pinned shift cable gen 2.... anyway to adjust?

[j_reed]

hey guys
so I read all about how to adjust the shift cable on my boat, then when I go to do it the adjustment barrel o the lower cable is pinned... WTF. its off aprox 7/16 of an inch (5+9/16" when its supposed to be 6").
Is there anyway to adjust it? I did read on here how some guy just grabbed the barrel with vice grips and forced it around... any suggestions? also any idea why mercruiser started making them non adjustable? is this a profit center?



1995 searay 195 4.3 2bl alpha1 gen 2

 

[Bt Doctur]

is the drive fully in fwd gear. Don't know why merc would do such a stupid thing , 2 sets of vise-grips should do the trick
Guess its why I use aftermarket, they work just as good, and are still adjustable

 

[fabguy1]

The brass barrel isn't pinned, its peened. I just took mine off and drilled out the peened spots. Be careful not to drill into the threaded rod. You will be able to adjust it then. I haven't been able to test mine since I did this because it hasn't stopped raining. Our reservoir is 22' over summer pool right now!! Good luck!!

 

[j_reed]

I appreciate the advice... I will try and drill out the peened, not pinned barrel.

 

[achris]

If that measurement isn't right, it indicates something else is wrong somewhere. I have replaced MANY shift cables, and if the drive if working right, and the cable is screwed into the bell-housing properly, it ALWAYS measures up at 6". If it doesn't, find out what the real problem is, don't just 'stick a patch over it'....

Chris......

 

[j_reed]

success
I brought a vice to the boat and clamped down the cable and was pretty easily able to drill out the "brass peening" and adjust the cable. on the brief test drive I took every thing seems to be fine. thanks so much guys. I would really like know why mercruiser disabled adjustment when its clearly listed in their manual.
also, to answer the question, prior to adjustment the drive seemed to be operating fine but after it was in gear it would occasionally have a delayed noise, I wouldn't call it a clunk, but some sort of bump? which from searching I determined was the drive shifting/engaging the rest of the way into gear. finally, the shift cable was off aprox 7/16ths of an inch... does that seem excessive or indicative of a greater problem?

 

[achris]

success
I brought a vice to the boat and clamped down the cable and was pretty easily able to drill out the "brass peening" and adjust the cable.

:facepalm:

 

[j_reed]

chis
talk to me... I respect your opinion... this is the thinking face right? the thing I don't get is mercruiser originally set up the cable to be adjustable and detailed it in their manual. then decided to pin/peen it in place? Is it out outlandish to think that it just needed a 7/16th inch adjustment and all is well? the back story: The cable is not that old, it was replaced with the bellows 8 years back but the boat ( I have an hour meter) sadly has had less than 80 hours on it in that time... I can give you all a better report on "success" this weekend when I expect the boat to have some use. -jay
ps, this boat had a ton of use the first 7-8 years of its life, mostly pulling slalom skiers, around 850 hours at this point.

 

[carrier82]

achris did a facepalm :boink:

But my opinion is, if it works, don't fix it. 8 year old cable isn't so fresh anymore. If you start having trouble shifting (grinding etc) I suggest that you change the cable and start the adjustment procedure from the beginning.

 

[achris]

Read my post #5. Yes it will probably work, but at what cost later down the track?

8 years is not an 'old cable'. The one on my old engine (1994 4.3LX) is 20 years old now, and still original (installed in a friends' boat). The one I currently have is the original also, and 7 years old, just like new. Another friend has one that is 19 years old, still good as new.

What's the trick? Easy. Make sure everything in the shift chain is working properly and not putting excess load on the cable. Do your maintenances on schedule, and fix stuff that's not right, even slightly. Easier (and cheaper) to fix a few small problems than wait until they become 'show-stoppers'..... My wife says I'm always 'fixing stuff', but never complains when we go somewhere (boat or car) and nothing breaks down (actually compliments me).

Chris.........

 

[j_reed]

update
I put a couple hours on the boat over the 4th weekend and it seems to be shifting fine.... I am not sure if my cable being out of adjustment by 7/16th of an inch was excessive, but after drilling out the peening and adjusting barrel, I am no longer hearing what I assumed was "the delayed final engagement shifting sound"...
Chris, if you're still following, have you never had to adjust a shift cable?
anyone else have to make this sort of cable adjustment? is so, again, my cable/barrel was off aprox 7/16th, does that sound excessive?
thanks
-jay