Seaswirl Electric Shift: No forward or reverse

mercedglen

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Jan 9, 2015
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Since I don't know much about the electric shift I need some troubleshooting help. I have already done the normal troubleshooting. I do have 12 volts going to the shirt wire, green and blue, in fact I have now pulled the lower and checked the resistance it comes between to nominal requirement. When I placed the green wire, forward in this case onto the twelve volt post and then placed the ground to the case I do not hear any type of sound /movement coming from the magnets that cause the gears to activate. When i hold back the prop shaft and then turn the lower input shaft they appear to be in neutral as they should be correct ? So now i need some input on where to go next. I thought I had some understanding of how this works but someone told me I didn't but never gave me an explanation further. I hope someone can help me understand how it works and the steps for further troubleshooting. How do the magnets work in conjunction with the gears. I had reasoned that the magnets draw the gears into the pinion and they remain there until they are powered off when the shifter is placed in neutral. It would stand to reason that I should hear some noise when the current is applied to the wire and the prop would only move in one direction. If you ahve experience with this I would appreciate your insight, I miss my boat right now, the crappie are just raising hell....

Glen
 

mercedglen

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Jan 9, 2015
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Yes I do, as I have already made clear the current troubleshooting steps I have taken.....Have you worked on the electric shift yourself. I have a manual as well. I rebuilt the top end myself, it is not the shaft....If you have experience please help me understand the how the magnets and springs work to get propulsion. I have checked voltage and resistance to the coils as well. I don't want to go any further without some idea of where I am heading.
 

wrench 3

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The magnets in the electric shift stringer drives put drag on the loose end of a coil spring which causes the spring to wind up and lock the gear onto the shaft. They had a bit of a habit of breaking the hook off of the end of the spring. Especially if the idle was set to high. However it would be unusual for both of them to be gone at the same time.
I don't think you will be able to get it to lock up by hand. It would require more speed on the input shaft.
Did you test voltage and resistance at the connectors inside the back of the boat? Is the ground wire on the upper gear case in good shape?
 

mercedglen

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Jan 9, 2015
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Thanks so much fro your response. Now I have a better understanding. When I check for resistance by touching let's say forward the green wire and the the ground to the case I get less than 6.5 ohms, the manually says this is OK.....When I touch the same wire to the positive terminal of the battery and the ground to the case I get a spark, but don't hear any movement, so as you have explained this might be because the I the drive needs to be running at a higher speed to engage the springs. So what to do, put it all back together, check the wiring from the back to the front especially the case wire and then start it up with water of course and see if the drive is now able to go into forward and reverse ? Is there some way of determining the outcome before putting it back together. I really appreciate your explanation too. It seems to me it is an electrical problem since both coils and both spring would not likely go out.....Can you recommend a step by step suggestion.
 

jimmbo

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May 24, 2004
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You won't hear movement. You say you have a 'Type C' oil, what brand? Some aftermarket oils claim to be Type C, but then say they are not Electric shift compatible. The surest way to be sure the oil is the proper oil, is to use BRP 'Precision Blend'.

Here is a video showing the spring in action. it is from a smaller(90 hp) outboard, but the basics and operation are the same
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee7Yd1w-vuY
 
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southkogs

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Is the outdrive off the boat? If it wasn't engaging the gears on the boat, and now it's off - did you check the shift switch in the remote to make sure that's working?
 

mercedglen

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Jan 9, 2015
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the lower has been taken off. I have run the resistance test directly to the wires coming from the lower. I have applied voltage directly to one of the wires. I have been running non-conductive oil in this boat fro 4 years. There should not now be able problem with the oil......So is there anything I can check for while the lower is off. The switch seems to be working as it directs voltage when moved forward/reverse and no voltage when in the middle position. I will double check this again. I have to admit I am getting a little frustrated here......It would seem to me that there should be away to see if lower is working correctly. I don't want to take anything more off than I already have without a plan. Can I see the magnets in operation by removing the top plate ? It would seem that having only the wires from the lower itslef without the switch between should eliminate the guess work of the switch, if I can then determine if the lower is working like it should then I can backtrack the problem.

Just to clarify the remote is the shifter with the switch inside of it correct.....The power goes into the shifter and then the switch through the shifter distributes the power to the correct wire. is there a relay I have missed, i didn't see one......
 

southkogs

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With the lower off you should be able to energize the forward wire and then mechanically turn the shaft at the top of the lower unit and the prop shaft should turn. Rinse & repeat for the reverse wire. With neither of the wires energized, then the prop shaft should turn reasonably freely. So, theoretically if the prop shaft turns when you're not energizing the wires and it won't move by hand when you energize them (forward or reverse based on which you've got energized) the gears are engaging.

Short of taking the unit apart, that's the best test I can come up with.
 

mercedglen

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Jan 9, 2015
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The video was helpful. I may have to pull the exhaust housing off to hopefully see if the magnets are working since they do not make noise. It could very possibly be the input shaft male splines to the female splines to the water pump shaft, although I am not convinced of that since I can see the splines and they look alright. I have look around fro my old water pump shaft and see how it fits to the lower input shaft. I hope it is not the input shaft splines that looks like a son o' ***** to do and expensive.....
 

jimmbo

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The gears and associated parts are not going to be visible unless the case is disassembled. If the unit passes electrical tests, and the correct oil is used, the problem is mechanical and the gearcase has to come apart

When applying power to the forward wire, spin the prop counter clockwise. After a turn or two it should get stiffer and,
/or the driveshaft should turn. Power to reverse, spin prop clockwise, same thing should occur
 
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mercedglen

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Jan 9, 2015
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now were are talking...I will try powering the forward wire and see if the shaft gets stiffer, this makes sense to me........
 

jimmbo

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now were are talking...I will try powering the forward wire and see if the shaft gets stiffer, this makes sense to me........

If the case is off the engine, rotating the driveshaft clockwise, when viewed from above, will mimic engine running. If rotating the prop, the prop has to be spin backward to normal rotation.
 

wrench 3

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It's been a few years since I worked on one of those, but the way I remember it the spring will only try to lock the gear when the gear is turning. Which means the input shaft will have to be turned. The drag on the shaft idea may work though.
Before you reinstall, try doing the resistance checks while you flex the wiring to make sure there's no brakes in the wiring. And don't forget that you need a good ground between the drive and the engine.
 

jimmbo

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Our 40 hp and 90hp used to engage when the prop was rotated backwards. Dragging along the hub would wrap the spring tight. Good connection are important. DO NOT attach the ground to the prop shaft like in the video, that is very hard on the bearings
 
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