Poll: Do you always turn off your motor when you shift?

**mjw930** · 08-03-2016, 05:04 PM

Again, forgive the new guy here but I've never owned a high performance outboard.

Something popped up in a conversation about always starting in gear and shutting off the motor to shift. Coming from I/O's we only had to do that on some of the race rigs, all the recreational Bravo's were fine as long as you didn't have a blower motor idling at 900 RPM.

So, is this just one of those things that those who have been doing this for years assume is normal and don't even think about with the 300XS?

**shores** · 08-03-2016, 05:29 PM

I have never heard of shutting off the engine to shift, rather the opposite.

**pkstv** · 08-03-2016, 05:43 PM

I do to keep from excessive wear on my gears . No neutral safety switch on my shifter .

**Karsten** · 08-03-2016, 05:46 PM

When the guy hung the 150 Optimax for me and the new control lever him told my Never shift unless the motor was running.

Karsten

**team supra** · 08-03-2016, 06:13 PM

2.5. 260 always start in gear

**speedinstream** · 08-03-2016, 06:16 PM

Always in gear for me

**eli** · 08-03-2016, 06:19 PM

fishin motor's s ok to shift while running
hi perf motor's all shifted when not running i did it once in a situation thought i broke something

**89LASER** · 08-03-2016, 06:19 PM

I would shut down to shift with my 200 Xp Evinrude when running the RX or Mazco Clever to save the dog clutch. That was back in the late 80's.

**David - WI** · 08-03-2016, 06:28 PM

For even the hi-perf motors, shifting in and out of forward and reverse while the engine is running is part of the normal product testing program.

One sportmaster gearcase that I know of was shifted in and out of gear over 20,000 times and run for many, many hours at WOT with zero failures.

Failures exactly like the one in the other thread were due to a prop losing a blade at WOT in the four cases that I know of.

There was a time when people were running little bitty gearcases under high-strung motors that didn't idle down very well... but most of us aren't doing that. The first time I was told not to shift with the motor running was when I drove an HST with a Bridgeport and a little XR something gearcase.

Everybody has their own ideas, I guess.

**jpf091959** · 08-03-2016, 06:41 PM

I had to choose no. I shift around the docks, but once I am away, I always start them in gear.

I have twin 300xs, which are more friendly than 280's, 260's or drag motors.

**mjw930** · 08-03-2016, 06:54 PM

To be clear we were talking about the 300X and 300XS and he did mention the older 2.5's were where most of this started because they idled so high and there aren't any clutches in the gear case like out drives have. This is supposedly not an issue with non-Racing versions.

Supposedly one of the significant benefits of the new 400R is the eThrottle and eShifter manages the shifts by killing power when it shifts.

**FORBESAUTO** · 08-03-2016, 07:27 PM

High strung motors that do not idle very low is reason for shifting with engine off due to clutch dog wear. If engine idles 800 rpm or higher better to shift with engine off. If idles lower just fine shifting while running. Jmo.

**vnemous** · 08-03-2016, 07:43 PM

Its really only necessary when running high pitch props.. When I run any prop bigger than a 28P I start in gear. When running a smaller prop I dont feel it is necessary JMO

**speedinstream** · 08-03-2016, 07:56 PM

Starters a lot cheaper than gear case

**outasite** · 08-03-2016, 08:16 PM

Originally Posted by vnemous

Its really only necessary when running high pitch props.. When I run any prop bigger than a 28P I start in gear. When running a smaller prop I dont feel it is necessary JMO

IMO,that is the right answer. 26" is my threshold of comfort.