1973 Mercruiser 140 shift cable adjustment.

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.... I use Atf, even with a 55 gallon drum of hyd. oil sittin' in the back barn,...

Hyd. oil looks like motor oil, only thinner, more like 10W oil,...

The trim pump is the simplest of hyd. pumps, 'n is quite happy with 'bout any clean oil up to 10W-30,....

I'd just fill it up with whatever oil ya decide on,... shouldn't need to empty what's in the system,....

 

[fishrdan]

For the lower shift cable, use a genuine OEM Quicksilver (Mercruiser) shift cable as the new ones are built better than after market cables, been there before. I have 73 Mercruiser also and replaced the lower shift cable a couple times with aftermarket cables, then with the OEM cable - 7 years ago...

Your old bell housing may need to be tapped for the new cable, if the cable screws into the fore/front side of the bell housing. Probably been done already, but something good to know before diving into the project.

Also.... Check to see if all the shift cables on the transom plate fit their anchor points with just a tiny bit of clearance, enough for movement, but no slop. When I got my boat I had a heck of a time adjusting the shift cables as one of them had a TON of play in it, like a 1/4" bolt in a 3/8" hole. I applied the fishrdan fix, chunk of Bic pen cut down as a bushing between the anchor point and cable barrel, which solved the sloppy fit.

You may want to inspect the bellows closely too if you're diving into replacing the lower shift cable.

 

[Plains Drifter]

Thanks!

I'm going fill the PTT reservoir, and try to get the boat in the water to try out the shifting, to see if there is a difference from on land.

Labor Day weekend might not be the time to do that though.

 

[Plains Drifter]

I filled the reservoir tonight with Sierra Marine Power Tilt and Trim Fluid, which is clear. It works great now, I cycled it quite a bit and didn't see any leaks.

I still don't understand the PTT controls on this boat though. It's a 3 button vertical panel. The middle button raises the drive, the bottom button lowers the drive, but I can't see that the top button does anything. What should it do?

 

[nola mike]

Not sure of your outdrive/controls, but my guess would be that the top button is the "trim" button, and the middle is the "trailor" button. The trim button is to be used when underway and has a limited movement compared to the trailer button. On the alphas at least, when your trim limit switch on the outdrive is shot, the trim button no longer works.

 

[Plains Drifter]

Well it looks like I've got a leak somewhere.

Drive was up when I filled it yesterday. I cycled up and down several times.

Today the reservoir is about half level from where it was yesterday. I don't see oil anywhere. Could it just need more? How much does the system hold? I put in 10 oz yesterday.

Thanks!

 

[Plains Drifter]

I learned something new today.
I learned that their is a "trailer position" in the PTT system.
I learned that one should not shift into gear in the trailer position.

The first time I took my new boat out I sat at the dock, in the trailer position that I didn't know about, and tried to shift repeatedly into reverse. Finally I just pushed away from the dock and shifted into forward as I trimmed down.

Could this be my problem?