Prop spinning freely in gear after replacing gimbal bearing and bellows

[Jwoyton3]

So i just got my first boat. Up until last week i knew very little avout boats, but i have a mechanical background and im not afraid to get into things. Its a mercruiser 165 3.7 with alpha one gen 1 outdrive.

i replaced the bellows and gimbal bearing and was having trouble getting the outdrive back on. I took a break and ran to get some fuel line and my uncle who thinks he knows everything forced the outdrive on by putting the nuts on and tightening them. Long story short he bent the gear switch on the outdrive because it wasnt lined up and the boat was stuck in reverse i believe. The next day i went and got a new transom gasket kit and removed the outdrive and pool ut it back on no problem besides having to bend the lever that changes the gears on the outdrive. The lever seems to be opereating correctly and i was able to spin the prop counter clockwise to turn irn the spindle to aligne it with the engine coupler. A short wile after i noticed the prop was spinning freely in every gear. The shift cable is turning the lever on the outdrive and feels fine. I went an adjusted it as per a couple youtibe videos. I only had one issue when doing it. The lower cable is supposed to have 7 inches from the mounting hole to the cable shield. I only have 6 and a quarter. Thw cable is supposed to be adjusted so there is 6 in from center of mounting hole to the middle of the barrel. I was able to squeek that out by putting the barrel right next to where the cable shield starts.

i wss hoping the prop spinning was just a spun hub but i dont really know much about boats just been doing alot of research online.
anybody have any ideas on the prop spinning or the shift cable.

also i cant start the boat i have a broken plug wire and am.waiting on them to be shipped to me guess who broke that as well. Lol

 

[Alfred Lord Tenniscourt]

I just did two of these, and had a really hard time getting the shift cables right. I found that moving the outdrive up and down changed the point at which it shifted. I had my linkage more or less set with the drives up, but found that when I put them down for a final check, it changed everything. Maybe that will help?
If you're sure the cable is actually moving the shift lever on the lower outdrive, that sounds like bad news. I would probably confirm that the shifter on the lower unit is actually moving to full stroke, and if that doesn't work, pull it back off and see if you can get the shifter to engage the prop by moving it without the cable end of the mechanism on there at all. If you can, you've got bent linkage or a problem with the cable. If you can't, there is something bent, busted or stripped in the lower unit.
Good luck.

 

[Jwoyton3]

Thabk you for your response! Im almost positive the shifter is moving. Its hard to see but it looked like it was turning. I will pull the drive and see if operating it by hand changes. What did you mean when you said setting your linkage changed everything when you out the drive down? Also could bending the shifter to the side when bolting it on cause damage to the lower that you suspect?

 

[Jwoyton3]

So it turns out the shift lever isn't moving. Maybe the cable isnt engaging the roller inside the bell housing? How could i fix this?

 

[Bondo]

So it turns out the shift lever isn't moving. Maybe the cable isnt engaging the roller inside the bell housing? How could i fix this?

Ayuh,....... Welcome Aboard,...... That's entirely possible,...... Ya slide the drive back abit, 'n Look,.....

 

[Jwoyton3]

Thanks it turned out the shifter wheel had to be adjusted. I broke loose the set screw which i didnt even know was there and pushed it towards the transom tightened it and good to go. Now all i have to do is take it off and put it back on again, this time with a gasket. I ruined the one i just put on taking the drive off.

 

[Jwoyton3]

Shifter roller? Idk. Whats that thing called?

 

[tank1949]

Thanks it turned out the shifter wheel had to be adjusted. I broke loose the set screw which i didnt even know was there and pushed it towards the transom tightened it and good to go. Now all i have to do is take it off and put it back on again, this time with a gasket. I ruined the one i just put on taking the drive off.

On alphas, if my memory serves me correctly, the movement on the gear selection on your OD can only move < 90 degree arc to full reverse or full forward. Midway is neutral. So you have about a 45 degree arc to forward and about a 45 degree arc for reverse. Adjusting can be a real head scratcher w/o a friend assisting you via smart phones because you maybe trying to hear through several feet of fiberglass and metal. Then, you have to worry about the shifter interrupt switch. And you cannot reliably test it to see if you have it working correctly w/o a water load against your prop. I've owned 4 Alphas. I had one that neither a local shop nor I could get the alpha's interrupt working correctly. Good luck!

 

[Jwoyton3]

Im sorry its the shifter shaft. It is what the wheel is on which is moved by the fork at the end of the shift cabl . Turns out adjusting it only got me reverse but when put in foward then neutral it will not go back in forward unless i manually turn the shift lever on the lower.

 

[Jwoyton3]

I suspect my lower cable is stretched. It was pulled on hard by my cousin and i was not aware until last nigh .

 

[Jwoyton3]

Would a new cable and adjusting to the settings in the manual not get it working properly? I dont understand why this is so complicated?

 

[Bondo]

Would a new cable and adjusting to the settings in the manual not get it working properly? I dont understand why this is so complicated?

Ayuh,....... I would think that oughta do it,.......

 

[TomCz]

I suspect my lower cable is stretched. It was pulled on hard by my cousin and i was not aware until last nigh .

As Bondo suggests, get new shift cable and follow the step by step instructions carefully. It's not hard, but it's a bunch of mechanical connections that need to be set correctly. You might also want to send your uncle and cousin off on some errands while you do the work.

 

[Jwoyton3]

I overnighted the shift cable last night will be here tomorrow morning the good news is the engine is purring after a carb rebuild (well a couple rebuilds because the sierra kot doesnt come with a new float) and new plugs and wires. Ive got about 40 hours into this boat after never working on a boat and learning everyrhing the hard way. I cannot wait to.get out on the water. People have been hammering walleye here on lake erie in cleveland.

 

[Jwoyton3]

We moved the boat from my uncles and my cousin is only allowed to clean now lol

 

[Jwoyton3]

Write up on replacing shift cable

Does anybody have the write up.on replacing shift cable. It was pretty sarcastic but informative. I saw it yesterday but cant seem to find it anymore.

 

[Jwoyton3]

Alpha o e shifting problems

I have an alpha one gen i I was having problems shifting after replacing bellows. I have since replaced the shift cable and want to make sure everything is looking right before i waste another gasket and put the outdrive back on. I think my upper shift shaft has turned a little and am not sure if it positioned properly or i may be missing something entirely. I am hoping that the new cable and adjusting it per the manual will solve everything the old inner core cable was a bit bent and kinked. I can not find anything about the proper placement for the upper shift shaft there is a set screw on it. the pictures show the shift shaft aligned with forward gear. Does this look ok?

 

[Jwoyton3]

The new cable and adjusting the new cable worked. The boat is in the water just need to figure out the throttle cable.adjustment