Alpha one shift cable issues need some ideas

[solar7647]

So i have been having a great boating season until my last outing and i am trying to salvage the rest of my season.

My last outing ended in a tow back to the ramp, due to a complete lose of spark, tested the coil on the water and got nothing. I wasn't to worried about it since i had another coil at home. Got home and threw in the new coil and still no spark, so i started tracing back and found that the issue was the shift interrupter, the shift plate was engaged and killing my spark so i figured a cable adjustment was needed but when i tried, the shift cable would not move no matter how much force was put on it. Did a little searching and found that the cable had fallen to rest on the drive shaft, this ended up chewing through the sleeve and cable but not the core so the core was catching the jagged edge of the cable and not allowing it to shift.

So its time for a new cable and to make sure the new one doesn't fall onto the drive shaft again. I managed to force it into forward and pulled the drive, i took the end of the cable off and pulled the core out, I then went to remove the cable retaining nut to pull the sleeve through and found that the retaining nut was rounded off giving me nothing to get the socket onto to remove it. I have determined that I will need to remove the bell housing to be able to get a better work angle but i am uncertain on what step to take to get the retaining nut out. I thought of drilling it out but dont know if i can with out causing damage to the threads in the bell house, I am also thinking i can drill just the cable out witch would take a much smaller drill and wont damage the threads and then take an easy out through the hole drilled, but I am not sure an easy out will do it. I dont want to cause more damage, i dont have the extra cash to just replace the housing.

I have owned the boat for 4 years now and have never messed with the shift cable besides lubing the ends and what not, i have never removed it so i supposed i just found an issue the PO was kind enough to leave me.

Does any one have any ideas that perhaps i can try, like i said i dont have the cash to replace the housing or have it machined.

Its an alpha on gen one with the "new" style cable so the retaining nut is between the housing and drive instead of the "old" style were the retaining nut is between the transom and housing.

Thanks

 

[Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1]

Re: Alpha one shift cable issues need some ideas

Kinda makes you wonder, the cable nut is a nice hex shape, why is it rounded off? Maybe the PO tried to replace it and damaged it in the process?

That nut is brass which is a very soft metal. Usually they are 9/16", you can cut off the end guide of the damaged cable up to the nut so you can get a deep socket on it.

Does a 9/16" go on it? or won't even fit? Maybe you could use a small dremmel tool to "fix" the rounded over parts of the hex nut and get the 9/16" on or a 13 or 14mm.

You might want to attach something to the end of the cable inside the boat when you pull the cable thru. Maybe stick the core back thru so it can guide the new cable thru the hole in the transom and bellows.

 

[solar7647]

Re: Alpha one shift cable issues need some ideas

Yea its a 9/16 nut but you need the tool for it witch is basicly a deep 9/16 socket with thiner walls since the space between the nut and the inside wall out the housing is so tight. It looks like it been wrenched on pretty good. Yea that brass is soft you would think they would make the not out of SS. I am going to get in there today and cut the cable out of the way to try and get a better look at it.

 

[cr2k]

Re: Alpha one shift cable issues need some ideas

You should be able to get a 9/16 thin wall 6 point socket. Hammer it on if needed. One thought I had is to try a tap from the back side and see if this will drive the nut out, maybe in conjunction with turning the nut. Since your cable it done, cutting it won't harm anything.

 

[solar7647]

Re: Alpha one shift cable issues need some ideas

well as of now i am at a stand still, because in the process of removing the bell housing I found that one of the hing pins were also rounded off! Im about to call up the PO and go give him a lesson in how to properly remove a bolt!:facepalm:

So today after work I will be heading to my brothers shop to grab a welder, I am going to weld a large bolt to the hing pin so that I can get it out. At least that one is pretty easy and not as big of a head ach as the retaining nut. Just going to need to add hinge pin to my shopping list now.

I may try the tapping and bolt from the reverse side idea, I nice heat treated bolt, i just dont trust easy outs they always seam to break when you need them the most.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Alpha one shift cable issues need some ideas

well as of now i am at a stand still, because in the process of removing the bell housing I found that one of the hing pins were also rounded off! Im about to call up the PO and go give him a lesson in how to properly remove a bolt!

Ayuh,... Ya gotta heat them up abit to loosen the Lock-tite it's put together with...
Weldin' a nut on it, oughta be hot enough though...

 

[solar7647]

Re: Alpha one shift cable issues need some ideas

Ayuh,... Ya gotta heat them up abit to loosen the Lock-tite it's put together with...
Weldin' a nut on it, oughta be hot enough though...

Yea, I threw the torch on the one and it came out pretty easy. I am hoping that once i get the bolt welded to the other it does the same. I have ben trying to figure out what the heck was done to this thing though. I will have to take some photos and post them so you guys can see this thing someone stripped the hell out out of it!

 

[solar7647]

Re: Alpha one shift cable issues need some ideas

Well i got the other hinge pin out. I first tried to weld a bolt into the hinge pin but when i torqued on it and the bolts shaft sheared off:facepalm: so that left a stem sticking out so i grabed an old lug nut through that arounf the left over bolt and welded it up, then busted out the torch again headed the bell housing and it came out, still hard as hell to torque off.

Now it tile to tackle the cable retaining nut

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Alpha one shift cable issues need some ideas

Using the correct drill bit for 1/4 x 28 NPST , dirll it out and tap it. Ovoid an easy out, it will break.

 

[brhodes]

Re: Alpha one shift cable issues need some ideas

Don't have much to offer except regarding the cable retaining nut. I think this is the nut that to remove, I had to take 2-deep sockets to a a little metal shop near me and have them welded together. I got this idea from threads regarding bellows replacement. Now I know this won't help directly since yours is rounded off, just figured I would mention for future reference. Best of luck.

 

[solar7647]

Re: Alpha one shift cable issues need some ideas

Well I got the retaining nut out, I drilled it out and tried an EZ out, no dice, I tried reverse threading the hole i drilled from the back side still no dice, even heated the hell out of the thing and nothing it would not budge. I ended up using my air powered metal saw and carefully cut the nuts side wall from the hole i drilled in it and once i was past half way through but not all the way through i took a flat head screw drive and used it as a chisel and put it in the cut i mad, then smacked it with a hammer to split it. Once it was split i still had to put alot of force on it to break it from the threads. That thing was in there, i didn't sea any corrosion that would make it so hard so i really dont know what was put on that nut to hold it so tight, but its out now and there is only a tiny ding in the threads. Nothing running a tap through it wont fix.

Now all i need to do id pick up a new hinge pin tomorrow and get her back together to get out on the water Sunday.

 

[solar7647]

Re: Alpha one shift cable issues need some ideas

Got her all back together and tested today, running freakin awsome! Thanks for the tips guys!

 

[Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1]

Re: Alpha one shift cable issues need some ideas

Glad to hear it..