OMC Cobra shift cable adjustment manual?

[Handegard]

Took the boat out today for the first time to verify repairs to the engine.

Well, the engine is all fixed! But I can't go forward. Reverse works fine, but forward doesn't.

There was a lovely guy there that helped me out a bit, new alot about OMC Cobras it seemed, but niether of us had any tools, so not much got done. He does believe that my shift cable is mis-aligned though, and that the gearset is still OK.

So, I need to adjust it. Anyone have a PDF manual they could send me? I swear I saw a link on here somewhere to manuals, but now I can't find it.

Or a good pointing in the right direction for a mechanically inclined new boat owner.

Thanks guys!

 

[totx]

Re: OMC Cobra shift cable adjustment manual?

So, I need to adjust it. Anyone have a PDF manual they could send me? I swear I saw a link on here somewhere to manuals, but now I can't find it.

Or a good pointing in the right direction for a mechanically inclined new boat owner.

Thanks guys!

Have a look in the Adult section, beginning of this forum...

 

[cr2k]

Re: OMC Cobra shift cable adjustment manual?

There is a tool, a plate, that bolts to the bellhousing to hold the shift pin in the right position while you adjust the shift cable's end. There is also a set adjustment for the shift rod height from the lower. Not to mention the correct amount of cable core that should be exposed in the boat before you put on the slide and parts.

 

[gbeltran]

Re: OMC Cobra shift cable adjustment manual?

http://www.hastings.org/~stuart/cobra/

Try that, check your PM's also.

 

[howlnmad]

Re: OMC Cobra shift cable adjustment manual?

Handegard, which drive and what year do you have? I changed the cable on my 89 Bayliner and I'm having serious problems getting mine adjusted too. Someone told me it may excess play in the lower half of the outdrive but it worked fine until the cable broke. Just to get to use the boat I disconnected it and left it in forward and had to start my boat in gear. Hated doing it that way but had to get on the water. I wish I could find someone to help me too. Until then I'll just keep working at it.

 

[Handegard]

Re: OMC Cobra shift cable adjustment manual?

It's a '88 and the drive is a OMC Cobra... Thats about all I know. I plan to play with it tomorow though..

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: OMC Cobra shift cable adjustment manual?

The lower shift cable adjustment is done with the drive removed.Very critical on the cobra.
Try this manual in PDF.
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?mzdzzqjmdzd

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: OMC Cobra shift cable adjustment manual?

Pay particualr attention to the Hastings link posted earlier. Improperly adjusted shift cables will destroy an OMC drive and are what gave OMC such a bad rep.

 

[Handegard]

Re: OMC Cobra shift cable adjustment manual?

I apologize for asking questions that most people seem to hate, but I have amongst other things Aspergers syndrome, and while I'm intelligent and very mechanically inclined, I can read and read and read repair procedures and I can't make the actual knowledge jump from the screen to my brain. I learn from talking or doing, not from reading, but most likely due to the similarity between a conversation and a forum, I can easily learn from a forum.

So I may ask questions that have been covered in the links, but it's the only way I absorb the info....

What I needed to ask today was, why should I replace the cable? Are we all going off the suggestion that the old man at the dock told me, that he thinks the gears are good but the linkage is mis-adjusted? Because that was just a guess. He didn't really have any reason to know one way or another.

Also, I've read several methods that to me appear to be adjustments in several places both with the drive on and off.

Is there something I can do to find out what of these suggestions I need to look into? Or am I left looking into all of them? I'm gonna have a hard time selling my girlfriend on "I need to replace these three parts, because it's most likely one of these" without actually condemning the part...

 

[danond]

Re: OMC Cobra shift cable adjustment manual?

1: The drive HAS to come off
2: You can't "play" with the shift adjustment. Do it the way it's written in the manual.
3: The cable can't have more than 2.5lbs of pull. Use a fish scale. If it does, it'll bind, and won't shift properly.

...and most importantly:

4: Cobras give you one chance to get the cable adjusted properly. One trip out with it not engaged all the way in forward and your dog clutch will look like someone took a grinder to it.

Have patience and read up. The information is out there. You really need to know how to do this one thing properly if you're going to plan on keeping that Cobra drive.

Good luck.