In my continuing saga with my boat and a mechanic I am now seeking help with something else. I have twin 454 Merc's with Velvet Drive transmissions. I few weeks ago when my boat came back from the shop having work being done on the port side, it was difficult to pull the port side transmission from forward into neutral. From reverse to neutral was normal. Now after again being in the shop it was returned to me on Friday after having work done on the starboard starter & flywheel and it too is very difficult to pull from forward into neutral....in fact at one point yesterday I had to shut the port engine down as I couldn't get it from forward to neutral. I have looked and I can't see where it might be kinked near the transmission. Oh yea, the mechanic mentioned that the neutral safety switch had some how broken off and needs to be repaired.................... What is the best way to check the tranny fluid, running, hot, cold at dock..... Any suggestions, beside get a new mechanic
Check that the cable casing is secured. There's a clip that often comes undone. After having it happen on a few boats I recommend securing it with a cable tie. "the neutral safety switch had some how broken off"????? Yes a new mechanic sounds good. In the mean time be VERY careful that you're in neutral when starting.
Try to disconnect the cable from the transmission, and see if the problem persists. This will isolate the problem to the cable or the tranny.