OMC Cobra won’t shift out of gear

[A1957]

I had the outdrive off my daughter’s boat and used the cable alignment tools to set the intermediate cable position and length. The pull on the cable was approx. 1.5 lbs using my fish scale. I then reinstalled the outdrive and went through the shift cable adjustment procedure.
Both of the switches in the shift interrupt system work and seem to be adjusted correctly.
The only deviation I needed in the whole scenario is that when attaching the intermediate cable end to the bell crank, the cable I had previously adjusted using the OMC tool would not go into the trunnion. Not even close. So I had to adjust the swivel on the cable to get it to fit the trunnion.
I’m 100% sure I’ve missed something. i think the cable length should have been correct once I set it with the outdrive off. Why would someone need to make such specific cable adjustments using such specific tools if they were going to have to readjust it freehand a few steps later?
Help !!!

 

[Scott Danforth]

Follow @Lou C 's post on adjusting cobra drive shift cables

 

[Lou C]

Yep you start with the drive off and first set the shift rod height. Then you use those 2 tools to set up the transom shift cable. Then install the drive & check the adjustment of the remote control cable. The idea is to get equal throw & full engagement on both sides of neutral. You need a helper to spin the prop checking for engagement. Then you have to water test it & make sure the ESA system is working properly. You want the idle speed to be no more than 600 rpm in gear in the water. When you shift from in gear to neutral you should see the rpm drop briefly on the tach. If your idle is too high the ESA won’t be able to lower rpm enough for it to slip into neutral. It’s different than Merc’s Alpha in that regard because Merc cuts the ignition momentarily whereas OMC cuts spark to half the cylinders. The difference is OMC is less likely to stall if you shift too slow but if you idle is too high it will be stiff going into neutral or it just won’t shift.
I adjusted mine way back in 2013 and haven’t had to touch it since. I found that keeping the drive down greatly prolongs the life of the cable because it helps prevent the outer jacket of the cable from cracking where it goes into the pivot housing. When that happens the inner core corrodes & it gets stiff. I have had very good luck with the Cobra in salt water use and moorage.