Shift Rod Not Shifting Gears

[hogaboomer]

2001 F50 TLRZ. Had an oil leak in the lower unit, pressured it up and found bubbles coming from around the shift rod. Popped that round plastic plate up to change the seal, shift rod popped loose when I did it.
Now when I put the shift rod back in place all it does is spin, won't activate the gears. I don't know if something came loose and dropped down in the prop housing, or what. The parts page diagram shows a shift cam that looks like it has splines for the shift rod to slide into.
I took a borescope pic of the part the shift rod is sliding into and just spinning. I think there is a spring down underneath there that has something to do with how this works, but maybe the spring got broken somehow...I'm just stumbling around in the dark here. This old motor is hardly worth taking to a mechanic anymore.

Here's what I'm looking at. Is this the shift cam, and if so, where are the splines?

[boscoe99]

Pull the shift cam out and see how it engages the external splines of the shift rod.

[hogaboomer]

Pull it out? Like take the whole prop gear housing out? I was hoping to avoid having to do all that.

[boscoe99]

I don't see any way around removing the bearing carrier. So as to access the shift cam. Then either replace the cam, if needed, or properly interface the splines in the cam with the splines on the shift rod, if that is what is needed.

This is where the saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure came from. Been there myself.

[hogaboomer]

Well, you were right, once again, boscoe. Thank you.

I had to get that bearing carrier out to see how the shift cam is supposed to work. What a chore it was getting that carrier out. That was several days of building pullers until I finally got one to work, then heating the torpedo up to 600 degrees with a weed burner and wrenching like hell, before I finally got to see a tiny little crack of daylight. Eventually it came out. Saltwater corrosion crud in the very rear section.
Then I could look in there and figure out that the shift cam had slid sideways out of position, when the shift rod popped out.
Now I just need to get some new o rings and another shift rod seal and see if I can put it all back together...

[boscoe99]

Thanks for the feed back. The next bearing carrier removal will be so much easier. By the time you do it a third time it will be a piece of cake.