F150 gear chatter

[rplas48]

I started up my F150 after winter storage using ear muffs for cooling. Started right up with a good stream out the tell tale hole.
I noticed what can be best described as a clicking or chatter from the lower unit when I briefly put it in gear to test the shifting. It is not gear grinding and the chatter is gone at 800 rpms. No noise in neutral regardless of rpms.
Any thoughts

Thanks
Ray

 

[grouperjim]

can't comment on the issue at hand.......but my manual says to NEVER put the engine in gear while out of the water. :shock: yours may be different.....i dunno.

 

[rplas48]

neither the owners manual or shop manual has any warning about puting the engine in gear when out of the water. That said I don't think its a good idea for safety reasons to do it for any length of time. I do it to check the shifting and only have it in gear for a few seconds and make sure no animals or folks are arround.

The yamaha mechanic I used on my previous salt water carb engine did it when he changed the water pump.

 

[grouperjim]

good to know........i once put it in gear because i tend to do things just because i like to se what happens next. it was a definite CLUNK x 10. all sounds seemed very exaggerated. i wouldn't be able to tell what was normal and what was not.

post up when she is in the water and tell us how she sounds. hopefully all is well.

 

[rplas48]

grouperjim, all is well. Called Yamaha tech services down in Georgia and they said there is no problem running it in gear. Just make sure no one can get hurt. The noise is caused by the heavy steel prop causing a drop in rpms when you first put it in gear allowing the shaft to chatter in the gear play. Causes no harm and disappears when the rpm increases back to 700-800.

Ray