Shifting issue, 1995 Bravo 3, Delay into forward.

[jersigsel22]

So this is my story. Last year I started to notice a delay when i would shift my drive into forward, reverse is still instant. at the begining of the 100 mile trek my wife and i were on it was about a 1 second delay 12 hrs, 3 locks and a 100 miles later the delay was now about 3 seconds, Changed the lube NO metel shavings in oil, seemed to help a little. end of season came quick. now this year the delay got to about 10 seconds so i replaced lower shift cable, detent and shift lever. did not help at all
Took the boat out and tried to adjust the barrel didnt help and its still getting worse now i have to give it a little throttle then let off to get it to fully engage. and i say fully engage because ive watched while some one else shifts. the props start spinning in forward right away just very slow, barely moving water then after the delay she really kicks in with the force it should have. Im about to just buy a new drive i dont know what the deal is. I had a mechanic open up the drive and he sais everything looks as it should. Any advice from any one would be greatly appreciated. thanks

 

[dubs283]

Re: Shifting issue, 1995 Bravo 3, Delay into forward.

what are you using for gear lube??

 

[jersigsel22]

Re: Shifting issue, 1995 Bravo 3, Delay into forward.

quicksilver High performance.

 

[dubs283]

Re: Shifting issue, 1995 Bravo 3, Delay into forward.

the grooves on the new style cone are different from the old style, the old style can be prone to slipping and causing a late/delayed shift

unfortunately the only solution is to replace the upper gearset/cone assy

is this the reason you are buyng a new drive??

 

[jersigsel22]

Re: Shifting issue, 1995 Bravo 3, Delay into forward.

Thats what I was afraid of,like i said a mechanic looked it over. how good? I dont know. are worn grooves somthing that could be easily overlooked? I have vacation time that i cant change in a couple weeks that involves a planned boat trip. for the cost of a rebuilt upper I would rather just spend a little extra and get a new one, Then rebuild this winter and either have a spare or sell it. I found a place near me thats selling a new bravo 3 for 5249. I would imagine the guy would part with it for 5 cash. What do you think?

 

[dubs283]

Re: Shifting issue, 1995 Bravo 3, Delay into forward.

best you can do is offer him the cash, worst he can do is say no

the vertical grooves on the cone is what the issue is, the newer style has more (six if i remember) as opposed to three - this allows more lube in between the clutch and the plate

im not sure what exactly list is on a new complete bravo three but 5k seems low - possibly this one is a reman/aftermarket??

 

[Pete104]

Re: Shifting issue, 1995 Bravo 3, Delay into forward.

Mercury has tried to do everything right with the "cone" system. They just haven't perfected it yet. I think the oil is to thick. They have their mind set on "racing" not longevity for the gearset!

 

[jersigsel22]

Re: Shifting issue, 1995 Bravo 3, Delay into forward.

Dubs283- If you google (outdrive bravo 3. long lake, mn) you'll see the ones im looking at. on ebay. I have to check to see what my ratio is but it looks like he has them all. Im goona call on monday. I'm thinking maybe its just the upper and lower, No ring ,etc. We'll see, hopefully its what i need. Thank you for your time, its much appreciated. BTW when did the newest bravo 3 come out?

 

[Mischief Managed]

Re: Shifting issue, 1995 Bravo 3, Delay into forward.

Sure sounds like a problem with the cone clutch. If you are going to replace something, why not just replace the driveshaft housing (upper half of the drive)? That's a lot less money and really easy to change. You can use one from any Bravo drive. I got a perfectly functional used one on craigslist last year for $500. You just need to count the teeth on the upper gear (easy enough to do, just pop the top off with a 12 point 3/8" socket) and make sure it has the same number of teeth as your current drive. If you have a 2.2:1 drive, it's got 30 teeth, 2:1 will have 32 teeth, and a 1.81:1 will have 29 teeth.

 

[dubs283]

Re: Shifting issue, 1995 Bravo 3, Delay into forward.

when did the newest bravo 3 come out?

2005-06ish

merc redesigned the upper half assy, the shimming is completely different than the old style however the same principle operation is the same

the bravo design is very reliable/durable and i rarely see issues like yours with bravo drives, although from time to time they do fail

 

[jersigsel22]

Re: Shifting issue, 1995 Bravo 3, Delay into forward.

on average how long should one expect a well maintained bravo 3 to last? 500hrs ? 1000? 1500+?
Maybe im due for a new one Mine has close to 600 hrs over 16 years, Im searching for just the upper with out much luck. what i get will depend on how much $$$$ i can scrape up.

 

[jersigsel22]

Re: Shifting issue, 1995 Bravo 3, Delay into forward.

So heres the latest. Had a mechanic adjust shift cables. helped alot but there is still a delay till the props kick in completely. we both stood on the dock and watched. props start spinning instantly when shift lever is put in forward just at a fraction of the rpm they should be. then about 5 seconds later they kick in completely and really plow water like they should. guy says he's never seen anything like it. but that its most likely the upper gearcase. even though this is the same guy that had it apart and said everything looked ok.:facepalm:

 

[Shoehorn]

Re: Shifting issue, 1995 Bravo 3, Delay into forward.

I have the same problem with my 1995 Bravo 3. I have had the issue off and on for years and only when trying to shift to forward. Does not happen when the lower unit is cold only after I have ran it for a while. This year, it is much worse. The last time out, it took me about 4 minutes before I could get it to engage to move forward after stopping on the river. That is why I am online tonight to try to figure out what I can do. Sound like maybe I can adjust the shift cable to get me to the end of the season. I was told that if the lower unit goes bad, do not put a Bravo 3 back on it. Just go with a single four blade prop and it will perform just as well? Any idea how much it will cost me to fix this? In the thread above, the person said to just replace the driveshaft housing (upper half of the drive)? Does this make sense and what would it cost?

 

[jersigsel22]

Re: Shifting issue, 1995 Bravo 3, Delay into forward.

I've had the cables adjusted as much as they can be and it did not help. I was also told that the issue is the upper gear case gears, Ive looked for cheap ones on the net without any luck. you can replace the whole upper gears with the new updated set thats the same gears as the new bravo's for Like 1800 bucks. Is it worth it???? thats for you to decide. Im done pulling out my hair so im gettin the new gears. the lower unit is not the issue. Best of luck to you.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Shifting issue, 1995 Bravo 3, Delay into forward.

shoe you really should start your own thread, and reference this one in it. But...

before spending lots o'time & money, why don't you change the gear oil & adjust the cable? And when I say change the oil, I don't mean put Merc stuff back in it. Put in Pennzoil synthetic.

And whoever told you that a four blade prop will perform as well as a B3 is WRONG. Wrong about a couple things, actually. Your issue with the shifting is in the top, so it's not the lower unit going bad at all. And just think about this, how can 4 blades accomplish the same work as 6, just as well? Not to mention the benefits of the counter-rotation of the props.

 

[jersigsel22]

Re: Shifting issue, 1995 Bravo 3, Delay into forward.

Different gear oil? could it really be that simple a fix?:facepalm:

 

[45Auto]

Re: Shifting issue, 1995 Bravo 3, Delay into forward.

You have something wrong with your outdrive.

Every B3 drive out there came with Mercruiser High Performance oil in it and worked fine.

It's possible a different type of oil might hide some of the symptoms for a while. Just make sure you stay close to shore and your tow-boat insurance is paid up .....

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Shifting issue, 1995 Bravo 3, Delay into forward.

Different gear oil? could it really be that simple a fix?:facepalm:

No, not likely, but along with an adjustment, it couldn't hurt. I had great sucess with the regular Pennzoil outdrive lube, my father always used the Pennzoil synthetic. Neither of use ever developed shifting issues, and I had 810 hours on my 1997 went I sold it in 2008. He put similiar hours on a pair of Bravos in his 30' cruiser with no issues. Worth a try before you spend BIG BUCKS replacing the upper gearset.

 

[dubs283]

Re: Shifting issue, 1995 Bravo 3, Delay into forward.

not to beat a dead horse here fellas but this issue has already been addressed, by me, in post #6

the problem is the cone clutch, it has three vertical grooves as opposed to the six on a new style

how do i know this is the issue??

i have seen it before, and fixed the issue with a new clutch/gear set in the upper

yes a different type of lube will help, sometimes, for a while - but the issue always returns

its up to the customer to determine how long they will deal with the issue and replace the clutch/gearset

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Shifting issue, 1995 Bravo 3, Delay into forward.

oh dubs, I don't doubt you, I was trying to buy this guy some more time, like maybe til the end of his season or so.