OMC electric shifter

[bshow]

Have 1976 OMC electric shift that pops out of gear mostly when cold, occasionally when in rough water. Believe it to be switch in shifter. Need electrical diagram of shifter. Anyone know where I can get one.

 

[DHPMARINE]

Re: OMC electric shifter

Should be two wires down to an electric shift stringer.Green is forward,Blue is reverse.<br />Coming out of gear,loosing gear,and getting it back seems rare to me.Usually no more shift.<br /> Try running an extra ground from the engine block to the outdrive.Or the Battery negative to the outdrive.<br /> Normally the drive solenoids ground thru the aluminum casings,and a ground cable at the top of your drie swivel.<br />I thimk you have lost this ground due to corrosion. <br />DHP

 

[Fishermark]

Re: OMC electric shifter

I can't imagine it is an electrical problem - or at least not a "typical" problem of a loose connection or bad ground. If I remember correctly those units were designed to be in forward gear with no electrical power present. If you have a bad connection, or lose power, it would go into forward automatically by default.

 

[DHPMARINE]

Re: OMC electric shifter

Fishermark, Very good point.OMC used such a system on some of their outboards.The lower unit was always in forward.Appling voltage to one solenoid moved a plunger in an oil pump in the lower unit,engaging neutral.Engaging both solenoids caused the pump to shift the lower unit into reverse.<br />Some out boards and (all) OMC electric sterndrives had a different system.Both forward and reverse gears had a spring wound around their hubs.Each also had an electric coil.When 12V was applied to the forward coil,it would 'magnetize' the spring,making it grab the hub.Thus forward gear.Same for reverse.Some outboards also used this system.<br /> OMC outboards also had a system where the lower unit was always in neutral.Energize one solenoid = forward.Energize the other solenoid = reverse.One other system..The solenoids moved the clutch dog,but it was assisted by the pump.<br />WOW I guess I said enough. DHP

 

[Fishermark]

Re: OMC electric shifter

Thank's for the clarification.<br /><br />Actually I used to have an electric shift 100HP Evinrude. My brother had a I/O (351 Ford engine) with an electric shift OMC outdrive. I rebuilt the engine for him about 10 years ago and was trying it out. Coming back into Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale it suddenly not only popped out of gear, it sheared the prop pin as well. After replacing the pin, (with my best friend holding onto my ankles so I didn't fall in the water ), the outdrive would only go into reverse. We made it all the way back to the dock in reverse! (About two miles - that was a fun trip. )<br /><br />I took to boat in to a OMC mechanic who said the springs had been put in backwards - whatever that meant. <br /><br />By the way, the cause of the original problem was that I had failed to properly get the wire out of the way at the stern. I cut the wire in half during the course of the check out cruise. But as I mentioned, instead of defaulting into foward, it defaulted into reverse when power was lost. ALWAYS A BAD THING WHEN CRANKING OUT ABOUT 4,000 RPMs!

 

[Sydmoe]

Re: OMC electric shifter

Here is a link i found in another post that may be of help.<br /> Shifter Info