1979 Twin 350s, Alpha 1 Gen 1 with old style shift plates that mounted on the rear of the engine. The kind with a reverse lockout valve integrated into the shift plate and arm.<br /><br />My interrupt switches went bad so I finally decided to buy the only option available which is the new Merc Shift plate assembly (Part No. 864363A) Basically, all it is is a new Gen II style shift plate that mounts on the elbow with the new plunger style interrupt switch.<br /><br />I have one mounted w/ cables adjusted and will water test tomorrow or Sunday but I have 2 questions:<br /><br />1) The plate comes with the new "shift Assist" Assembly. This basically mounts in parallel with the remote control shift cable. This "Shift Assist" actually seems to make it harder to shift since when you shift into froward it compresses a spring inside the shift assist arm and in reverse, it stretches the spring. So how exactly does this "assist" in shifting? Is it only meant to help with pulling into neutral? For now, I've left it off as it made shifting into gear significantly harder. So hard in fact I'd be afraid of flooring it fighting it into gear...<br /><br />2) I left the old plate on because it contains the "reverse lockout valve" My understanding is this valve prevents the drives from raising when the boat is in reverse. So, now it won't be working as the cables no longer move the arm that activate the valve. Should I just leave the arm in the neutral position and run with it or should I do something else? How is reverse lockout handled on newer boats that use these newer style shift plates?
