How do i remove alpha drive lower unit when i cant shift into forward?

[torpedoman]

I have a 260 mercruiser w/ alpha stern drive.
Something happened in the drive & now i am stuck in neutral. Cant shift into forward or reverse gear.

I want to expose the drive end of shift cable.

How do i get the lower unit off when i cant shift into forward, which i understand is required to get it off?

Help please

 

[achris]

Re: How do i remove alpha drive lower unit when i cant shift into forward?

ok...

Drain the oil.
Remove the lower gear housing (doesn't matter which gear it's in for that).
The intermediate shift shaft should then fall down far enough away from the bottom of the upper shaft shaft to allow the top driveshaft housing to be removed without the need to select forward...

Chris.........

 

[torpedoman]

Re: How do i remove alpha drive lower unit when i cant shift into forward?

is there no other way to get it off? i just want to take off the ram bolts & six bolts on lower unit & pull the damn thing off.
i heard something about aligning shoes w/ screwdriver.
any other options then draining oil etc??

 

[achris]

Re: How do i remove alpha drive lower unit when i cant shift into forward?

It's no big deal to drain the oil and split the boxes. It'll give you a chance to check the water pump while you're at it.....

You can try and fiddle around with screwdrivers and the like, but if the shift cable won't move, you'll be doing it this way in the end....

 

[Blk-n-Blu]

Re: How do i remove alpha drive lower unit when i cant shift into forward?

Maybe this link will help:
http://www.mercstuff.com/howdoi.htm

 

[achris]

Re: How do i remove alpha drive lower unit when i cant shift into forward?

Maybe this link will help:
http://www.mercstuff.com/howdoi.htm

How? That site assumes everything is working. This one can't be shifted into forward to align the shift shaft coupler for/aft to slide them apart.....

Chris........

 

[Blk-n-Blu]

Re: How do i remove alpha drive lower unit when i cant shift into forward?

You can drop the lower without being in forward, see what the problem is. shift into forward when re-assembling.

 

[Kainon]

Re: How do i remove alpha drive lower unit when i cant shift into forward?

If its not shifting then the lower has to be separated from the upper to fix it, as shifting is done in the lower. That is if your shifting problem is with the outdrive.

Try tilting the drive up all the way, climb under and see if you can straighten the shift shafts. If not then you'll have to remove the lower.

 

[torpedoman]

Re: How do i remove alpha drive lower unit when i cant shift into forward?

i'm not sure where shifting problem is. that is why i want to expose the drive end of the shift cable.
when the throttle lever is moved forward-neutral-reverse, i can hear a little sliding sound from where the cable goes into drive. that tells me the cable is ok.
for all i know, whatever the cable attached to broke.
it should be something simple as drive was redone last season.

so basically i need to see where the shift cable terminates. how can i get that exposed considering i cant put in forward.
i want to have as few pcs to take apart as possible at least until i can see what broke.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: How do i remove alpha drive lower unit when i cant shift into forward?

check to make sure the "shoes" look like this. If the lower show is too low, the SS washer is missing .Anybody recently work on this drive.

 

[torpedoman]

Re: How do i remove alpha drive lower unit when i cant shift into forward?

how do i check to make sure the shoes "look like this".
what the heck am i looking at here.

 

[achris]

Re: How do i remove alpha drive lower unit when i cant shift into forward?

Here's the thing....

If you can't get the drive into forward gear you have no choice but to drop the lower half first. There is no other way of doing it. If there was, I would have told you about it.... I, and most of the other old farts here, have been working on these drives for a long time.... trust us.

Chris........

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: How do i remove alpha drive lower unit when i cant shift into forward?

Sorry, I dont know exactly how to say this but that statement leads me to believe that removing the drive and re-installing it is beyond to grasp right now. Go here http://www.boatfix.com/merc/mainmenu.pdf and get #6 while you can.
READ IT CAREFULLY , then when we answer your questions you will know what were talking about.

 

[torpedoman]

Re: How do i remove alpha drive lower unit when i cant shift into forward?

i understand. im an engineer & contractor & build things for a living, but am new to boating & have yet to tear apart a drive.
find it hard to believe that after putting in a new engine & drive, all of a sudden, i cant put the thing into any gear & im dead in the water in the middle of a lake.
and to top it off, i cant remove the part that i need to to see what the heck is going on because i cant put it into gear!!!

looking at the schematics you gave me- & thanks for that- i would guess that either the lever or screw that attaches lever to upper shift rod has failed, but who the hell knows.
think i'll bite the bullet & take her in to a mechanic.

thanks for your help.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: How do i remove alpha drive lower unit when i cant shift into forward?

you mention new drive, was if filled properly from the bottom? Was the engine alignment correct? When you start the motor and shift into gear ,does the input shaft turn.(the part that goes into the back of the motor). No oil does this

 

[torpedoman]

Re: How do i remove alpha drive lower unit when i cant shift into forward?

i had drive redone be merc mechanic. worked fine for many hours until shifting issue occurred.
its not a no oil, gears stripped type issue.
its a shift cable linkage issue. when you move the throttle lever, the cable is moving @ drive but it is not moving levers/shift shafts for unknown reason & i cant see what the reason is because i cant see that area because the damn drive is in the way.