1979 Mercruiser 260 Drive Shift Cable with Too Much Slop and not shifting to reverse

[zentodd]

Hi Guys,

I have a 350 Engine
MC-1 Outdrive

Runs well but shifts poorly. After setting up the drive shift cable adjustment to exactly 6" it shifts into forward gear perfectly. However, it doesn't have enough throw to shift into reverse. I adjusted the post to the bottom of the curved slot to get the most throw for reverse. Still no reverse. I can adjust the brass nut to get it a little closer but it ultimately affects forward gear - meaning a half turn on the brass adjustment nut one way and forward stops shifting but reverse is working and vice versa.

I tested the slop of the drive cable while in forward gear with the prop turned and locked off counter clockwise. It should be 9/16ths but its 2"s!

So i'm assuming it's not cable stretch. I'm thinking it must be something wrong on the other end of the drive shift cable. However, it goes down under the exhaust y and I can't get my hand on it or see the end of the cable as it enters the transom.

Any suggestions on where to start? Should i start with removing the outdrive? Or should i start by moving the engine forward? Or am i on the wrong track?

thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: 1979 Mercruiser 260 Drive Shift Cable with Too Much Slop and not shifting to reve

2 inches would mean the cable sheath has broken, remove the drive first to inspect everything and post pics if needed.
engine does not have to move to replace the shift cable. http://www.boatfix.com/merc/Servmanl/6/6covr3.pdf

 

[zentodd]

Re: 1979 Mercruiser 260 Drive Shift Cable with Too Much Slop and not shifting to reve

thank you for your help. Since i'm removing the drive what maintenance should i perform while i'm in there?

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: 1979 Mercruiser 260 Drive Shift Cable with Too Much Slop and not shifting to reve

If it comes out easy, clean and dry ,then grease the U joints, replace the impeller if more than 2 years old, and drive oil.

If very hard to remove, water in boot,, rusted input shaft to gimbal bearing, engine alignment issue.

 

[zentodd]

Re: 1979 Mercruiser 260 Drive Shift Cable with Too Much Slop and not shifting to reve

Bt Doctur
another question - the link you provided to the manual doesn't allow me to get to the chapters. I get 7 pages with specs and then a main menu - when i click on the active links to the chapters it just loops back to the original 7 pages. Am i doing something wrong?

 

[zentodd]

Re: 1979 Mercruiser 260 Drive Shift Cable with Too Much Slop and not shifting to reve

it came out easy but wet in the u joint bellows. the u joint bellows look intact - not sure why it's wet inside. the u joints seem fine but need grease. Gimbal bearing doesn't have any play but feels a little gritty - should i replace it?

First i need to get the intermediate shift cable out of the boat and bell housing. i pulled the cable out of the sheath. it looks to be in new like condition. I'm wondering how the sheath is broke and causing the slop? Anyway i'm stuck at the moment. I don't have the special tool to get the nut off the sheath at the bell housing. Any suggestions?

Thanks again

 

[achris]

Re: 1979 Mercruiser 260 Drive Shift Cable with Too Much Slop and not shifting to reve

If you are replacing the cable (and that would be the only reason to remove it) just cut the cable close to the bell housing and use a 9/16" deep socket to get the rest out...

If the gimbal bearing feels gritty/rough, don't muck around, just replace it.

As for water in the bellows. If the big rubber ring just on the inside lip of the bell housing is intact, then it can only come from a perforated bellows. Otherwise the water could have come from a leaking water passage 'O' ring of a leaking upper shift shaft seal...

Chris.........

 

[zentodd]

Re: 1979 Mercruiser 260 Drive Shift Cable with Too Much Slop and not shifting to reve

ok - welded a nut onto a deep socket. i thought about cutting it off but assumed i would need the tool for re-installation. I'll try the tool this evening. I already removed the cable but the sheath is still in the boat. i'm still wondering how a broken sheath could cause 2" of slop. hopefully it'll come out easily after i get the retaining nut off.

 

[achris]

Re: 1979 Mercruiser 260 Drive Shift Cable with Too Much Slop and not shifting to reve

The new cables screw in from the back (aft side) of the bell housing. Once you have the old one out you need to run a STRAIGHT NPT tap down the hole to clean the threads...

Chris......

 

[flipbro]

Re: 1979 Mercruiser 260 Drive Shift Cable with Too Much Slop and not shifting to reve

2 INCHS! Guys dont that seem like alot for just a worn shift cable? Could There be something else worn here?

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: 1979 Mercruiser 260 Drive Shift Cable with Too Much Slop and not shifting to reve

If you go to the site and scroll to the bottom where the 7 numbers are, you need to move the mouse all the way to the left ,and there click on the sub sections.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: 1979 Mercruiser 260 Drive Shift Cable with Too Much Slop and not shifting to reve

What happens is that the crimped brass end with the nut eventually gets water in it. This starts the spring steel wires to corrode.
As the rust grows, it provides a crimping action on the plastic tube that supports the core. Eventually a heavy hand shifting breaks the core away from the nut end. Now just the casing moves when you try to shift but not the cable core.

Remember the shift cable is ONE PIECE . when you unscrew the nut you also need to rotate the cable sheath inside the boat. Also make sure the shift bellows are able to rotate also.

 

[zentodd]

Re: 1979 Mercruiser 260 Drive Shift Cable with Too Much Slop and not shifting to reve

If you go to the site and scroll to the bottom where the 7 numbers are, you need to move the mouse all the way to the left ,and there click on the sub sections.

That's what i'm doing and it still doesn't work. it just reloads the previous 7 cover/menu pages. i'm on a mac but i doubt that should make a difference. let me know if you think of anything i might be doing wrong or if there is a way to link to the additional chapters.
Thanks again

 

[zentodd]

Re: 1979 Mercruiser 260 Drive Shift Cable with Too Much Slop and not shifting to reve

ok thanks guys for all the help. I really appreciate everything. So far i'm replacing the gimbal bearing, u-joint bellows and shift cable. I'm noticing my shift sender and limit have exposed wires. However they still appear to be working. I probably need to replace those as well. i'll have parts and tools later this week and i'll let you know how everything goes.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: 1979 Mercruiser 260 Drive Shift Cable with Too Much Slop and not shifting to reve

http://www.boatfix.com/merc/mainmenu.pdf go to service manual, get #6 download, and burn

 

[zentodd]

Re: 1979 Mercruiser 260 Drive Shift Cable with Too Much Slop and not shifting to reve

Question about cable insertion - before i pull the sheath out - do i want to attach a "guide wire" for re-insertion? I'm assuming one pulls the sheath back thru the transom and into the engine compartment? Then do the reverse for installation. That is going to be very tough without some guide of some sort due to the fact that i cant see or feel the portion of the transom that the intermediate cable goes thru.

I saw that there is a special tool of some sort - do i need that or is there a clever way to do it without spending more cash?

 

[dubs283]

Re: 1979 Mercruiser 260 Drive Shift Cable with Too Much Slop and not shifting to reve

I saw that there is a special tool of some sort - do i need that or is there a clever way to do it without spending more cash?

there should be a sticky on this subject, maybe if i get time ill write one up

anyways, take the old inner cable and the old threaed rod from the engine side of the old cable, cut about 3/4" off the threaded rod and slide it over the old inner cable so it butts against the stop end of the cable

then thread the rod end into the old outer cable end on the engine side prior to pulling it through the transom assy, when you pull the old outer cable through you now have a solid fish wire for the new cable

 

[zentodd]

Re: 1979 Mercruiser 260 Drive Shift Cable with Too Much Slop and not shifting to reve

thanks dubs283,
that makes no sense to me yet but i'll look at the parts and hopefully my feeble brain will be able to put 2 and 2 together.