Adjust shift cables on OMC?????

[lodough780]

I just bought a 21' 1991 Marada that has a 5.8 omc i/o. Im having trouble with the boat not going into neutral when I move the shifter to the nuetral position. Also sometimes boat wont start when ignition is turned to the "start" position Im pretty sure its becaus its still in gear. Could someone please inform me which cable (top or bottom) on the motor that engages foward and which one engages reverse. I havent yet bought a manual.

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: Adjust shift cables on OMC?????

You really need to read this; http://www.hastings.org/~stuart/cobra/ and follow the advice closely. The OMC drives are VERY finicky about shift cable adjustment. If it's not right you can do serious damage to the drive assembly.

 

[Dakota47]

Re: Adjust shift cables on OMC?????

You Probably need NEW shift cables, upper & lower, i would also install a new throttle cable too while your in there. adjusting the wornout old cables will just screw up the lower unit quick..

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: Adjust shift cables on OMC?????

The upper cable is usually the cable that comes from your shift/throttle quadrant. The lower one is the "Transom shift cable"​

The whole mess, if mis-adjsuted will damage your drive.​

I think your year model is a cone clutch drive. Hard to say. They made the change from dog to cone around 90-91 I think..​

You MUST have an OMC service manual for your year model to determine.​

The Hastings article will not be much help if yours is a cone clutch model.​

Regards,​

Rick​

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Adjust shift cables on OMC?????

I think your year model is a cone clutch drive. Hard to say. They made the change from dog to cone around 90-91 I think..​

In 90-91, it was still the dog clutch. Didn't change until 1994.

 

[BlowHo]

Re: Adjust shift cables on OMC?????

I have a 91 boat with a 1990 460 and the cone clutch drive. I think it is original equipment since it is a PWS model. FYI

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Adjust shift cables on OMC?????

I have a 91 boat with a 1990 460 and the cone clutch drive. I think it is original equipment since it is a PWS model. FYI

You have a King Cobra, not the regular Cobra.

 

[BlowHo]

Re: Adjust shift cables on OMC?????

Oops, my bad.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: Adjust shift cables on OMC?????

Yeah. It's true. The 91 "Cobra" is still a Dog.

I had a look at the Doug Russell parts catalog and its clearly a Dog.

There's an ESA etc. The Hastings article will probably still be a lot of help too.

You may need a lower shift cable, an Electronic Shift assist Module, replacement micro-switches, shift cable adjustments, or all of the above.

Look for the neutral safety switch. It's probably in the actual shift quadrant on most boats. There's usually 2 wires coming from the shift quadrant that go to the under dash area and they connect in series to the yellow/red wires that would normally go to the starter solenoid. When you are in anything except neutral they open the circuit preventing you from actuating the starter solenoid.

YOU NEED A CORRECT YEAR OMC SERVICE MANUAL. I wouldn't even attempt to adjust anything until I had that in my hot little hands!


Cheers,

Rick

 

[lodough780]

Re: Adjust shift cables on OMC?????

Thanks for the advice guys!! I went and purchased a manual today and it has alot of interesting info pertaining to my boat. I wanna make sure its right and not screw anything up!

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Adjust shift cables on OMC?????

Thanks for the advice guys!! I went and purchased a manual today and it has alot of interesting info pertaining to my boat. I wanna make sure its right and not screw anything up!

I hope you bought a factory OMC manual and not a Clymer or a Seloc.

 

[evilratgirl]

Re: Adjust shift cables on OMC?????

Before replacing anything, got thru the OEM manual and the Hastings paper. There's section in Hastings that mentions to unhook the throttle cable to isloate the shift cables. As mentioned in Hastings several times, it should shift smoothly with little effort.

As far as the drive having problems comming out of gear, that's what the ESA is for. Both the manual and Hastings cover this.

 

[lodough780]

Re: Adjust shift cables on OMC?????

Oh crap!! What have I gotten myself into here. I usually prefer to be a do-it yourselfer but I dont believe I will be adjusting this beast on my own. How much should I expect to pay for someone to adjust this for me and how much time is involved. Thanks

 

[akwalker]

Re: Adjust shift cables on OMC?????

Don't be afraid of it. I just picked up a 19 ft Sylvan, 1988, with an OMC 4.3 and a Cobra outdrive. I adjusted the cable per the manual and the article, and it shifts great now. Good luck.