Hello everyone,

I just bought my first boat, a 16' 1971 MFG boat with a 75hp McCulloch outboard. When the owner showed it to me he had the engine running in a trash can, so he had the prop off and couldn't actually show me it driving. However the linkage and everything looked to be fine and I bought the boat. Now I got it in the water to find that the engine still runs great, but the boat won't leave neutral. Revving the engine results in a grinding sound. I think the dog clutch needs to be replaced, but will I be able to find one for this old of a motor? Also, could something else be the culprit here?

I got the boat in the water and would rather not take it out, as I don't have a truck (though I do have a trailer!). I hope my first attempt at owning a boat wasn't a complete waste of time and money...any suggestions? Thanks!

-Mike

Google "McCulloch outboard" and see if you get any hits, but I'm guessing finding parts for that will be tough.

Make sure the shift cable is secure at both ends, and that it's actually moving the linkage as it should.

A repair manual would be nice, but where to find one?

Try This

^^Thanks! I'll call them and see if they have any of them, they don't list it on the website but it's worth a shot.

Oh, and to the first poster, I disconnected the shift cable and tried shifting it by hand, still no luck.

I found a guy in my area who has all the parts for this motor, new ones at that!

got very lucky to find him, and I won't even need to pay for shipping, I'm close enough to go pick up whatever I need. Here's the link in case anyone else needs it:

http://web.a-znet.com/~scottguy/

Nice!