Mercruiser Alpha One - Lower Shift Shaft broke

[ra42mario]

Hello everybody. I bought my first bought, a broken 1986 Baretta w/ a Mercruiser 120.

I know the coupler in the engine is bad as the wood the lower mount connects to is rotted away causing the bad engine alignment.

I have removed the outdrive on the boat, and everything on the inboard but the big four bolts that hold the motor in place. When I removed the outboard I noticed the lower shift shaft "L SHape" piece that puts the outdrive in FWD, REV and NEUTRAL was broken. It looked very coroded and literally fell in my hand when i grabbed it.

I got a Mercruiser manual from the public library to help with this, but in the book it does not explain how to replace the shift shaft. Can anybody give me some insider information on this? It would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Mario.

 

[jtybt]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha One - Lower Shift Shaft broke

My guess, the whole boat is not worth the effort to repair, let alone the money.

 

[ra42mario]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha One - Lower Shift Shaft broke

My guess is that was not the question I asked.

Anybody with anything helpful?

 

[jtybt]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha One - Lower Shift Shaft broke

I'm trying to be as helpful and practical as I can be.

You have absolutely no idea how far in a hole you really are.

 

[imraan47]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha One - Lower Shift Shaft broke

i feel the pain buddy...sry i am new here and also got my first boat and we have the same outdrive. my lower drive shaft snapped! also need to replace my transom seal kit. you are in worst shape then me i think.
i am getting a rebuilt lower end put on and got new transom seal kit.

 

[renny1]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha One - Lower Shift Shaft broke

sorry i gotta back up jytb on this one as i had a 1986 120hp and all i wanted to do was new impellar and shift cable well to cut a long story short i now have a 1999 engine and an alpha 1 gen 2 sterndrive due to the fact when i started taking things apart i noticed other thins going wrong then something else then something else and it all builds up so it was cheaper to source a newer boat that is unless you have untold pots of money

 

[wca_tim]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha One - Lower Shift Shaft broke

wow. Have you got any pictures?

It sounds ugly, but maybe it's not exactly what people are thinking. worth checking.

If it is really the lower shift shaft, I can pretty much gaurantee that a new drive is in order.

 

[ziggy]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha One - Lower Shift Shaft broke

hum, doom and gloom. could be, but we're not looking at it.

1st, get a real service manual from #9 here. http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=288430
likely you'll need #10 for the engine and #6 for the drive. #6 will explain how to get that shift shaft out. pretty much you'll need to remove the drive + separate the upper from the lower, then ya should be able to get the shift shaft in question out.

do get the real oem service manuals, the aftermarket ones are less than desirable.

it does sound like ya got a real project on your hands. but it's for you to decide if ya wanna tackle it. boats that are operational are pretty cheap now a days with the economy as it is. so ya should keep that in mind. fixing a boat that is in real bad shape is very labor intensive + very costly.. while i've not done a restore, i do have one to do in my back yard. i fig. somewhere between $10-$15k to put it back to a serviceable boat. it needs stringers, transom, drive, and engine.. for me, i'd think at least 2 years labor, if i wanted to tackle it.. it went from operational to what it is in short order too. my problems started with a ft. motor mount bolt that wouldn't hold, it went downhill from there very rapidly. i opted for a different boat as i wanted to go boating.. good luck in your decision...

 

[Fishermark]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha One - Lower Shift Shaft broke

I'm curious if which shift shaft you are referring to? It is the one in the drive that mates with the one in bell housing? I've never seen one corroded up like you describe - and I boat exclusively in salt water.

Like Ziggy says - it is obviously up to you, but from what you describe, there is a LOT to do with that boat. If you decide to proceed, be sure to check the condition of the transom as well. No sense in doing all the other work without rebuilding the transom. At that point it may be a good idea to consider a different boat.

Here's one quote from Ziggy that I would disagree with slightly:

fixing a boat that is in real bad shape is very labor intensive + very costly...

It is very definitely one or the other. It is very labor intensive or very costly.... but not necessarily both. Most of the boat / hull / transom work is not very expensive if you can do the work yourself. I don't know if I would go so far as to say it is "cheap" - but the wood and fiberglass, etc doesn't cost too much in the grand scheme of things. If you are good at that kind of work and enjoy it, then great! (Me - I can't even LOOK at fiberglass without getting itchy! ).

Good luck - keep us informed with the progress.

 

[stonyloam]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha One - Lower Shift Shaft broke

I'm curious if which shift shaft you are referring...

It sounds like he is referring to the shift shaft in the bellhousing. The shift shaft in the outdrive couldn't fall out unless it was upside down right?
Manual 4A transom minor should cover it. open sticky "MUST HAVE Technical Information for DIYers". Manual #6. Good luck

 

[ra42mario]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha One - Lower Shift Shaft broke

guys this boat isn't a rotted piece of wood with an engine in it.

The hull is in great shape. The motor runs, it turned over on the second try after not being ran for two years.

The outdrive seems to be fine. I can put the outdrive in fwd/rev w/ plier to grab the broken piece and it rotates smoothly. Just the lower piece of the shift shaft that sticks out was corroded and its not very high quality metal, its just "pot composite" metal, not even a good steel.

This boat is going to cost me less then $400 to get on the water. Why would I dump it for something else?

 

[Fishermark]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha One - Lower Shift Shaft broke

guys this boat isn't a rotted piece of wood with an engine in it.

Well that's good. You still need to double check the condition of the transom. It is my experience that if the stringers are rotten, then the transom is as well.

And, here's why everyone was suggesting you might want to continue looking for another boat:

I bought my first boat....

.....I know the coupler in the engine is bad as the wood the lower mount connects to is rotted away causing the bad engine alignment.

..... It looked very coroded and literally fell in my hand when i grabbed it.

Those statements make most people stop and suggest further investigation is in order - especially since it is your first boat.

But good luck with it!

 

[ra42mario]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha One - Lower Shift Shaft broke

the boat

Here is the outdrive. I have it upside down in the picture, so the prop will actually be facing the sky in the picture. You will see the tarnished/brown colored metal that is missing the L shaped piece of metal that goes into the shifter cable. That is the LOWER Shift Shaft according to the manual which needs replaced.

Here in my hand is the lower shift shaft piece that broke off. It is the part that the cable goes around to control FWD/REV function on the outdrive.

 

[jtybt]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha One - Lower Shift Shaft broke

The shift you're talking about that is 'pot metal'. Are you talking about the arm IN the bell housing and NOT the drive?

The really big thing that is going to stop you is the rot you describes causing bad alignment. Sounds to me like you may need to replace the transom...and once you get in there, you will likely see rot in the stringers. Kinda like what renny said, you'll be opening a can of worms.

I have done all these repairs and if you want to do it RIGHT, it will be both labor intensive AND expensive. Far exceeding the value of the boat.

 

[ra42mario]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha One - Lower Shift Shaft broke

The transom and rest of the boat is fine. I have all the carpet pulled. This is my first boat, but not he first boat I've repaired with similar issues. The only thing new here to me is the corroded/busted shift shaft key.

I figured a boat forum would have alot more go-getters onboard. Mechanics is not my profession, but one of my passions. I've been restoring and repairing automobiles since I started driving. There is no mechanical challenge I fear. The shift-shaft was not mentioned in the manual I purchased so I figured I'd post a topic to get some experienced info on it so I'm not going at it blindly.

But... since it seem snobody has ever repaired one and seems to give up on a boat anytime its not 100% perfect, I'll fix it, and make sure to document what was involved and upload information for replacing a lower shift shaft just incase another person has the same problem.

- Mario.

 

[Fishermark]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha One - Lower Shift Shaft broke

Before you bust too many chops here - keep in mind that we cannot see your boat - all of the responses are based on each person's experience. You may or may not like the responses, but that is the nature of a forum.

Here is the part you are referring to:

It is accessed after removing the upper from the lower.

 

[Fishermark]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha One - Lower Shift Shaft broke

a couple more notes...

You can download the appropriate OEM manual from the top of the page - under the "adults only" sticky - there is a link showing where you can get the Mercruiser manuals.

Also, if you will resize the pics, it makes it easier to view on the page without scrolling.

 

[ra42mario]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha One - Lower Shift Shaft broke

- I did not attempt to bust any chops. I just don't enjoy a give up on something mentality, especially on a boat that will cost under $400 to get on the water. Give me a little bit of breathing room people! The entire reason of getting this boat was it was going to be some labor to get running, which I don't mind, but cheap in parts to get on the water.

- Now in the Adult Sections, it looks like I need manual #10 like mentioned in a previous post, but there is no hyperlink for that manual. Did it relocate to a new host?

- I will try to resize the pictures. My resolution is 1280x1024 so I don't have sidescroll and I did not take into account those with lower resolutions (800x600 etc) would have to sidescroll. I just wanted to make the shift shaft location clear.

 

[wca_tim]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha One - Lower Shift Shaft broke

I can see it fine. you're looking good. no worries...

 

[ziggy]

Re: Mercruiser Alpha One - Lower Shift Shaft broke

yep, i think 10 is right. confirm by s/n if possible.
i see it's no longer linked too. but,
go to that very 1st link were dons says all service manuals are available. 10 appeared in that link...

while i'm not familiar with an alpha1, i understand them to be very similar to my 1 drive. if it were my 1 drive. that shift shaft is held in place by a simple cotter key with a washer underneath it....

as for bustin yer chops. i'd say ya've been busted enough. you have been warned and i assume you understand the consequences of rotted wood in your boat. which it sounds like you do....