1968 MC-1 Shift cable adjustment. Page number in manual 1?

[adamjr]

It's late and I'm frustrated. I have seen Chris's video. I know the measurement for the lower cable is 5 7/8 for the old MC-1's. When I adjusted it to that length and installed it I could not get the upper cable to adjust to match.

Earlier today I read and re-read the section in Manual 1. I believed it to have been in section 6. Now for some reason I can not find the darned page nor can I find it in the index.

I printed a hard copy of the manual and put it in a binder. With my job I can do that. If anyone could tell me the page it's on, either the actual PDF page number or preferably the section, sub-section, page (6a-13) I would be very appreciative.

After all of the hunting down and acquiring the drive parts, trim hoses, many assorted other issues I finally have the transom/gimbal/bell housing/drive all back together. Now it's just a matter of getting the shift cables adjusted, changing spark plugs, oil, and filter and reinstalling the fuel tank and I can have her in the water next week. When I got the lower unit on and the lower shift cable adjusted and pinned I thought I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. After the upper cable adjustment issue i began to believe that light was an on-coming train.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Don S]

Re: 1968 MC-1 Shift cable adjustment. Page number in manual 1?

The problem with using Chris's video, is that it's for an Alpha I Gen II that didn't come out until 1991 and there were a huge number of changes through those years. So keep that in mind when you watch videos. Give section 2B a visit.

 

[adamjr]

Re: 1968 MC-1 Shift cable adjustment. Page number in manual 1?

Thanks again Don. You are a life ring. I know I found it and read it twice in the early afternoon before I even had the lower bolted back to the drive. Then, of course, life gets in the way of working on the boat and I didn't get back to it until around 8:00. The lower cable adjusted to 5 & 7/8 inches when pulled into forward but the upper cable just wouldn't cooperate. When I tried to find the manual page again I must have just been too frustrated. It seems like a good time to stop anyway.

I realize that Chris's drive is a Alpha 1 Gen II. From the reading I thought that the procedure seemed similar enough that it would be a decent guide. He even mentioned that earlier drives are 5 & 7/8 inches as opposed to 6 inches.

For those searching for the same info the page to find this in manual 1 is 2 B 12. Thanks again Don. I need a shortcut key on my keyboard to just copy and paste that phrase.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: 1968 MC-1 Shift cable adjustment. Page number in manual 1?

you also need to know if its a oem old style that is cut to fit or the new style, aft entry that is not cut.

 

[adamjr]

Re: 1968 MC-1 Shift cable adjustment. Page number in manual 1?

Thanks Doc. After reading several threads I elected to go with the OEM Quicksilver shift cable kit. The instructions in the kit are very specific that the cable is already cut to length, do NOT cut it. Those are the only instructions they give in the kit.

I believe I missed 2 things in the #1 manual. 1 was the length of the cable protruding from the support (if that is the correct term for the brass part the barrel is attached to). The other was that the pin on the slide end needs to begin at the bottom of the slot. Life is in the way again so I will hit this again later this afternoon.

Thanks again both of you for your advice. The best advice is Don's signature about doing it right the first time. That might be in part why I am moving so slow. In the immortal words of Alan B. Shepherd as uttered in prayer in the movie "The Right Stuff"; "Please God, don't let me Eff (edited for G-rated audience) up!"

 

[adamjr]

Re: 1968 MC-1 Shift cable adjustment. Page number in manual 1?

Okay. I think I found my source of confusion. This first image is the top of the Mercruiser manual 1 page 2B12 which shows the new and old style cables. It shows in figure 2 that when the support tube is threaded into the outer sheath AND the drive is in forward (core wire pulled tight and propeller shaft turned CCW to lock) the core wire should extend from the support tube 1 3/8 inches. The result of that would be as shown in figure 3 where with the cable end guide installed you can then adjust the barrel so that the center of the barrel to the center of the end guide mounting hole are 5 7/8 inches.

What I have in front of me is as shown. First, my core wire extends far beyond 1 3/8" from the support tube:

The core wire extends from the support tube about 3 1/4 inches as seen above. That is even with the support tube barely threaded into the outer sheath. Where you see the nut on the support tube below is how far the support tube was threaded into the outer sheath to get the length shown in the previous picture.

And the result of that is as shown in this final picture:

The cable end guide mounting hole is an inch too far from where it needs to be with the barrel at the closest end of the threads.

Here is where I need the experts to differentiate between two things for me if possible. It all goes to the "do it right the first time" which is Don S's signature and has always been my motto. The instructions with the Quicksilver cable were very specific. "this cable is cut to length. Do not cut it." The manual makes no mention of cutting the core wire but based on the instructions with the new style cable I am guessing (not assuming) that cutting the core wire to length was a given with the old style. I am guessing that because the manuals were not written for shade tree people but for service personell with proper factory training. If the manual was written for shade tree guys it would be 1950 pages instead of 975.

I don't understand why I have the big discrepancy in length. The instructions for running the core through the shift slide were a no brainer. I know that part of things is done correctly because pulling and pushing the cable performs the function that is supposed to happen. Do I cut the core wire?

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: 1968 MC-1 Shift cable adjustment. Page number in manual 1?

you are using the newer style so:
install cable and core,attach slider and setscrew, safety wire screw in place
install threaded guide all the way in the sheath and snug up nut.
install black sleeve and lock inplace with the setscrews(helpful to have someone hold the cable slide while you install the black sleeve.
put roller in shift slide and adjust slide so that it is in a straight line, this is fwd gear.
having a helper holding this in place, put control box in fwd and attach stud end and adjust barrel end to fit.
4B section
http://www.4shared.com/office/L17_ufPa/06__Drives_R-A1_83-90.html?

 

[adamjr]

Re: 1968 MC-1 Shift cable adjustment. Page number in manual 1?

Thanks Doc. I have that manual downloaded and I'll look it over. If I do what is second on the list, "install threaded guide all the way in the sheath and snug up nut" won't that increase the distance between the barrel and the guide mounting hole?
Also since it's the new style cable should I be looking for 6" between barrel and guide center lines instead of 5 7/8"?

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: 1968 MC-1 Shift cable adjustment. Page number in manual 1?

do you have the outdrive installed and in full fwd gear?
this might help,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s_tgevX2aI

 

[adamjr]

Re: 1968 MC-1 Shift cable adjustment. Page number in manual 1?

I am an idiot. I was pulling out on the cable, not pushing it in. I will take another look tomorrow. I didn't start trying anything with the cable beyond putting the core through the shift slide and setting the set screw/safety wire until I had the drive installed. Somwething in my head was reversed in spite of reading multiple times and even seeing Chris's video multiple times. I wasn't even drinking and I can't claim I was loopy from the heat because it's not been any hotter than 85 this weekend and i've been under a canopy. Read, read, read, watch and watch again. Still messed it up. :facepalm: I hadn't watched the video for a while. If that was the entirety of my issues I apologise for wasting everybodies time. But that said since I have the new style cable am I still looking for 5 7/8" or 6"?

My head is killing me from beating myself up. I'll update tomorrow after work when I have about an hour hopefully before I have to make supper. I'm going to bed and I'll see if I can sleep. So aggravated and too late in the evening to start drinking.

Aggravation also stems from the failed oil change. I'll start another thread on that if I don't figure that issue out tomorrow. I spent the extra and I bought Quicksilver motor oil anda quicksilver filter. I bought a drain pan that would fit under the motor. Drain plug came loose just like it's supposed to and oil drained out. Went to take the filter off and she was more than hand tight. It's been on there since 1996, at least. I have had a great oil filter wrench for about 25 years. It looks like an implement of torture. It has 3 sections with teeth that are all pinned together in a circle and attached to a handle. It has removed some STUCK!!!! filters. No dice, bent it up. Went to Advance auto and picked up a metal strap type of filter and tried that. Broke it too. Next is the screw driver and hammer trip but I don't have a lot of hope. I did spray the mating surface with PB blaster as there appears to be some rust that might be the issue. If not I found a tool that will work but it's a lot of work. Video attached below.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: 1968 MC-1 Shift cable adjustment. Page number in manual 1?

6 inches in full fwd gear

 

[adamjr]

Re: 1968 MC-1 Shift cable adjustment. Page number in manual 1?

Alright, that's what I'll shoot for. Now it's off to work to pay for these endeavors. If only work didn't get in the way of fun!

 

[adamjr]

Re: 1968 MC-1 Shift cable adjustment. Page number in manual 1?

Sorry I haven't updated until now. We had some rain, I had some work issues, then I had an injury so my work on the boat has been spotty. I did get the cable on and adjusted using the 6 inch measurement. I did get the oil filter off. A mechanic friend loaned me the greatest oil filter wrench I've ever seen. It looks kind of like a slinky if a slinky were made from spring steel strands that were 1/4" wide by 1/8" thick. It completely gripped the filter and gave good purchase.

Getting it running was difficult and other than changing the spark plugs with the current AC equivalent to the number listed in the manual I have not done anything to the engine or ignition system since I had it running like a top. I can only get it started if the warm up lever is fully engaged. The obvious happens and it wants to rev to 2K RPM. I back off the lever to bring it down to about 1400 RPM but any lower and it will die. I can shift effortlessly from N to F and F to N and N to R. I did each shift once because I am sure it can't be good at that RPM. When I had it started initially it idled at 800 RPM. My mechanic buddy had suggested that it might be a stuck float. He also thought that it was likely that during the 16 years it spent in storage that the brass float had corroded and might have a pin hole. When I ran the engine for the 10 or 15 minutes it wouldn't have presented itself. After shutting it down it is probable that the float filled with fuel and is simply then stuck open due to its' weight. That would allow the engine to start but attempting to throttle back is starving the carb of air and pouring in fuel causing it to flood. I had ordered a carb kit and float from iBoats and was going to wait to rebuild it until after I had run some Berrymans through it for an hour or so on the water. I'll open the float bowl and check the float first some time this weekend. If that is the issue I'll start another thread because that would be a good one to be able to search out.