Lower Alpha 1 shift cable travel.

Hello All.
First of all this sight has given me alot of info and And help And Im proud to be a member.

Now.
How much travel should there be on the lower shift cable of an alpha 1 drive?
I have 3.020 on my remote shift cable which is in spec.
I have 2.035 on my lower unit shift cable.
The reason i ask is because I couldnt get enough travel on my shift arm to fully reach reverse,even with the adjustable stud out to its furthest position.
Sooo... What I did was mill the slot about .250 longer so i could increase my lower shift cable travel.
I have run the boat like this for a few years without issue.
When the outdrive is in forward the shift dog is pointing about 5 degrees toward the starboard side,which also tells me that maybe the shift shaft is turning to far due to the bottom end needing rebuilt or maybe the shift fork has had it.

I heard about a template to check the twist or something like that. I figure I could check the rotation of the shaft in degrees but havent got that far yet or looked up a spec if there is one.

I just Did a bellows job and gimbal ring upgrade and shift cable upgrade trying to get the old boat mechanically sound again and just wondered what you all thought.
This was A 1978 mercruiser 470(Ya I Know)Now a 1985 170 switchover 78 Pre-alpha transom with an Early alpha 1 Gimbal ring(spline to square)And a 1985 170 Alpha 1 Outdrive.

Thanks.

Re: Lower Alpha 1 shift cable travel.

from manual 6, 1C section

Re: Lower Alpha 1 shift cable travel.

Bt Doctur said:

from manual 6, 1C section

Click to expand...

Thanx Doc.
gonna check it out at the end of the season,maybe sooner.

Re: Lower Alpha 1 shift cable travel.

Hey all ,
I figured I add that I only have .430 play in my lower cable which is less than the .562 spec.
The book says anything over .562 to pull the drive and check for other issues.
I havent checked for the 12 degree rotational slop yet on the shift shaft.
I also have .053 in and out (thrust play) on my prop shaft.
Could this be part of the problem?
Could the thrust play in the whole lower unit be the problem and not the spool or shift fork?
While rotating the prop and pulling on cable the drive will lock into reverse, However after its locked in,if I pull on the cable hard it will pull out about another 3/16 to 1/4 of an inch.
Thanx again

Re: Lower Alpha 1 shift cable travel.

If your intermediate shift shaft is not point straight forward while locked in forward gear, then maybe the shaft is bent? Here's a video I did when I checked my shift spool. It turned out I needed the lower unit rebuilt.