Shift cable boot

rickasbury

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
753
I'm just beside myself and frustrated. 2006 Mercrusier 350 with bravo III. With all the things I have been able to accomplish on my boat repair wise, I can't get the shift cable boot to stay put. I have reglued it several times. I'm off to WM to get a new clamp and a new tube of adhesive. I'm sorry for those that may work or have a close relationship with Mercruiser but this is the stupidest design for both the boots. We have double clamps on everything and all that separates the boat and the bottom of the surface is a stupid rubber boot that is glued on with a clamp around it.

So, my last attempt was to remove the exhaust bellows so I had good access to the nub there to clean it off and I did with acetone. I took some ruff sandpaper and further cleaned and removed any old glue. I put some glue on it and waited about 15 mins until it was tacky. I pushed it on there so that the surface designed to bottom out when the entire boot is on there was bottomed out. I still have not put any type of clamp on the other end on the cable itself so I pushed the front of the boot all the way down on it. I put the clamp on it, put the drive down and left it there for a week before I moved it.

I just completed installing a new trim actuator and ready for a test run and though I'd better check it. The clamp and the boot had moved forward almost to the end. I checked the run out of the trim ram and it's at 25". I easily put my finger under the bottom edge of the clam;p and pulled it off. I swear it is almost like this nub on the OD asy. is tapered, it just will not stay on....what the heck am I doing wrong? On my way to WM.....just can't imagine what else I can do and it pretty much sucks with all the things that can go wrong with a boat and sink it, I will be paranoid about this stupid boot for as long as I own this boat.
 

rickasbury

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
753
So, have heard this back and forth but the question would be, white would it hurt?
 

harringtondav

Commander
Joined
May 26, 2018
Messages
2,438
So, have heard this back and forth but the question would be, white would it hurt?

It shouldn't hurt anything. Just be sure bellows adhesive is applied thin and allowed to dry until it becomes tacky. Too lthick and too wet will cause a bellows to slide off like it had been greased.

Make sure you don't over crimp the outside crimp clamp. The cable should be able to slide in and out. If too tight the cable may have pulled the bellows from the gimbal plate when trimmed up into trailer.
 

rickasbury

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
753
When I cleaned it with the acetone and slid the parts together I really could not get them apart so I clamped it up...also, I had no clamp on the other end and think it was sticking in a bad place and like you said above pulling it off. I'm going to run it up and down a hundred times and then go boating if all good!
 

scoflaw

Ensign
Joined
Jun 2, 2010
Messages
962
BS about overcrimping the out side clamp. The bellows looks like an accordion for a reason. Should be no movement between cable and bellow
 

rickasbury

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
753
I put a zip tie on it..will cycle it am and hopefully give it a test run...this is the really nice time of the year for boating here..
 

harringtondav

Commander
Joined
May 26, 2018
Messages
2,438
BS about overcrimping the out side clamp. The bellows looks like an accordion for a reason. Should be no movement between cable and bellow

The bellows should be able to slide on the cable with two fingers. A good merc mechanic showed me this. That's why the Alpha manual shows a fabricated crimp tool with a 1/2" crimp diameter. If the OP crimped the clamp too tightly the cable w/o the bell hsg. full up, it could have pulled the bellows off when he trimmed up to trailer.

I don't use a crimp tool, but I always check the bellows/cable for movement. A zip tie should work fine.
 

rickasbury

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
753
Mine is so tight I had to put some grease on the cable to be even able to move it. So, I trimmed it up, extended the bellows most of the way and put a zip on it...
 

scoflaw

Ensign
Joined
Jun 2, 2010
Messages
962
The bellows should be able to slide on the cable with two fingers. A good merc mechanic showed me this. That's why the Alpha manual shows a fabricated crimp tool with a 1/2" crimp diameter. If the OP crimped the clamp too tightly the cable w/o the bell hsg. full up, it could have pulled the bellows off when he trimmed up to trailer.

I don't use a crimp tool, but I always check the bellows/cable for movement. A zip tie should work fine.

It's such a tight fit, probably doesn't matter crimp or no crimp. I check full range before zip tying
 
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