Alpha Drive wont wont go into Forward/Reverse

[Bopperino]

Hi all, i have a 2014 350 MAG MPI coupled with an Alpha 1 leg, it was all running perfectly fine, however the last time i took it out i noticed when placing it into forwards it jumped into gear every time it was selected, jolted the boat forwards a little bit - other than that it all worked fine all day.

Now a month later i went to go for a cruise, and when i select reverse or forwards, i do not hear the gear engage, and obviously it does not go anywhere, it just revs, almost like its stuck in neutral.

Does anyone have any ideas or have had a similar issue, where i am Australia there are no boat mechanics for another 1-2 months - and i was really hoping on getting out on the water.

NOTE: The boat is moored in the water at the moment, so not possible to access the exterior of the leg.

 

[Scott Danforth]

welcome aboard.

time to start diagnosing what the problem is.

could be any of the following:
bad upper cable
bad lower cable
bad coupler
broken gear set
broken drive shaft
broken u-joints.

your first step is to pull the boat
then pull the drive

 

[alldodge]

Don't know if @achris is at home or nearby

Being a 2014 would it happen to have digital controls or cable, and does it have Axius?

When motor is running, look behind the motor to see if the drive shaft is turning
When shifter is moving FWD/REV see if cable is moving the shift plate

 

[Bopperino]

Don't know if @achris is at home or nearby

Being a 2014 would it happen to have digital controls or cable, and does it have Axius?

When motor is running, look behind the motor to see if the drive shaft is turning
When shifter is moving FWD/REV see if cable is moving the shift plate

Hi there, no it does not have digital controls or axius, its the old shift cable style, i believe the leg is a little older than the engine.

Ok i will check the drive shaft when i head over next.

I have checked if cables are moving, and yes they seem to be moving when placed into forward & reverse. Where is the shift plate located?

 

[Bopperino]

welcome aboard.

time to start diagnosing what the problem is.

could be any of the following:
bad upper cable
bad lower cable
bad coupler
broken gear set
broken drive shaft
broken u-joints.

your first step is to pull the boat
then pull the drive

Unfortunately i cannot pull the boat just yet, i was hoping to attempt to diagnose whilst still in water, i was hoping it was the shift cables or something similar.

The last thing i did with it was trim the engine right up to clean some of the fouling on the leg, that was a month ago, and now no gear.

I feel because it did not happen whilst driving, that its likely a corrosion based issue.

 

[alldodge]

The shift plate is normally mounted on the motor of exhaust.

Disconnect the lower shift cable going the the drive from the shift plate and see if it will change the gears when pulled by hand out or in

 

[Bopperino]

The shift plate is normally mounted on the motor of exhaust.

Disconnect the lower shift cable going the the drive from the shift plate and see if it will change the gears when pulled by hand out or in

Does the engine need to be running to do this?

 

[Scott Danforth]

Does the engine need to be running to do this?

yes

Unfortunately i cannot pull the boat just yet, i was hoping to attempt to diagnose whilst still in water, i was hoping it was the shift cables or something similar.

The last thing i did with it was trim the engine right up to clean some of the fouling on the leg, that was a month ago, and now no gear.

I feel because it did not happen whilst driving, that its likely a corrosion based issue.

you have been pulling the drive every year to do the proper maintenance, correct?

there is a very limited amount of troubleshooting you can do while in the water. you will need to be on the hard and you will need to pull the drive for everything else

 

[achris]

... i am Australia ...

Your IP address shows you in USA, so I suspect you're using a VPN. Where in Oz?

Chris......

 

[hgxsilver]

I've had a very similar experience with my alpha 1 gen 1. When I got the boat it wouldnt shift into reverse. The shift cable definitely needed adjustment but only would do so much. My shift cable was fairly stretched. Upon that replacement I then got stuck in the Harbour (Halifax Nova Scotia) as the shift rod was bent and would rotate completely when moved with the cable.

The problem was that the shift rod in the outdrive was bent, aswell the washer in place when you pull the lower unit was damaged. Once I replaced the washer and straightened the rod everything worked great. That linkage has a very short window where it catches.

Verification of this problem can be done by raising the drive fully (while the motor is off) so you can access the back side. With the shifter, put the drive in either forward or reverse and then reach behind the drive and rotate the shift rod (clockwise for forward, and counter for reverse -- I THINK) then rotate the prob to see if it locks. If so there either needs to be an adjustment done or cable replacement (MOST LIKELY).

Hope that helps