4.3 OMC I/O only goes in reverse

[pinnaclepoolandspa]

I was told by someone that I should have posted this on this I/O topic, so here goes another try. I have a cobra 4.3 omc and it only goes in reverse. Does anybody have any idea what might be the problem? Also, how difficult would it be for me to fix the problem? My buddy and I thought it might be the linkage, but when we took her out for test drive she still went in reverse. I would like to try and fix this myself without having to have to take it to a service center and paying a fortune. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Don S]

Re: 4.3 OMC I/O only goes in reverse

What Year and model OMC.

 

[superpop]

Re: 4.3 OMC I/O only goes in reverse

The quickest way to diagnose this is with two people. Remove the cover from the outdrive and disconnect the linkage. then have someone watch the linkage while you move the shifter. It should move in and out smoothly. If it does, that is bad because that means you have an internal problem with your drive. If it does not move or only moves in one direction then you either have a bad shifter or a bad cable. Probably the cable. Both of these are easy to fix.

 

[whywhyzed]

Re: 4.3 OMC I/O only goes in reverse

Originally posted by superpop:<br /> The quickest way to diagnose this is with two people. Remove the cover from the outdrive and disconnect the linkage. then have someone watch the linkage while you move the shifter. It should move in and out smoothly. If it does, that is bad because that means you have an internal problem with your drive. If it does not move or only moves in one direction then you either have a bad shifter or a bad cable. Probably the cable. Both of these are easy to fix.

That sounds more like for a Volvo with a cover to access linkage... don't think that'll work for a Cobra...<br /><br />Could be cables, could be gears...<br /><br />Did it get gradually worse shifting? Or with a big bang? Or just one day fine, next no go?<br />i.e. How did this issue start?

 

[lakelivin]

Re: 4.3 OMC I/O only goes in reverse

Check out the following link. Must reading for Cobra owners. Yhere is a link in there to a "Five Part Shift Adjustment Procedure" that might do the trick if you're lucky. <br /><br /> http://www.hastings.org/~stuart/cobra/index.html <br /><br />If not, at least you'll have a better idea what to look at next. Good luck!