Since I don't wanna bother KP if I don't have to, I'll ask this question here. At the end of the season last year whenever I would pull the pin and try to ratchet the lower unit of my PD around for reverse the dogs or whatever is in there wouldn't engage so I was forced to reach down and turn the lower unit around by hand. This was way out in the marsh so I didn't worry about it and at the end of the season my partner brought the boat in and put it in the barn. It's time to get ready so I need to do some maintenance items and this is on the list. Any of you guys know why the ratchet thingy wouldn't engage and what I need to do to make it work? Lube?

I know this sounds stupid but, are you keeping it greased well to allow the pin to slide in and engage it the spots it needs to, to ratchet?

I suspect it needs to be lubed. We had no grease gun at the camp and since I wasn't the one to pull the boat out of the water at season's end it didn't get any grease then either. I live in Baton Rouge and the boat stays in Crowley I'll have to make a trip over just to see.

always try the obvious first... try some grease before you do anything else; never know it might work. i had mine bind up one time to where it wouldnt even move and i was kicking it and all kinds of stuff. it needed grease and that was it, the motor only had a few hours on it too. good luck

Tighten your "Steering tension Knob"

Simple as that.

If your talking about the T-handle plunger, you can pull the pin out, clean it, reinstall and grease it. Its just a plunger mechanism. Now if your talking about the lower unit not having enough resistance just tighten the round knob to create the tension needed to assist the ratchet action.

pull ur pin & clean it as stated.... der's an allan set screw dat keeps it from backin out. back out da set screw until u can turn da retainer and back out da whole pin assembly. Clean & apply sum grease then re-install.

Grease everything u can find from da engine down.... with da tension knob backed out pull ur pin and hold it down while u spin da lower unit around by hand a few times, grease again, spin again, grease again, spin again. After a few rounds of dis da lower unit will almost spin completely around with one throw then ur good to go. Tighten ur tension knob if extra resistance is needed to make it ratchet.

Not sure y'all understand. It's not the pin. The lower unit spins fine. When I pull the pin and rotate the handle for another bite it doesn't engage. The tension knob is tight.

I understood what u said..... did u understand what I said?


It's nuthin more than a freakin ratchet. U pull da pin and set it in motion, when da pin reaches it's first destination it pops in place so u can go back and do it again. When it's done it locks itself in place.

Lets see.... ur lower unit spins fine, ur pin pulls out fine but won't participate in da next opportunity to go in a hole. Pull ur pin out and see WTF is goin on in der. If u can't find nuthin wrong with it... while u got it out clean it, then grease everything & spin it & grease it & spin it like I told you to and I bet my left nut it's gonna work just fine. If it don't I'll go to Crowley myself.

been there, either u got crapola in there and it needs to be tore apart and cleaned, or u need to grease it cause u ain't gots no grease in there.

it's one or the other.

Ok Ima little dense but got it now, lol. Thanks for the help.