Thread: Repair tiller handle on 25 hp Mercury to go in gear

I have a 2000 model 25 mercury that when it was about a year old got to where it would not go into any gear. forward or reverse.
The end of the tiller rod was just pressed into a piece of plastic and was slipping.
A friend had already had this problem with his and paid a dealer $225 to repair it. I looked at it and all you have to do is drill 2 1/8 inch holes and put in 2 pop rivets and you are good to go.
Just turn the tiller over backwards and remove one bracket that holds it in place and you can get to it.
Make sure the motor is in neutral and align the handle with the neutral mark and start drilling. I just broke the 2 rivets a few days ago after over 10 years of use and had to replace
them, so I decided this might help some one else.

I love redneck innovation lol. I had a water pump go out on me, when I dropped the lower unit the only thing wrong was the half moon shaped key that goes from the shaft to the impeller pump was rusted out and it wouldn't spin the impeller. It would have taken some time to get this part alone at my local dealer, I could have gotten the whole kit but not the key. So I took a nickel, some cutting pliers and a file and made a new one. The motor ran another year and a half before the impeller gave up. 1 1/2 years on a nickel is a good deal in south Louisiana lol.


Eatin ain't cheatin