Help..yamaha 2 stroke outboard impellar/gear shaft

[morgan342]

Im sailing to key west. My engine stopped peeing so I stopped anchor and pulled off the lower unit to clean out the impeller/ water pump.
When I put it all back together its now stuck in forward.. I've been messing around with the connector nut on the gear shaft and I can't seem to figure it out. I put the nut all the way down and up and get the same out come.
When I pull off the lower unit. I loosen the nut on the gear shaft and pull the lower unit off does that lower piece of the gear shaft suppose to move up and down? I would think so? Mine doesnt not .. Can i start the outboard in forward and just go if I can't fix this problem? Im trying to get to key west in 4 days and there's no wind. So I really need to get this motor running..
Thanks

[NoTies]

The long nut is a coupler and doesn't act as an adjustment. Wind the nut fully up so it disengages the lower link, use long nose pliers to put the gearbox in neutral, make sure gearshift is in neutral then wind nut back down to engage lower link.