Bad shift cable?

[ericp501]

1996 mercruiser 4.3L.. Just had a mechanic come over to replace all my bellows. Everything got hooked up, but he said my shift cable is really stiff, to the point my boat won't shift into gear. When I put it in forward gear the prop still spins free. Does this sound right to everyone? Do I need to replace my shift cable? I hate that I just dropped $250 to have my bellows and back end pulled and put back together only to find out I need to have it pulled again.

 

[wellcraft-classic210]

Re: Bad shift cable?

You may want to read this section on sift cable and the closely related shift interupt system that was posted by our forum rep. Don S. [/I]http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?p=1930449#post1930449

If you trust your mechanic its best to have it replaced as the engine will stall when you shift out of gear. As in at the dock when everyone is wattching and the wind is blowing.

If your not sure its necessary to replace the cable you may want to see how it runs & shifts. Just be aware that the stalling symptom is usually the first sign of problems.

If you just had new all bellows they do not need to come off but the drive and shift cable bellows does.

Good luck

 

[cr2k]

Re: Bad shift cable?

Your mechanic should have pointed that out BEFORE he put everything back together. Now he can get paid for doing it all over again.
I would be be a little pissed at him for that.
If he won't cut you a deal and since you would have to pay anyway I would think about another mechanic doing the job so he doesn't get rewarded.

 

[ENSIGN]

Re: Bad shift cable?

You need to disconnect the lower shift cable at the engine and make sure the cable going to the helm is not binding.

 

[ericp501]

Re: Bad shift cable?

Trust me, I won't be using him again and yes I was very mad since I told him I wanted to replace anything that needed replacing and asked what I should purchase ahead of time, he said nothing about a shift cable. The price was right, but I didn't like the way he worked. I'm pretty sure I can handle the cable on my own, I just never pulled a drive before so I wanted to see a mechanic do it the first time. How do I go about buying a shift cable? I see a bunch online all different sizes. And what do you mean by a "binding" cable? The boat was shifting last year, he said since I had a ripped bellow the cable could have got water in it and since it sat for 6 months its now all hung up. I disconnected it at the engine and tried moving it by hand, it is very very stiff. It goes into forward ok, but when I try to put it in reverse I need to pull on it really hard to get it to pop in.

 

[macca110]

Re: Bad shift cable?

Hey Guys, Sorry to jump the thread.I'm a newbee here on this forum,and my reason for joining was due to shifter issues. Ie my 93 7.4/bravo 3 is stuck in forward gear.The boat was surveyed and passed the sea trial with flying colors.But when it arrived on its trailer it would start right up but in forward gear only.After asking a so called expert I was told that my lower shift cable was stretched and my out drive would need to be pulled at a cost upwards of $1500!!.Reading the link in this thread tells me that when run on muffs,the dog clutch mechanisim lacks the pressure to activate the clutches,thus where ever the shifter was once on the trailer is where it remains until the outdrive is reunited with h2o.I am remaining hopefull, due to how well she did on the trial.It would be great to know whether or not this makes sense. Any feedback would be great,as although mechanicly minded,I'm no expert.Thanks in advance.

 

[achris]

Re: Bad shift cable?

Hey Guys, Sorry to jump the thread.I'm a newbee here on this forum,and my reason for joining was due to shifter issues. Ie my 93 7.4/bravo 3 is stuck in forward gear.The boat was surveyed and passed the sea trial with flying colors.But when it arrived on its trailer it would start right up but in forward gear only.After asking a so called expert I was told that my lower shift cable was stretched and my out drive would need to be pulled at a cost upwards of $1500!!.Reading the link in this thread tells me that when run on muffs,the dog clutch mechanisim lacks the pressure to activate the clutches,thus where ever the shifter was once on the trailer is where it remains until the outdrive is reunited with h2o.I am remaining hopefull, due to how well she did on the trial.It would be great to know whether or not this makes sense. Any feedback would be great,as although mechanicly minded,I'm no expert.Thanks in advance.

Welcome aboard...
1. you need to start your own thread and not hijack a current one.
2. the information you have been given is so completely WRONG that it sounds like it came out of a seloc or clymer!
3. Read this thread -> http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=220416 and post your own questions...

 

[makonnen]

Re: Bad shift cable?

+1 for ericp

The essential question is: was it shifting fine before he did the job?

Its been a while before I did an Alpha 1 but from what I remember, the shift cable is a PITA when removing the outdrive. You have to unlatch the inner core of the shift cable from the interrupt switch plate on the port elbow and pull the inner core out as the leg separates from the bellhousing. Did he do this? If so, did he properly adjust the shift cable when done? Hacks will use a measuring tape to do the adjustment. A real mechanic will have the special tools needed to do it properly.

When I first read your post I figure $250 is one heck of a deal for ALL bellows replacement.

I would be checking everything else this guy did.

 

[81 Checkmate]

Re: Bad shift cable?

The shift cable bellows only keeps water from entering your boat not the cable itself. Read up on it and you can do it yourself. Its not a PITA when you know what you are doing!!!

Pulling the drive is the first thing needed, no need to remove the bellhousing either.... then remove the cable as your genuin merc manual states.

 

[ericp501]

Re: Bad shift cable?

Wasn't bad at all!.. anyone who does this here is my tip, if you can follow it. Pull the old inner cable out and reinstall it backwards uptop in the old outter cable cover. Then pull out the old shift cable cover, this will leave the old inner cable in place to be used as a guide for the new cable.

On a side note. I am now going back in to replace the shift bellow, the guy put slits in the narrow part of the bellow to fit the arm over rather then do it the right way. One of the slits opened up more and is now letting in a slight trickle of water. grrrrr.. I finally understand why they say the happiest days of a boat owners life are the day he gets the boat and the day he sells it.. really thinking about selling.