Alpha 1 Gen 1 Not Engaging.

itsmetibbs

Seaman
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May 24, 2016
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I recently purchased an old Cordova boat made by Fiber Cell, a small manufacturer who was in business in the 70s. The boat has a GM 350 and an alpha one.

When I purchased it, the engine was seized and I didn't know what I was getting into.

I was able to get the engine running, but now I'm dealing with the outdrive.

When I replaced the water pump impeller and housing, I didn't put the boat into forward, and I didn't put it in forward to reinstall the lower unit. I'm not sure you need to, but if I remember, you need to do so on Gen 2 outdrives.

I didn't bother looking to see if the drive was functioning properly before I replaced the water pump.

My question is this: what is causing my outdrive to not engage? I have included a video of me trying to shift it k to gear. Any thoughts are appreciated.

https://youtu.be/fHjYiPBtRqU
 

Bondo

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When I replaced the water pump impeller and housing, I didn't put the boat into forward, and I didn't put it in forward to reinstall the lower unit. I'm not sure you need to,

Ayuh,.... Ya Do need to hold everything in Forward gear when reassemblin' it,....
 

nola mike

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Apr 22, 2009
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5,023
Yeah, could have bent the shift shoe or not gotten it to engage correctly. If it wasn't in forward when you put the drive back together there's a good chance that's screwed up too. Need to pull the drive again.
 

ThomW

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Aug 8, 2016
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Yeah. I think your first step would be to pull the drive, shift into forward, put the drive into forward, and re-install lower. See what that does for ya!
 

stonyloam

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Mar 13, 2009
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IF you only dropped the gear housing (lower), it not being in gear did not hurt anything. Your problem is that the gear case and control handle both need to be in forward when you put it back together. In your case the lower is in reverse rather than forward, when you try to put it in reverse it is already there and the control will jam. Easy fix. Push the control handle all the way forward. Drop the lower and turn the lower shift shaft (small splined shaft) all the way clockwise ( forward gear). Turn the prop counterclockwise until it locks, and use a bungee to keep it locked. Put it back together. Make sure the stainless steel washer is in place on the lower shift shaft.
 

itsmetibbs

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May 24, 2016
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I just pulled the lower unit. Regretfully I'm not able to get the lower unit to go into forward. I turned the lower shift shaft clockwise, and the propeller counterclockwise. And wasn't gave it able to get it to pop.

Here's a video. Any other thoughts?

https://youtu.be/wvRDxBKlcV8
 

Bondo

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Ayuh,..... I see 2 things,....

#1, the ssteel washers isn't on the shift shaft spool,....

#2, look up from below, forward of the drive as ya putz with the intermediate shift shaft, 'n you'll "See" the shift foot, 'n shift shoe when they align, pointin' fore, 'n aft,...

Ya need a firm grip on it, not yer fingers, or chinese imitation vice-grips,...
 

itsmetibbs

Seaman
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May 24, 2016
Messages
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Thanks for the input. The steel washer was removed, but I still have it. I've done everything I can to get the thing in gear including getting good vice grips and turning the shaft. Below is another video. Any thoughts now?

https://youtu.be/No7IbwoMPgA
 

biggjimm

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 15, 2015
Messages
403
Something is out of whack in there & with that oil seal leaking you're gonna have to get in there anyways to replace it & you can take a look around & see why it's not shifting.

If oil can leak out, I'd say there's a good chance water can get in.

Also, I couldn't see your lower unit real good on my phone screen but I don't think that's an alpha drive. I thought I could see the pre load pin on top of the drive shaft. Pretty sure you've got a MC-1 drive (not to be confused with a #1 drive) or as some people incorrectly refer to as a pre-alpha drive.

Make sure that washer gets put back in or it still won't shift once you get it fixed.

Good luck with it.
Jim.
 

Bt Doctur

Supreme Mariner
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Aug 29, 2004
Messages
19,093
the last time I heard that noise the pinion gear was ground away or the upper shift shoe was not aligned correctly and bent the shift arm in the lower unit so that the dogs dont engage
. What condition was the oil when drained? There is no "srpinginess" in the shift shaft and using a 1/4 inch drive socket is a lot better than American or Chinese visegrips.The shift shaft will stay in position with no tension.
 

itsmetibbs

Seaman
Joined
May 24, 2016
Messages
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Thanks for the info! You guys are awesome. Looks like I'll need to tear into her and see what's going on. I'll let you know what I find out.
 

rlauder

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Oct 12, 2017
Messages
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Does anyone know if the Mercruiser Intermediate Shift Shaft can be welded? I broke the top of mine when putting the sterndrive back on. It looks like a big job to replace it.
 

itsmetibbs

Seaman
Joined
May 24, 2016
Messages
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Delayed Update>>>>

I was able to tear into the outdrive, and it turns out my drive shaft was broken!!! I've got a replacement drive shaft that I'll install, but I was told by a mechanic that the inside of the lower unit was chewed up and I'd need to get a brand new lower unit. Does that sound right? I think of the lower unit as a crank case. As long as everything fits right, it's fine to have imperfections in the lower unit itself from dings and chunks of metal rolling around. Is that correct?
 

Rick Stephens

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Aug 13, 2013
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Delayed Update>>>>

I was able to tear into the outdrive, and it turns out my drive shaft was broken!!! I've got a replacement drive shaft that I'll install, but I was told by a mechanic that the inside of the lower unit was chewed up and I'd need to get a brand new lower unit. Does that sound right? I think of the lower unit as a crank case. As long as everything fits right, it's fine to have imperfections in the lower unit itself from dings and chunks of metal rolling around. Is that correct?

Well, the issues would be anything you can't see that would prevent sealing. It takes a pretty small crack to leak oil and introduce water. But yes, you can put things together banged up.

Question, when you say you broke the 'drive shaft', do you mean either the intermediate or lower shift shafts or the input shaft to the lower gear case?
 
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