of the detent. (If that makes sense?)
By allowing it to stay in it’s natural position within the detent all the gears seem to be where they’re supposed to be.
Everything seems tight and seems to be working.
I didn’t seal it up yet and put the power head back on but that’s my next move.
I’ll post back to let you know if it works?
One question: Does the gasket between the power head and the mid section go on dry or does it require sealant?
thanks
rob