why isn't my boat shifting?

[nola mike]

i've always had intermittent shifting issues with this boat. doesn't matter if i've had different outdrives, new shift cables, etc. latest episode decided to stop shifting into reverse if the idle was too low. so i started from scratch with adjusting the cables. now i have no reverse, and goes into forward after shifting back and forth a few times. not sure what the issue is. the cables were adjusted per the manual, i have the cable in the upper section of the slot. the drive shifts easily when using the cable (although it shifts at the end of its travel). 9/16" play in the lower shift cable, 3 1/8" travel from forward to reverse on the remote cable without appreciable slop. only unusual thing is that when i adjust the remote cable, the barrel is very near the end of its adjustment (i have about a turn left until i hit the stop). also, not sure what to make of the inability to shift in either direction. if i had play downstream of the lower cable, then that should show up in that first measurement, and also when i tried to shift by hand, right?

 

[alldodge]

Assuming the lower shift cable adjustment is correct, go thru the upper one again. This is where I think your issue might be

http://boatinfo.no/lib/mercruiser/manuals/mercruiser6.html#/34

 

[nola mike]

So I went out today on the water, planning to adjust on the water instead of on land. I didn't touch anything since yesterday, but it all works now. the weird thing is that forward doesn't engage until after the detent, maybe 1/4 of the throttle travel or more. That's why I thought it wasn't going into forward, but it engages consistently and smoothly at the same point. The rpms don't change until in gear. I didn't have time or an extra set of hands to see what was happening with the cables when the lever was in its dead zone. Also don't know if I'm getting wot still. Wondering if this is still a cable adjustment issue or slop in the control box. Or if I should just leave well enough alone and go boating.

 

[alldodge]

forward doesn't engage until after the detent, maybe 1/4 of the throttle travel or more
don't know if I'm getting wot still.

Think you need to adjust your upper cable and verify the carb is opening fully

 

[nola mike]

Going to check the butterflies. Neutral and reverse are right where they should be though, and I'd think that if the upper wasnt right that the rpms would increase before it shifted into fwd. I'll start from scratch again and update.

 

[kenny nunez]

One place where some extra slop can occur on the lower shift cable is the bell crank set screw in the bell housing. Over time the bell crank lever starts to get loose on the shaft. The screw is tapered and usually cannot be tightened due to corrosion
If you are planning on removing the drive soon get a new bell crank kit. To remove it usually takes a chisel and hammer to split the bellcrank even with the split in the shaft. It comes with a set screw and a plastic washer. The only other place is the cable stop in the shift slider. Needless to say 1/32nd slop in a few spots adds up. If you were back here in NOLA I could straighten it out for you.

 

[nola mike]

I actually just replaced that crank lever when I did the new upper shift shaft bearing a month or 2 ago...planning on going with the kiddos when it cools down there...in december

 

[nola mike]

This is a bit strange. Worked well for a while, then lost both forward and reverse again (while docking, of course). Readjusted, and it seemed OK at first again, Noticed that the revs seemed a bit low, and that it shifted better when they were higher (depending on whether the engine was cold or not). Tried to adjust the idle, and with the screw in all the way the idle stayed low. So I'm really starting to wonder if I have a control box issue. The shift cable has maybe 1/8" play in it. Haven't removed the throttle cable yet. Going to do that this weekend, and check the timing. I have an electronic ignition.

 

[Maclin]

Seems like, after diffferent outdrives, cables, etc that the control is the common element in all "failures".

 

[four winns 214]

I have no idea if this will solve your problem, but it may be a place to look. Background: At the end of last season, I had the lower shift cable replaced on my Merc MR-1 drive (interchangeable with Alpha 1) with OEM parts. It shifted like a dream when I put the boat in the water this season. Then a few weeks ago, I pulled into a slip at a waterside restaurant and tied up. After a wonderful meal, I went to leave the slip and the drive would not shift into reverse. The engine would rev, but no reverse. When I put the shifter back into neutral, the drive shifted into forward and I rammed into the end of the slip with about 50 people watching. This event was sudden with absolutely no prior warning. It worked great until it didn't.

Here's what was the problem- the end of the lower shift cable threads into the bell housing to keep it fixed while the cable moves to shift the drive. The threads holding the cable end gave way (the drive is 33 years old!) and end of the cable was not fixed so the amount of cable movement was random. So, if your shifting is random, that may be a spot to look.

It was the first time in 11 years of ownership and a couple thousand miles of river cruising that it let me down.