Bad day on the lake

[lakenormangal]

Ok so I take the Sunbird Corsair out for the first time without my friend who I bought it from. Drove the boat away from the boat ramp, drove down the cove to our dock. Had to wait for my bf to get there. He had to move a sailboat to make room for me to tie up. So I shift the boat into neutral, but I'm getting close to the docks, so I reverse, get away from the docks, go into neutral again. Then decide to take a ride around the cove while I wait. I push the lever forward and it's not going into gear. It's not grinding but sounds like its just missing. I quickly shift back to neutral. I try again, same thing. I shut the boat off. Bf still isn't there and I'm wondering if something happened at the boat ramp. I start the boat up again, and this time it shifts into forward and off I go. No problems with it I go about a mile down to the ramp he's not there turn around and go back to out dock. Shift into neutral and wait for him to signal me to the dock. Go to shift into forward and it does it again. You can tell when the lever is pushed forward its not clicking into gear. But push it into reverse and its clicks into reverse. One weird thing is that even when it's in neutral it still trying to go backwards. It's like it stuck in reverse. End up using the paddleboard paddle to paddle up to the dock. I looked over the shifter cable on the handle and they seem to be moving they way they should. Look at where it attaches to the linkage and mount on the top of the motor, yes it's moving. Now there is a cable that goes to the outdrive that runs off that linkage. That last time we had this boat out there was no problem at all with it. The upper cable is not binding. So I'm wondering if in some way I broke something. I shifted it briskly. I did not hear any gears grinding. Did I mess up my boat or maybe the lower shift cable is messed up or god forbid did I blow out the dogs in the lower unit?

 

[smokeonthewater]

probably just need a cable adjustment.....

 

[thumpar]

What drive, engine, shifter do you have. We need to know what you have.

 

[lakenormangal]

The motor is an OMC 4.3 OH. The outdrive is an OMC Cobra. The shifter is also Omc their Remote control handler shifter. My friend I bought the boat from says I probably broke the end of the lower cable because he feels I did not shift it properly. I was very gentle on the shifter, moving it quickly so i wouldnt grind the gears, but not slamming it around. I'm wondering if he's right because when he was driving the boat there was no problems at all. I get behind the wheel go a mike and stop, go into neutral, then shift to go forward again and the problem comes up, it won't go into gear. I've been doing research and I'm reading alot about the ESA module. Wondering if that had anything to do with it?

 

[lakenormangal]

And my friend who told me I broke it was not here when this happened.

 

[lakenormangal]

probably just need a cable adjustment.....

Would it lose adjustment that fast? Or could it have been needing adjustment and it just passed the point of being able to shift. How does the ESA affect the adjustment? I need to get a repair manual for the boat. I got the owners and engine manuals. .

 

[Tnstratofam]

I would post a question about your shifting issue in the OMC forum. It sounds like the shifter is just out of adjustment, but I'm not sure. Can you shift the boat into gear while the engine is off? I had trouble with mine not wanting to come out of gear unless I cut off the engine. Mine was out of adjustment. You should get a factory OMC service manual if you can find one.

 

[shrew]

If the connector was broken it would NEVER go back into gear. BTW-you're friend sounds like a real winner. Short of shifting into gear with a sledge hammer, you can't really 'Shift it incorrectly', in a manner which breaks the shifter, linkage, or cables. That is just ridiculous, and your friend is doing worse than dismissing a part failure which does require periodic replacement. He's blaming you for a relatively common mechanical failure. There is a reason all the marine parts stores sell replacement shifters and cables. It's not because people don't know how to push/pull a lever.

 

[dlngr]

If the connector was broken it would NEVER go back into gear. BTW-you're friend sounds like a real winner. Short of shifting into gear with a sledge hammer, you can't really 'Shift it incorrectly', in a manner which breaks the shifter, linkage, or cables. That is just ridiculous, and your friend is doing worse than dismissing a part failure which does require periodic replacement. He's blaming you for a relatively common mechanical failure. There is a reason all the marine parts stores sell replacement shifters and cables. It's not because people don't know how to push/pull a lever.

Exactly what I was thinking. Probably a loose or worn linkage,$20 fix-and the seller is shying away from it. Sledgehammer shift would probably break the lever!

 

[oldjeep]

Just be very careful with that shift adjustment. The OMC cobra is a huge pain in the rear to properly adjust and you can damage the gear set if you do it incorrectly.

 

[lakenormangal]

Well a friend towed the boat to the launch and its on the trailer. I'm going to get a service manual. I did find the Hastings website and read through most of it.

My friend is supposed to come over Sunday and find the problem. I'll be there watching and seeing what he does.

Replacing or fixing anything doesn't make me nervous. But everything I'm reading and hearing about the adjustment does make me nervous. And them there's that ESA module.

My friend offered to buy the boat back. I have all the repair receipts for the history of this boat and most of them reference the shift cable. It seems every 5 years they made a repair or adjustment. I'm going to fix it and then decide Whether to keep it.

Thanks for all the help so far. I've been waiting a long time to have a boat.

 

[superbenk]

Pretty sure those OMC Cobras are known for having shift cable issues because they don't get adjusted just right and fail. My neighbor had a Sunbird w/ the OMC Cobra and had lots of trouble with the shift cable.

 

[crb478]

I am not sure exactly which OMC unit you have but some of the OMC units had what were called shift interrupters. It basically cut the motor out for a brief second to make shifting easier. It could also be a stretched cable, or an adjustment. See if you can shift it manually without the cable? The fact that you could shift it fine after it acted up leads me to believe it is one of the three issues I listed. What part of Lake Norman are you located on? I live in the Denver area.

 

[lakenormangal]

I am not sure exactly which OMC unit you have but some of the OMC units had what were called shift interrupters. It basically cut the motor out for a brief second to make shifting easier. It could also be a stretched cable, or an adjustment. See if you can shift it manually without the cable? The fact that you could shift it fine after it acted up leads me to believe it is one of the three issues I listed. What part of Lake Norman are you located on? I live in the Denver area.

We are in Little Creek Cove, in the Westport area of Denver. The boat is out of the water, so you won't see a little gray Sunbird parked at a dock there.
The unit is an OMC Cobra. I think something is screwed up where the transom Bracket shift Cable attaches in the lower unit. Something came out of alignment I think. There were no issues leading up to this. It went from shifting perfectly, to nothing. The visible cables seem to be moving fine. Nothing broken. But as the shift cable that comes out of the ESA, is in a sleeve, and you can't see the movement, I can't tell if that's moving.
Well I'm hoping to get it taken apart Sunday and find the problem, find and order parts, and get it back together. I'm printing out all the pages from the Hastings website and downloading a copy of the OMC Cobra Service manual. I will learn how to I just want to get it fixed and get back up to the lake. I've been going up there for 6 years now and its been driving me crazy to be there on the lake with no boat.

 

[BF]

I'm not sure why you'd think you should sell the boat back to your friend... When he sold it to you it was working right, and then something happened (cable stretched or broke?) and it needs a little attention. Sorry to tell you, but that's life with a boat. It doesn't sound like he was trying to stick you with some known problem. If you wanted a boat with a warranty, you could've bought a new one at a dealership (likely costing a lot more $$$). So I'd figure out the problem, replace whatever parts you need to and then enjoy it.... if your friend (the seller) comes over to help you figure it out, thank him and buy him beer and pizza b/c he's going above and beyond.... He likely gave you a better deal than he would a stranger, and if he had sold it to a stranger, they wouldn't be asking him to fix it or expecting him to buy it back....

 

[lakenormangal]

I'm not sure why you'd think you should sell the boat back to your friend... When he sold it to you it was working right, and then something happened (cable stretched or broke?) and it needs a little attention. Sorry to tell you, but that's life with a boat. It doesn't sound like he was trying to stick you with some known problem. If you wanted a boat with a warranty, you could've bought a new one at a dealership (likely costing a lot more $$$). So I'd figure out the problem, replace whatever parts you need to and then enjoy it.... if your friend (the seller) comes over to help you figure it out, thank him and buy him beer and pizza b/c he's going above and beyond.... He likely gave you a better deal than he would a stranger, and if he had sold it to a stranger, they wouldn't be asking him to fix it or expecting him to buy it back....

Sorry for the misunderstanding, I did not ask him, instead he came out and offered to buy it back. I just want it fixed. But one thing I do know, is I'm going to learn how to adjust and if needed, replace that cable. I've already found the cable online and some of the tools they say will help in installing and adjusting. My friend is actually more than a friend, we are like family to each other and he feels very bad this happened.
I think something went wrong with where the cable attaches to the lever or actuator that goes to the clutch/gears. It really seems like its stuck in reverse. Once we get it apart on Sunday, we'll see what went wrong.
It was just a real rough day Wed. To look so forward to taking out the boat for the first time as my boat, heck we were all ready for 2 days on the lake, had groceries, the dog, perfect weather. Just me and the bf alone at the cabin on the lake. Then it all gets shot to hell within 10 minutes.
So I was pretty bummed. I'm used to being able to fix stuff. I have a car restoration shop, a custom paint shop and a motorcycle shop, I've been working on mechanical stuff my whole life. If it has been one of the upper cables, believe me, we would have fixed it there, but that lower cable......I could tell right away, I needed to get serious about learning everything I could about how to properly service that area. I'n not used to being so helpless. So it was very frustrating.
I have the OMC manual and printed out everything from the hastings website. I want to get the little guy back in the water.

 

[cbavier]

I think it is just a linkage sticking. Take it to a reputable repair shop and have them check it out and repair it. Replace the cable at the worst..

 

[crb478]

We are in Little Creek Cove, in the Westport area of Denver. The boat is out of the water, so you won't see a little gray Sunbird parked at a dock there.
The unit is an OMC Cobra. I think something is screwed up where the transom Bracket shift Cable attaches in the lower unit. Something came out of alignment I think. There were no issues leading up to this. It went from shifting perfectly, to nothing. The visible cables seem to be moving fine. Nothing broken. But as the shift cable that comes out of the ESA, is in a sleeve, and you can't see the movement, I can't tell if that's moving.
Well I'm hoping to get it taken apart Sunday and find the problem, find and order parts, and get it back together. I'm printing out all the pages from the Hastings website and downloading a copy of the OMC Cobra Service manual. I will learn how to I just want to get it fixed and get back up to the lake. I've been going up there for 6 years now and its been driving me crazy to be there on the lake with no boat.

I am in the little creek area myself, a cove over from the boat ramp in Ashley Cove. Can probably help you out if something happens again, but hopefully you have things fixed.

 

[bruceb58]

That is the classic OMC Cobra lower shift cable failing. You need a new lower shift cable.

 

[sidewalkman]

end what happened? It's like reading a book and the last chapter is missing.