mercruiser shift cable nut installation

lime4x4

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Apr 25, 2007
Messages
1,040
Working on a 1986 mercruiser alpha 1 with a 5.7 engine. Last year after installing a new shift cable i could never get the boat to shift in and out of gear properly. Always had to go slightly past neutral for it to actually go into neutral. Sometimes when going into forward it doesn't engage right away and it bangs into gear then. I want to readjust everything back to spec. I'm wondering if the shift cable nut that screws into the gimble housing isn't in far enough. Below is a pic does it look right?
 

Attachments

  • photo226850.jpg
    photo226850.jpg
    84.3 KB · Views: 0

lime4x4

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Apr 25, 2007
Messages
1,040
How far in should the nut be? I've some posts that say u should have 1 thread showing other posts say no threads and on another site it said u should have no gap bewtween the bell housing and nut. Also what thread tap do i need? When i bought the gimble housing it already had the shift cable nut already coming in from the drive side
 

Bt Doctur

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Aug 29, 2004
Messages
19,093
UntitledTTT_zpsjjpligfe.jpg
 

nateo

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 13, 2014
Messages
352
Another tip. You wont be able to find that tap at a hardware tool store. Order it online with part #. Just did mine on my 86 this year. It doesnt go in all the way. I had a thread or two showing and . Had to drill and tap it.
 

nateo

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 13, 2014
Messages
352
Chris has a great video on youtube for adjusting the shift cables
 

lime4x4

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Apr 25, 2007
Messages
1,040
I got the shift nut tighten to 1 thread showing. readjusted all my cables. The boats shifts fine on land but i take notice when in neutral the prop spins freely but makes a rachet type noise wether i spin the prop clockwise or counter clockwise is this normal?
 

Fun Times

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
May 16, 2009
Messages
8,776
I got the shift nut tighten to 1 thread showing. readjusted all my cables. The boats shifts fine on land but i take notice when in neutral the prop spins freely but makes a rachet type noise wether i spin the prop clockwise or counter clockwise is this normal?
Is the drive up or down? Test spin it with the drive down.
 

lime4x4

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Apr 25, 2007
Messages
1,040
With the drive down no click noise. The onlt problem i'm having now is it doesn't want to go into neutral properly. It goes into gear just fine but when going into neutral u have to just go past the detent slightly. I tried moving the bolt on theshift bracket where the shift cable to the drive is mounted but no change
 

Fun Times

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
May 16, 2009
Messages
8,776
Drive was up
That's almost normal to see when the cables are just slightly out of adjustment. The important part of that scenario is it don't click when the drive is down and of course everything else is working properly.

Sound's like you need to re-adjust just a little bit more. See if this will help, Service Bulletin 89-4
 
Top