Marine propulsion device including ignition interruption means to assist

Abstract

Shifting of a marine propulsion device transmission drivingly connecting a drive shaft to an internal combustion engine and including a rotatable member operable to shift the transmission between forward drive, reverse drive and neutral positions in response to rotation of a shift lever is assisted by a shift assistance arrangement including a pivotal actuation lever connected to a push-pull assembly operated by a main control and a connecting link pivotally connected to the shift lever and to the actuator lever. The pivotal connection between the connecting link and the actuation lever includes a slider element mounted for reciprocative axial movement relative to the connecting link and pivotally receiving a pivot pin on the actuation lever. A pair of springs acting on the opposite ends of the slider element maintain the connecting link and the actuation lever in a normal position so they move together to effect shifting when the resistance to transmission shift is below a predetermined level. The slider element, and thus the actuation lever, is displaced relative to the connecting link from the normal position when the shift resistance is above that level. The shift arrangement also includes a switch which is carried by the actuation lever and is engaged to interrupt engine ignition by a pair of cams on the connecting link when the actuation lever is displaced from the normal position only during shifting from either the forward drive position or the reverse drive position to the neutral position.